Fred Delk is a former radio host in South Carolina and, as part of that role, he is accustomed to dispersing information and opinions over the airwaves—much of it one way radio speak unless there's a call-in opportunity involved.

Well, Delk is still enlightening people but no longer on the radio. He's the Executive Director, Columbia (S.C.) Development Corp./Congaree Coalition. And for his yoeman's work in 2011—and previously really—Delk became the second recipient of the Brownfield Renewal Person of the Year Award. And, as far as one-way dialogue is concerned—not doable anymore. In Delk's professional incarnation, consensus building with multiple groups of people is not a luxury but a necessity. He's executing this very well.

In Columbia—a city with 125,000 residents, a metro area of 3.5 million people and 60,000 of whom work downtown, Delk has served as executive director of the CDC for the past 15 years, Over that period, he has worked with a wide range of projects, from Governor's Hill to Vista Commons Apartments, the new Publix Grocery Store and the renovation of what's known as 701 Whaley Street.

Before

After

In addition, Delk and the CDC have been involved in the development of EdVenture Children's Museum, the former Columbia Supply property, Canal Side, the SCRA Innovation Center, Mast General Store, and numerous other projects throughout the city.

These projects have at least one common denominator: They were accomplished by a unique blend of creative finance and public/private partnerships.

Under Delk's leadership, the Congaree Coalition has built a reputation on market-driven brownfields redevelopment strategies—the goal of which is leveraging brownfields funding to attract private-sector investments that transform economically underutilized regions of the city into areas where high-skilled people live and work.

One thing's for sure: Delk, in his current position, had to get up to speed quickly on the areas of the job that were outside his specialization, which is economic redevelopment. Delk cut his teeth in commercial redevelopment, with that emphasis being on economic reward with a keen eye toward marshaling input from the community.

In honing his skills in the environmental field, Delk said it was difficult at first to wrap his mind around such processes as "in situ" remediation (based on various remedial injection systems) and phyto-remediation (treatment of environmental problems through the use of plants that mitigate the environmental problem without need to excavate contaminant material and dispose of it elsewhere). Flattening the learning curve on these areas is what he refers to as a "baptism by fire." He carried it out rather nimbly and seamlessly.

As he spoke about collaboration in Columbia for binding the input of multiple parties, the end result all led to working with groups like the Urban Planning Institute (state chapter and also at the national level) to wring success with redevelopment planning, enabling the CDC to do some interesting projects and also take advantage of an opportunity to fund a technical assistance program.

One of the areas that Delk said was vital to pursue was enhancing transportation-oriented development in Columbia, a plan that would enable "pedestrian connectivity to core commercial districts that had once been separated by vehicular corridors."

A quick study

After signing off with broadcasting, Delk began the transformation to urban redevelopment planning, working within what he calls a small program in Union, S.C., a program that was affiliated with the National Preservation Group. He said he recalls landing the position and basically being told to "go figure it out" by Union city fathers.

After moving on from Union, Delk found his way to Columbia, accepting a position that could best be described as blending urban planning and economic redevelopment, and as such he'd need to become more fluent in urban revitalization dynamics, aka brownfields, he said.

Like many brownfield coordinators at the state and local levels, Delk assumed these newfound professional capacities at a time when the term "brownfield" was not in many people's lexicons—and as well as it was a type of property laced with a stigma. So, like many of his contemporaries, Delk was forced to be a quick study when it came to comprehending the machinery that was urban development of previous-use, abandoned and contaminated properties. He wrapped his mind around all the elements of it and got up to speed in a hurry.

"I came reluctantly to this position," said Delk, having worked starting in 1997 in economic development in Columbia and helping develop an economic development toolkit with team of city people. He recalls the Columbia city manager asking him to manage what would be the brownfields responsibility. "I was convinced that this responsibility should be placed under the auspices of the city's engineering department," he noted. "They thought differently."

The Congaree Coalition is a partnership between the City of Columbia, the City of West Columbia, and Columbia's four economic development corporations, and was created to develop and implement regional brownfields solutions providing economic, social, and environmental benefits to the citizens and businesses in two neighboring cities.

