Regional Projects Build Regional Legacies

Significant advantages result from using a regional approach to brownfields redevelopment. Regional development organizations (RDOs) can assess the needs and resources of many counties, cities, towns and rural areas. They are experienced at packaging project funding and providing technical assistance to communities within their jurisdiction. With their flexibility and broad range of skills, regional development organizations have experience in coordinating local efforts and facilitating regional dialogue, coordination and strategic planning, which is beneficial for envisioning assessments, cleanups and end uses for brownfields sites.

Regional development organizations are well-suited to coordinate regional strategies for brownfields redevelopment because they are:

• Recognized and established under state law or executive order
  
• Experienced with economic development, land use and environmental planning
  
• Owned and governed by local government officials and have strong links to community leaders
  
• Service providers and coordinators for a variety of federal economic development, community development and human service programs
  
• Experienced with fostering regional collaborations and dialogue among local government officials within a region and state
  
• Known by local government and community leaders as credible and professional organizations
  
• Accountable organizations with strong fiscal and grant management experience

Across the nation, RDOs continue to add brownfields redevelopment to their portfolio of community and economic development activities. As a field that only emerged in the early 1990s, the number of regional organizations involved in brownfields projects has risen quickly. Brownfields sites are a priority because they may contain substances harmful to human health and the environment. However, assessment, cleanup and marketing of sites restores them to their full economic potential.

In the Research Foundation’s 2001 scan of its members, only 30 organizations of the 100 who responded were engaged in brownfields work. Now, the numbers are far greater. In addition to those organizations receiving EPA brownfields funding, others have received varied federal and state grants for redevelopment projects. Additional RDOs have been important players in brownfields projects by assisting local partners with securing funding and providing technical assistance.

The 46 regional development organizations currently receiving EPA brownfields funding is a measure of success. Based on scan participant feedback, it is clear that learning about organizations involved in brownfields redevelopment is an effective promotional tool for initiating brownfields programs.

A loss of industries and jobs in a region often results in an increase of dilapidated, unused or underused properties. This was the case for several organizations profiled in this report.

Regional organizations have initiated brownfields projects in their regions for a variety of reasons:

• In Southeast Iowa and the Western Piedmont region of North Carolina, rundown buildings and severe job loss resulted when many industries closed
  
• The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments in Maine, Ark-Tex Council of Governments in Arkansas and Texas learned about including brownfields redevelopment in their economic strategies from their peers
  
• Decreasing the risks to human and environmental health were important for the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission, since a former chemical company and other sites were located in the region
  
• The Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments has initiated redevelopment of a former public housing site into a soccer field, an open space likely to have positive spillover effects in the local economy
  
• The Windham Regional Comission in Vermont is retaining a piece of local history by redeveloping a pipe organ factory into a pipe organ museum, while adding housing and office space

Organizations new to brownfields redevelopment are creating workplans, developing steering committees and familiarizing themselves with the process. Local partners often include both public and private interests, including real estate experts and developers, bankers and laypeople – people with history and credibility in the community.