The expression “one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure” is an appropriate one to summarize this issue’s focus on Renewable Resource and Energy trends, as well as to exhibit how the perceived value of an abandoned property significantly differs depending on the eye of the beholder.

Take the city of Greensboro, N.C. Business and residential groups in this city, located in the north-central part of the Tar Heel State, needed to be thoroughly convinced about the upside of a proposed 12-acre brownfield development downtown. The reason for the uncertainty, said Dyan Arkin, a community planner and development coordinator in Greensboro, was that a lot of people didn’t “understand how you could take what you call a brownfield and turn it into something useful.”

Greensboro saw the site—its first foray into brownfeld development—as a golden civic opportunity after private developers did an about-face and pulled the plug on building a ball field on the site. They were turned away by what they called “dirty” property. Greensboro was turned on by the possibilities the land represented: The result is the much-anticipated South Elm Street Redevelopment project (see story), which is expected to serve as “the anchor” for the next phase of redevelopment in Greensboro.

To one beholder, spent beer yeast, grass clippings and used vegetable oil don’t seem to have much upside either—except for local waste haulers or landfill operators. Instead of filling up landfills, though, these elements are being used to produce renewable fuels by people who not only have a vision but the technology to execute the plan. The result (see In Transit) is that these seemingly worthless elements are being developed to power traditional vehicles, hybrids and electric vehicles.

A question of “use” also occurs when a private or public entity stops to consider the most practical application for a brownfield development. Sometimes it’s not permanent but interim: Interim-use brownfields enable project sponsors to invigorate an unused brownfield—and then re-invigorate it with a new development later. This is illustrated with the Los Angeles State Historic Park, a 13-acre Interim Use Public Park (IPU) which opened in 2006 (see Case Study). The park provides the community with a stunning combination of green space, flora, and an exercise area. In short, it’s a useful way to garner public support during the planning process, and helps win friends and raise funds for the would-be permanent development.  

Our lead feature (see A Renewed Optimism Prevails) shows how hitting a “home run” with an elaborate commercial or residential development isn’t always the most prudent way to proceed, as reported by contributor Elizabeth Brewster.

Visionaries in land revitalization understand that it’s not just about cleaning up a brownfield and putting it back into productive use, but about “putting it back in a way that doesn’t impact the environment more harmfully,” proclaimed Kevin Matthews, vice president, energy and environment at NSI, a business-to-government consulting firm in Washington, D.C.

A brownfield where a commercial development doesn’t make economic, social or environmental sense—perhaps due to high cleanup costs or low demand for the finished property—gives way to another opportunity: A brownfield used to construct a renewable energy facility.

Placing solar panels or wind farms on a piece of property (as seen in the Buffalo Niagara region) can be a masterstroke because this type of application won’t disturb soil or groundwater, while still allowing the property to be put to good use.

“It allows some brownfields that might have been marginal... to back away from the power grid a little bit, and makes a few more of these sites viable [for development],” stated David Koch, national sector leader for brownfield services at Terracon Consultants Inc. in Kansas City, Mo.

Interim-use, unlikely use or alternative use: One thing you can take to the bank is that industry leaders and pioneers continue to mine for new gold in an effort to nurture both “brown” and “green” development.  

Much success in business!

Steve Dwyer
Managing Editor