The CDC was established in 1983 to spearhead the revitalization of the Congaree Vista, which is a former railroad and warehousing district that is situated on the banks of the Congaree River. And, in recent years, the city has also called on the CDC to provide services in many of the city's downtown neighborhoods, including Five Points, Rosewood, Millwood and Olympia. The CDC's services include providing financial assistance to businesses and supporting public-private economic development partnerships.

De-centralized, efficient

In Columbia, The CDC, which specializes in public/private partnership—specifically in what is known as The Congaree, functions like a puzzle piece, said Delk. "The structure in Columbia is unique in that CDC has more autonomy to make quick decisions and turn on a dime to push through approval of projects," said Delk.

He said that in his experience other cities have a less de-centralized structure and more oversight, which slows down progress. "I have seen other public organizations in other cities where a brownfields authority must go through the city council first [on project approvals], which can stall the process."

In addition to CDC, Columbia has two other non-profits that are connected and what Delk calls "at arm's length. Thus, we do not have to wait for bureaucratic process or politics, and we move it through without the red tape. We can circulate documentation online among the affiliates, and often I can receive answers from developers within 24 hours. Often, we can request from developers a 20-day turnaround. We let developer work with the affiliates that they prefer, which helps continuity-wise."

Delk said that there has been a paradigm shift in the way Columbia perceives and works with private affiliates. Years ago, private developers were more closely tethered to the city, but these days he said its more of a hands-off approach. "We have established a list of qualified developers, for starters. They become the first line of communication with us. They in turn engage their own preferred , say, environmental contractors and this promotes concept sharing. Basically, it's created better teamwork and all of them are looking for the best bang for the buck, said Delk.

He said that "in literally a few weeks, a small project can make huge progress for completion. There is a base of knowledge that's shared between the public/private partnership. And, for instance if for some reason we do not move forward on the original plan for a site, at least we know we have established a base of knowledge. What this does is provide a historical perspective that's very helpful for the next developer who comes along. It provides a benchmarking tool that can be applied."

In Columbia, the Dept of Health and Environment Control has overarching control over the aforementioned public organizations. One of the groups that is very instrumental to the cause is the Concurrent Technologies Corp. Public Benefit Corp.(CTC-PBC)—a mouthful for sure.

Delk said CTC-PBC is an aligned organization that administers brownfield grants and programs in the Southeast. "They are regarded as a finance-oriented partner in the scheme of what we do." To help matters, the former South Carolina state brownfields coordinator Gail Jeter recently joined the CTC-PBC. "Obviously, Gail knows the ins and outs of brownfields, so this has made a tremendous difference in enabling us to accelerate our plan, moving from point a to B and point B to C much more fluidly."

In a recent study, Return on Investment from Brownfield Initiatives in Columbia, CTC PBC researched six EPA funded projects in the city of Columbia. The study concluded that under Delk's leadership, an EPA investment of $271,000 produced capital investment of $63.7 million; increased taxable property values (2005-2009) by $12.5 million; anticipated an additional $11.4 million in capital investment by the end of 2010; $100-plus million in long term additional investment; and estimated the number of jobs on those sites by 2010-2011 at 350 to 400.

Historically Speaking

Since 1998, the city of Columbia began to garner success with grant dispensations. The city received four brownfields assessment grants from the U.S. EPA, a success that has further increased the capacity of the CDC and the city's other development partners to revitalize properties in older areas of the city. The responsibility of working with the grants and managing the program was given to Delk at an early stage. Using the brownfield funds as a redevelopment tool, Delk realized an incredible return on investment (ROI) for both the city and the EPA.

The first grant was actually completed in 2000, while the second and third grants were awarded in 2006 and completed in mid 2009, said Delk. "The three initial grants allowed the city to invest $600,000 to help jumpstart a range of redevelopment projects," he said. As a part of the Congaree Coalition, the city is now collaborating with the city of West Columbia on a $1 million brownfields initiative that was funded through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Delk adds that CDC created a tax incentive financing (TIF) program where it was able to generate more than $40 million to perform public infrastructure work geared toward historic preservation initiatives. He said the state of South Carolina has implemented a property tax freeze affecting historic structures.

