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Brownfields Success Stories
Cuyahoga Pilot is "Dedicated" to Brownfields Redevelopment
The activities begun under Cuyahoga County, Ohio's 2-year, $200,000 Brownfields Pilot grant are still going strong. The Pilot's activities in the City of Cleveland have leveraged $2.6 million in state funding and $3 million in private investment, assessed and cleaned up 7 acres, created 141 jobs, and produced sites for two healthy businesses who together generate an additional $1 million in tax revenue. The city's Sunar Hauserman property was once the site of a furniture manufacturing plant; the site had been contaminated by the solvents used to clean metal furniture during production. With cleanup costs estimated at $800,000, the property received no attention from potential buyers. The Pilot coordinated communication among EPA, the State of Ohio and the site's owner, who conducted detailed environmental assessments. The property was then listed with an industrial realtor, who marketed the site to prospective buyers. The site was purchased by Grant Realty, the parent company of two related businesses, Dedicated Distribution and Dedicated Transport, who were searching for a location for their corporate headquarters. At the time, the businesses were located 50 miles away in Newbury Township, and were seeking a site in the central Cleveland area that would be convenient to their distribution area in northern Ohio. Sunar Hauserman's location and the companies' needs matched perfectly. Grant Realty is conducting a cleanup of the site that conforms to state industrial standards and utilizes three innovative technologies: soil vapor extraction, groundwater pumping, and sparging an aquifer with air. The cleanup was financed with $2.6 million from Ohio's Revolving Loan Fund and the state's Water Treatment Program; the Pilot sought out grants applicable to brownfields activity and assisted in the application process. With the Pilot's assistance, the owners applied to the Ohio EPA's Voluntary Action Program (VAP) for a Covenant Not to Sue. A "No Further Action" letter was issued for the site by the VAP, and the Covenant is pending. In the meantime, the site benefitted from $1 million in property improvements paid for by the new owner. Construction commenced in the beginning of 1996, and was completed that year. Proving that cleanup and redevelopment can occur concurrently when properly planned, the new owners have continued to make $2 million in upgrades to the site at the same time that ongoing vapor extraction and air sparging is being conducted. Taxes on the improved property, combined with personal and corporate income taxes resulting from the new operations, have meant an annual revenue windfall of $1 million a year for Cleveland. For more information on the Cuyahoga Brownfields Pilot, contact Virginia Aveni at (216) 443-3716.