Case Studies

Posted February 16, 2021

Written by Rachel Ross, Communications Coordinator

Compromises are, by definition, imperfect. Yet in many brownfields projects, moving forward with cleanup and reuse of an underutilized and potentially hazardous site is dependent on overcoming entrenched positions to find a compromise. Such is the case of the former PureGro site in Brawley, CA; compromise enabled the cleanup of a site with known contamination, sitting vacant for more than a decade. 15,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil was removed from the site in December 2020, marking a major milestone in the cleanup of the site - and satisfying a key desire of the Brawley community. 

Posted January 17, 2021

Written by Jennifer Duong, CCLR Intern, in collaboration with Sally Baker, Executive Director of Philmont Beautification, Inc. 

A small village located in Columbia County, New York, Philmont has always been a close-knit community. It was the creation of a memorial garden for Preston Stern back in 2000 that first brought a group of Philmont residents together to form Philmont Beautification Inc. PBI’s work in redevelopment and land reuse started with and continues to revolve around collaboration and engagement. Working with community members is an integral part of revitalization, and that mutual respect has resulted in winning outcomes for the Philmont community. Philmont’s story and their ongoing initiatives exemplify the idea that revitalization initiatives that truly reflect the needs and priorities of the community are built on effective communication, vigilant and strategic outreach, and opportunities for continued engagement.

Posted January 11, 2021

Written by Johanna Roth, Master’s of Public Health and Master’s of City Planning Candidate, U.C. Berkeley 

While brownfields lie idle, they have the potential to negatively impact public health by polluting local air and groundwater supplies, which burdens local neighborhoods with health challenges. Further, they may deplete local tax bases, decrease surrounding property values, and attract illegal activity. Living in proximity to derelict and disinvested sites may also affect mental health and a sense of safety for community residents. With brownfields disproportionately burdening marginalized, low-income, and high minority neighborhoods, it is important to redevelop them in a timely manner, to focus on beneficial and equitable reuse of sites, and to recognize the potential they hold for transforming communities and increasing community health.

Posted December 1, 2020

Written by Ayano Healy, Cascadia Partners and Rachel Ross, CCLR Communications Coordinator

After receiving an EPA Brownfields Multipurpose grant in the spring of 2020, the first step for the City of Ponderay was to develop a series of aspirational land use scenarios for the brownfield site through a community engagement process called Vision-to-Action (V2A) planning. However, performing community outreach during the COVID-19 crisis was a challenge. Utilizing virtual tools, Ponderay was able to receive community input and keep the project moving forward. 

Published on September 20, 2019

By Sarah Sieloff, Executive Director, with thanks to Brahm Ahmadi and David Greensfelder for background information and their reflections

Retail is a notoriously complex component of real estate.  Boost your knowledge and demystify retail by joining CCLR for a free webinar on September 25 featuring David Greensfelder, retail expert, developer, and CCLR Board member.  Every redevelopment practitioner needs to know what questions to ask about retail, so don’t miss out – this is a unique opportunity to hear directly from an expert who regularly wrangles retail in tough redevelopment projects, including one of the toughest out there, a grocery store in a historically marginalized neighborhood.  Read on, and register here.

Lean more about the four cities participating in California Land Recycling Conference "Perfect Your Pitch". Property summaries available here.

By Anamaris Torres, E.I., Langan Engineering

Posted July 23, 2018

This blog is available in English and Spanish.

Este blog está disponible en inglés y en español.

Jean Hamerman, CCLR’s Deputy Director sat down with Lance Robbins, CEO of Urban Smart Growth (USG) to discuss how Lance’s approach to business and life is imprinted on USG’s success and how these lessons provide important insights into our work.

Not only are the folks at New Belgium Brewing Company the gifted brewers and creators of the delicious “Fat Tire” Ale, but they are also quite the environmentalists. When the Brewing Company began searching for a location for a second brewery in 2009, the Company established a set of criteria for their site, one of which was that the site had to be a brownfield. New Belgium purchased the 18-acre property in Asheville, North Carolina in 2012 and in May 2016, opened the doors to its second brewery.

On November 10th my friend Aidan Bass and I completed a bike tour from Boston to San Francisco. We crossed 16 states in 80 days and biked a total of 4,800 miles. We biked through almost 10 different cities where we experienced firsthand the best and worst of urban planning. From my current perch at the Center for Creative Land Recycling, this experience compelled me to look at the benefits of prioritizing cycling infrastructure and how city planning -- of which land reuse is a critical component -- can improve bikeability, especially for commuters.