Brownfield Redevelopment

Since the inception of the Ohio EPA Voluntary Action Program (VAP) in 1994, B&N has had continuous success in Brownfield Redevelopment for public and private sector clients.

With three VAP certified professionals on staff and more than 35 engineers, geologists and scientists, the firm has submitted eight “No Further Action” (NFA) letters stating that the sites have been investigated and cleaned up, and six “Covenants Not To Sue” which the state protects property owners from further investigation and cleanup.

Additionally, B&N has secured funding assistance for Brownfield Redevelopment for many of its public and private clients. We have been successful in obtaining seven USEPA Brownfield grants and seven Clean Ohio grants in the last three years for our clients.

B&N’s Brownfield Success
Among the success stories are two Eveready Battery industrial facilities. B&N performed Phase 1 and 2 Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) for Eveready’s Cleveland Edgewater and Fremont facilities under the Ohio EPA VAP. Both sites were issued Covenants Not to Sue.

“Through their successful management of this overall effort, B&N provided a valuable service to Eveready in helping to resolve environmental issues at the properties,” said Thomas Houser, Eveready Environmental Manager. “This also helped to significantly increase the re-development value of those properties.”

B&N also helped the City of Fostoria, Ohio, to secure a $300,000 USEPA Brownfield no-match grant to assess hazardous material and petroleum contamination on a dozen Brownfields where three railroad lines converge.

With B&N’s architectural assistance, Fostoria plans to use the redeveloped sites to build a railroad museum and visitor center with viewing platform. More than 200 trains pass through the city each day. No other city has this many trains in such a concentrated area.

“With 22 grade crossings many of our residents have to wait for trains, but at the same time train enthusiasts have come from all over the world to view them,” said Fostoria Mayor John Davoli. “With the development of the train museum and viewing platform, B&N is helping us make lemonade out of a lemon,” he said.

For more information…
From preliminary evaluation through funding and clean-up, B&N offers a wide range of services for Brownfield Redevelopment. For more information, contact Tom Mignery, 614.459.2050, Columbus.

USEPA Grants have been secured for:
Franklin, IN ($300,000)
Richmond, IN ($200,000)
Parkersburg, WV ($200,000)
Akron, OH ($250,000)
Fostoria, OH ($300,000)
Elyria, OH - 2 grants ($350,000)

What is a brownfield?
A property that may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

According to the EPA, it is estimated that there are more than 450,000 Brownfield sites in the United States. The EPA’s Brownfields Program is designed to empower states, communities and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up and reuse Brownfields.

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