Indeed, local preservation is a hot ticket item locally: Keeping vestiges from the past in tact, be it historical buildings/landmarks or even wetlands and sanctuaries, is Job #1 As a result, the local community demands to be informed on redevelopment decisions—and has a very vigilant eye for historical preservation competency. Delk said environmental justice in the city is very strong.

"The Congaree Vista, over the past 25 years, has become a center of activity that the community has adopted. It's the alternative to the suburbs." He adds that the city ordinances in Columbia "are not the strongest," perhaps meaning they have a tendency to be lax. However, Delk said that "usually the community comes through" when there is a civic stance to be taken on redevelopment.

"The Congaree Vista, over the past 25 years, has become a center of activity that the community has adopted. It's the alternative to the suburbs." He adds that the city ordinances in Columbia "are not the strongest," perhaps meaning they have a tendency to be lax. However, Delk said that "usually the community comes through" when there is a civic stance to be taken on redevelopment.

"I think the big key here with grants is using what EPA has outlined as qualifying and trying to stretch that beyond the ordinary mindset," said Delk. "We're trying to take the interpretation of a typical brownfield, such as an abandoned factory, and widen the interpretation" in order to expand the scope and scale of redevelopment possibilities.

Wringing Results

In addition to the successes on past brownfield grant efforts, Delk's leadership of the CDC and Congaree Coalition during the current ARRA Coalition grant has continued the successful redevelopment of brownfield properties. For example:

• A new city parking garage with retail space on the ground floor is currently under construction with an investment of $13 million on a former downtown brownfield;
  
   
• A Mast General store (a $5.5 million redevelopment investment and 40 full and part time jobs) opened in downtown Columbia on Main Street in a former department store, where an old underground storage tank (UST), asbestos, and lead-based paint hindered redevelopment until Delk's CDC and brownfield program provided assistance;
  
   
• The former Boozer Lumber property is also being redeveloped leading to the creation of 22 full and part time jobs and a $6.06 million investment in the property (petroleum above-ground storage tanks (ASTs) were of major concern).

The Congaree Vista redevelopment is actually the site of a former death row prison, but there's little signs of that now—only signs of life. These days the property footprint houses a children museum as the focal point. Retail opportunities such as bars, restaurants, a sports arena connected to the University of South Carolina, shops and hotels are all part of the 1,200-acre footprint.

He said the property also had a history of a railroad terminex. "The old railroad depots are now restaurants. Legacy and historic presentation was key here, it's really more about the community aspect—to build on what the community was in the past. The best thing you can do is build on your past, your inherent character." The success of the private/public partnerships is the underpinning of it all.

Delk said the project that is now in the works in the city is occurring in a neighborhood called Edisto Court, where $60,000 in block grant money is helping fund this redevelopment, which is located near a downtown airport that's in decline. "The plan is to do sustainable industrial park with workforce housing connected to it. The plan to go in this direction is really a no brainer."

Leveraging its resources against the state university is an opportunity not lost on CDC and the Congaree Coalition. The University of South Carolina, located in Columbia, is part of the stakeholder execution. In response to R&D for so-called "future fuels," Delk said that hydrogen research is being done in a program that is dubbed the InnoVista campus.

InnoVista, a research facility, has brought in researchers, fuel cell companies and solar companies to delve into fuel cell research and development. "We have waste oil recycling as part of our public works department, hydrogen-powered public buses and we are getting close to rolling out two small vans that will become trolleys powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The trolley will pick up and drop off people so we can reduce auto traffic."

From a green building/LEED certification standpoint, Delk said that EPA has been very supportive.The city's building plan review examiner has been able to attend LEED school. He is now certified as a LEED examiner. This will go a long way toward sustainable development and planning efficiency.

All in all, Delk has made his mark after a somewhat unlikely but visionary career change. Once in radio, Delk is still an uber communicator. It's a strong voice being redistributed.