OREGON
In April 2004, Oregon established the Industrial Brownfields Redevelopment Strategy, recognizing that the cleanup and reuse of industrial brownfields has a number of benefits for the state and local communities. This includes efficient use of public infrastructure investment, bringing underutilized or vacant properties back to taxable use, and reduced risks to public health, as well as conservation of dwindling resource lands.

Oregon’s Industrial Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy enhances market acceptance and reuse of existing industrial lands for industrial uses and employment. Land owners, local partners and state agencies seek to identify, certify and market properties for new industrial or traded sector uses. Incomplete knowledge about previously used industrial lands with concerns over actual or perceived contamination (brownfields) can cause these sites to be overlooked in favor of undeveloped land outside of urban growth boundaries.

Oregon recognizes that reuse of industrial brownfields has a number of advantages that include: lower cost of providing services to the site because of the presence of existing infrastructure (roads, power, rail, sewer, and water service); community acceptance of industrial uses on the property; conservation of the state’s resource lands including agricultural and forest uses; increase of local tax revenue by bringing underutilized or vacant properties back to taxable use; liability relief to local jurisdictions and property owners; and reduced health and environmental risks to communities due to cleanup.

Oregon implements its Industrial Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy through collaborative partnerships at the local and state level. Regional Economic Revitalization Teams (ERTs) meet and work with local jurisdictions, industrial property owners and other interested partners to: identify industrial brownfield sites with market reuse potential for industrial employment; provide technical assistance and resources to streamline site cleanup and reuse; and make brownfield properties ultimately more attractive to existing industries and developers seeking industrial sites.

At the state level—a legislature of which meets only every other year—the Governor’s Economic and Revitalization Team and state agency staff—from Oregon Economic and Community Development Dept., Dept. of Land Conservation and Development and Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ)—work with business and industry leaders to explore what additional tools and strategies are needed to expedite and finance reuse of properties for new industrial and traded-sector purposes.

WASHINGTON STATE
Washington has more than 2,200 contaminated sites. The Brownfields Coalition is a partnership of the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED), King County, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and the Department of Ecology. The Coalition works together to make it easier for local governments, property owners and developers to return brownfields to a useful purpose by helping with the logistics and funding.

BRITISH COLUMBIA
In 2007 the Ministry of Community Development amended Section 226 of the Community Charter to allow municipal tax exemptions for up to 10 years to encourage revitalization that will achieve a range of environmental, economic or social objectives. Brownfield sites can qualify for these exemptions while remediation occurs. Municipalities must first establish a bylaw for a revitalization tax exemption program and then they can enter into agreements with land owners. There is considerable flexibility as to the structure of the bylaws and the agreements, allowing municipalities to achieve a range of objectives for their particular circumstances. Other tax tools are currently being reviewed under the B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy to further encourage brownfield activities.