CCLR Providing Technical Assistance to the Western States

Building on Brownfields - August 2009 

With the aid of a brownfields research and technical assistance grant, the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) in San Francisco is providing technical assistance to communities throughout the western United States that are tackling brownfields redevelopment projects.

Using the EPA grant, the CCLR is reaching out to states in Regions 8, 9 and 10 with the goal of helping communities develop brownfields programs but also teaching more people just what these properties can do for their communities, says Ignacio Dayrit of the CCLR. Many communities continue to lack an awareness or appreciation for what these contaminated properties can become, Dayrit says. Region 10 has been underrepresented in the last few years when it comes to receiving federal monies, he adds.

"We're just there to help point them in the right direction or provide assistance ourselves," Dayrit says.

Formed in 1997, the CCLR is a nonprofit agency offering pro bono technical assistance in support of land recycling and brownfield redevelopment efforts. Its goal is to "repair fractured communities and discourage urban sprawl through creative private, public and nonprofit partnerships," according to the CCLR. Its clients include municipalities, redevelopment agencies, nonprofit organizations, community groups, community development corporations and affordable housing developers.

The CCLR has been working in brownfields redevelopment for more than 10 years in California, helping communities develop programs and earn grants. The CCLR can help with strategic planning and execution, project design and management, environmental site assessment, remedial action planning, regulatory facilitation, risk management and community involvement. The CCLR provides assistance in any way it can help, Dayrit says.

The brownfields research and technical assistance grant (http://epa.gov/brownfields/trta.htm) is for up to $400,000 a year for five years. The CCLR was allocated more than $200,000 for the first year in fall 2008. A bulk of the money will go toward building an online resource for Regions 8, 9 and 10. (The center handles Regions 9 and 10 and contracts with the Colorado Brownfields Foundation for Region 8.) In Region 10, the CCLR has been concentrating on reaching out to cities and organizations in Oregon and Washington because it is the agency's first year into the grant, Dayrit says. It will be at the Northwest Environmental Business Council's brownfields conference in October (www.nebc.org).

Dayrit says the federal research and technical assistance grant allows CCLR to offer its expertise to other states. "This is a logical extension of what we do," he says.

Betsy McGovern-Garcia, project manager for the Tulare Redevelopment Agency in Tulare, Calif., is a fan of the CCLR. She reached out to the center when the city was looking to redevelop a 5-acre site once used for the storage, repair and recycling of pallets. Following a fire in 1985, more than 600 55-gallon drums used for the storage and dumping of hazardous waste were discovered at the site.

"Quite frankly, when I started working on this site, I knew absolutely nothing about brownfields," McGovern-Garcia says.

The CCLR was able to not only get her started, but also guided her through the project. McGovern-Garcia and CCLR staff had many conversations covering everything from liability and financing to how to select a contractor. The CCLR put her in touch with state and federal resources and oversight agencies. McGovern-Garcia went from knowing nothing about brownfields to getting the entire assessment and cleanup funded through grants. The redevelopment agency continues to earn more brownfields monies to take on new projects.

McGovern-Garcia has referred many people to the CCLR. She's also invited the agency down to her area to do presentations. Staff there is always eager to help, she says. In fact, no question ever seems too small or too big. Now a brownfields veteran, she still calls the CCLR when she's run out of resources. Staff there is a good sounding board to get feedback on the feasibility of her ideas. Whether people are new to brownfields, or they are veterans facing a new challenge, they should contact the CCLR, she says.

"They take as much time as needed to answer your questions," she says. "And they are connected well enough in the country to find an answer for you."

For more information about the CCLR, or to ask for guidance from the staff, go to www.cclr.org.

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