Somerset County Brownfields Initiative
Questions & Answers
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What is the Purpose of the Somerset County Brownfields Study?
Identify brownfield sites located in existing town and village
centers affected by regional transportation linkage deficiencies,
access and mobility constraints, and whose redevelopment is critical
to the revitalization of a neighborhood or community as a whole.
Develop transportation solutions that will act as catalysts for
the redevelopment of these sites and other nearby vacant,
underutilized and brownfield sites within existing towns and
villages.
- What are Brownfield Sites?
Brownfield sites are abandoned, idle or under-used
industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment
is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
- What are the Costs to the Community for the Presence of Brownfield
Sites?
- Growing loss of greenspace as land development spreads in the
urban fringe
- A decrease in the level of investment in the Urban Center
- Increased cost to local governments for associated
infrastructure development and upkeep
- A threat to human health and the environment from chemical
contamination in the air, soil, water, and groundwater from
abandoned commercial and industrial facilities
- Why Redevelop Brownfield Sites?
- Environmental clean-up and restoration of specific sites to
improve air and water quality, elimination of health and safety
concerns and return of the natural environment
- Job creation and retention in the local community
- Attraction or creation of new, compatible business or commercial
interests
- Retention of existing business base
- Return of abandoned, or idle or underutilized facilities to
productive use and to the community’s tax base.
- Project Description Summary for Somerset County
This project, proposed by the Somerset County
Planning Board, involves the provision of transportation assessments,
the development of improvement recommendations, the identification of
financing options and the preparation of State Transportation "problem
statements" for pilot brownfield sites that are key to the
revitalization of neighborhoods and communities comprising existing
town and village centers. The goal is to leverage transportation
investments with other brownfields redevelopment resources available
through the State and Federal Government in order to facilitate the
successful redevelopment of the pilot brownfield sites. Another goal
is to strengthen the links between planning and the NJTPA Pipeline
Process.
- Grant Source
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority FY
2000 Technical Studies Program
- Funding Amount
Consultant $72,000
County (in-house) $18,000
Total $90,000
- Consultant Team
Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc.
Sadat Associates, Inc.
Prestige Environmental
- Scope of Work
- Task One:Success Stories – case studies brochure will be
prepared highlighting examples of "best practices" regarding
transportation investments that were successful in facilitating
center-based brownfield redevelopment.
- Task Two:Identification of Center-based Brownfield Target
Sites – utilize NJDEP GIS Database on Known contaminated Sites as a
starting point. Coordinate with the Office of State Planning and the
NJTPA on their brownfields inintiatives.
- Task Three: Ranking and Prioritization of Sites
- Preliminary Site Assessment (see attachment)
- Ranking and Site Selection
- Task Four
:Conduct Transportation Assessments, Develop
Improvement Recommendations and Identify Financing Options
- Task Five
: Identification of Financing Options
- Task Six
: Public Education / Presentation of Findings
- Three Public Information Sessions
- Meetings of Local Officials and Special Interest Groups
- Task Seven
: Results and Products to be Delivered
- How Will Final Report Be Used?
Create a county-wide inventory of brownfield sites
Foster community awareness on brownfields redevelopment
opportunities
Establish a "model" assessment checklist
Secure county, state and federal transportation funds to spur
redevelopment of pilot brownfield sites
- Coordination with Somerset Smart Growth Coalition, Inc. Efforts
The six areas of activity that have been
identified as crucial to the Somerset Smart Growth Coalition, Inc.
are the following:
- Develop and maintain a database of environmentally challenged
sites
- Identify project-related funding and program support –
site–specific redevelopment
- Establish and facilitate Brownfields Redevelopment Committee
- Host regular series of focus meetings
- Participate in the brownfields redevelopment work of others
- Create a One Stop Brownfields Office
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