Brownfields Assessments Project

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Project Overview

The $600,000 US EPA Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant was awarded to the City of Vancouver, Clark County Public Health, and the Vancouver Housing Authority to fund the City Brownfield Assessment Project, which supports environmental investigation of properties whose past uses may have led to contamination by hazardous materials or petroleum. This grant allows the City to work with owners of suspected contaminated properties and provide them with the resources to conduct environmental assessments on their property. This was originally a three-year grant that has been extended to end September 30, 2024.

This project prioritizes assessments in the Fourth Plain focus area in central Vancouver but also includes other sites throughout the City of Vancouver and Clark County. The Fourth Plain focus area includes an area around a five-mile stretch of Fourth Plain Boulevard between I-5 and I-205.

Project map highlighting the five mile focus area surrounding Fourth Plain Boulevard between I-5 and I-205

This project aims to support local economic development, environmental protection, and housing goals. The City is currently recruiting interested property owners to partner with. Participation is entirely voluntary.

If necessary, the project team can help you find additional funding and support beyond the Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant, which includes helping the property owner find grant opportunities to pay for environmental cleanup costs, previous/old insurance policies on the property (not your current insurance policy), and low interest rate loans.

If you are interested in learning more about this process, please contact:

Shannon Williams
Senior Long-Range Planner
360-487-7898
shannon.williams@cityofvancouver.us

or visit our City website.

The project team will work with interested property owners at key sites to determine their specific environmental constraints and facilitate clean-up activities if needed, as well as engage the community and area stakeholders in site reuse and design for future redevelopment. The Brownfield Assessment project is funded by a $600,000 Brownfields Coalition Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete the following work over three years:

  • Update and expand the City's brownfields site inventory to include the expanded Clark County geography (the original site inventory was completed with a 2013 EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant and only addresses the City of Vancouver’s potential brownfields sites).
  • Conduct up to 15 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), evenly divided between petroleum and hazardous substance sites (10 ESAs to be included in the Fourth Plain focus area).
  • Conduct up to 12 Phase II ESAs, evenly divided between petroleum and hazardous substance sites (8 ESAs to be included in the focus area)
  • Prepare an Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCAs) at one hazardous substance site and one petroleum site.
  • Develop an Area-Wide Plan (AWP) and a Final Cleanup Plan for up to two brownfield impacted areas, potentially including real estate market analysis, infrastructure assessment, conceptual reuse planning and design, and targeted community outreach and engagement.

As of October 2023, the grant has supported environmental site assessments and/or planning work at 23 sites across Vancouver and Clark County, including at eight sites within the Fourth Plain focus area (see the table below for more details).

A Brownfields Advisory Committee (BAC) will provide guidance and oversight to the project team throughout the term of the grant. The BAC will meet several times a year over the course of the project term and includes strong representation from the Fourth Plain target area. BAC members represent the following stakeholders:

  • City of Vancouver Economic Prosperity and Housing Department
  • City of Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department
  • Fourth Plain Forward nonprofit
  • Fourth Plain residents
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
  • Vancouver Housing Authority
  • Vietnamese Community Association

Get Involved

There will be opportunities for community involvement and public input at key milestones over the course of the project. To receive updates about the Brownfields Assessments project and opportunities for public input, you can:

Project Overview

The $600,000 US EPA Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant was awarded to the City of Vancouver, Clark County Public Health, and the Vancouver Housing Authority to fund the City Brownfield Assessment Project, which supports environmental investigation of properties whose past uses may have led to contamination by hazardous materials or petroleum. This grant allows the City to work with owners of suspected contaminated properties and provide them with the resources to conduct environmental assessments on their property. This was originally a three-year grant that has been extended to end September 30, 2024.

This project prioritizes assessments in the Fourth Plain focus area in central Vancouver but also includes other sites throughout the City of Vancouver and Clark County. The Fourth Plain focus area includes an area around a five-mile stretch of Fourth Plain Boulevard between I-5 and I-205.

Project map highlighting the five mile focus area surrounding Fourth Plain Boulevard between I-5 and I-205

This project aims to support local economic development, environmental protection, and housing goals. The City is currently recruiting interested property owners to partner with. Participation is entirely voluntary.

If necessary, the project team can help you find additional funding and support beyond the Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant, which includes helping the property owner find grant opportunities to pay for environmental cleanup costs, previous/old insurance policies on the property (not your current insurance policy), and low interest rate loans.

If you are interested in learning more about this process, please contact:

Shannon Williams
Senior Long-Range Planner
360-487-7898
shannon.williams@cityofvancouver.us

or visit our City website.

The project team will work with interested property owners at key sites to determine their specific environmental constraints and facilitate clean-up activities if needed, as well as engage the community and area stakeholders in site reuse and design for future redevelopment. The Brownfield Assessment project is funded by a $600,000 Brownfields Coalition Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete the following work over three years:

  • Update and expand the City's brownfields site inventory to include the expanded Clark County geography (the original site inventory was completed with a 2013 EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant and only addresses the City of Vancouver’s potential brownfields sites).
  • Conduct up to 15 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), evenly divided between petroleum and hazardous substance sites (10 ESAs to be included in the Fourth Plain focus area).
  • Conduct up to 12 Phase II ESAs, evenly divided between petroleum and hazardous substance sites (8 ESAs to be included in the focus area)
  • Prepare an Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCAs) at one hazardous substance site and one petroleum site.
  • Develop an Area-Wide Plan (AWP) and a Final Cleanup Plan for up to two brownfield impacted areas, potentially including real estate market analysis, infrastructure assessment, conceptual reuse planning and design, and targeted community outreach and engagement.

As of October 2023, the grant has supported environmental site assessments and/or planning work at 23 sites across Vancouver and Clark County, including at eight sites within the Fourth Plain focus area (see the table below for more details).

A Brownfields Advisory Committee (BAC) will provide guidance and oversight to the project team throughout the term of the grant. The BAC will meet several times a year over the course of the project term and includes strong representation from the Fourth Plain target area. BAC members represent the following stakeholders:

  • City of Vancouver Economic Prosperity and Housing Department
  • City of Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department
  • Fourth Plain Forward nonprofit
  • Fourth Plain residents
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
  • Vancouver Housing Authority
  • Vietnamese Community Association

Get Involved

There will be opportunities for community involvement and public input at key milestones over the course of the project. To receive updates about the Brownfields Assessments project and opportunities for public input, you can:

  • Share Your Thoughts!

    Are you concerned about a specific site in your neighborhood or have general concerns around brownfields in your community that you would like to share with the project team? Please answer the questions in the short survey to share your thoughts. All questions are optional and answers will only be seen by the project team. Thank you for your time!

    Complete Form
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Page last updated: 23 Oct 2023, 04:26 PM