Smart Growth America recently released a new guide for town, city, and county leaders that is designed to be a tool they can use to build the financial and political support needed to reclaim and redevelop the thousands of abandoned gas stations, auto body shops, and industrial facilities nationwide.
The report, “From Vacancy to Vibrancy: A guide to redeveloping underground storage tank sites through area-wide planning,” focuses on underground storage tank (UST) sites – properties with buried or partially buried tanks that have been used to store petroleum or other hazardous substances. When gas stations, auto body shops, industrial facilities, or other types of development close down, these tanks are often left behind. As they age, the tanks are prone to leakage and can contaminate both soil and groundwater, posing a serious environmental threat. This guide takes aim at one of the primary reasons these types of properties remain vacant for so long: many officials often do not know what to do with them.
The regulatory issues associated with vacant properties containing a UST, as well as the time and money involved in cleanup, often makes revitalization seem like more trouble than it is worth. These challenges are overshadowed, however, by UST sites’ potential for neighborhood revitalization. As noted in the report’s Executive Summary: “UST sites are often both small and centrally located, and both these traits make them unique opportunities for revitalization. As demand rises for housing in neighborhoods close to town and in city centers – persisting in spite of larger challenges in the real estate market nationwide – UST sites are in a position to catalyze reinvestment and redevelopment initiatives.”
From Vacancy to Vibrancy provides an overview of tools and strategies available to leaders who want to transform vacant properties with USTs into economic and community assets. The guide also includes information about state and federal brownfield program requirements, brownfield redevelopment financing strategies, and multi-site planning techniques. An annotated list of resources is included at the end for further exploration.
To access the complete report, please visit:
Background information:
New England City & Town: Environment Services Issues: Underground Storage Tanks
New England City & Town: Environment Services Issues: Brownfields
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