The Brownfields Center
Carnegie Mellon
University of Pittsburgh
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March/April 1998
Volume 2, Issue 2
Content
Project Focus – Partnering in the
Czech Republic: A Collaboration
with the Technical University of
Ostrava
ISRC '98 - Industrial Site
Recycling Conference
Partnering in the
Czech Republic
A collaboration with the faculty of Civil
Engineering at the Technical University
of Ostrava in the Czech Republic builds
on The Brownfields Center's ongoing
research, education and technology
transfer efforts. The Brownfields Center
has worked with City of Ostrava and the
Technical University of Ostrava to
identify an appropriate form of
collaboration since their visit to
Pittsburgh last spring. The initial effort
involves two workshops, one in Ostrava
and one in Pittsburgh, to coordinate U.S
and Czech researchers and practitioners
in focusing on specific brownfield sites.
Deborah Lange, Sue McNeil and Scott
Godsen of The Brownfield Center,
along with John Rahaim of Pittsburgh
City Planning, Jerome Dettore of the
Urban Redevelopment Authority and
Mark Schneider of the Rubinoff
Company with be participating in the
workshop in Ostrava in June. The
workshop will focus on the Vitkovice
Steel site and will explore development
options for the 105 hectare site. The
workshop will bring together experts to
explore the issues, constraints and
alternatives for redeveloping this site.
Web Site
www.ce.cmu.edu/Brownfields/
For more information, contact
Deborah A. Lange
(412) 268-7121, dlange@cmu.edu
The Brownfields Center
Department of Civil and Env. Engg.
5000 Forbes Avenue
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Country
Rahaim, Dettore and Schneider will
work with Czech experts to explore
options and recommend alternatives
considering community input and
resources. The researchers will focus on
documenting the development process,
evaluating the workshop as a model for
identifying issues and constraints, and
identifying other opportunities for
collaborative research and education
between the universities.
The project provides an opportunity to
begin to understand the similarities and
differences between the brownfield
development processes in very different
economic, political, regulatory, and
cultural settings. At the same time, the
workshops are an experiment to explore
the feasibility of adapting a technique
developed
by
the
architectural
community for use in developing site
specific alternatives. We are extending
this concept to get a better
understanding of the brownfield
development process. The need for
understanding lies in the dynamics of
the inherent complexity of brownfield
development coupled with the influence
of cultural and political systems.
Tentative plans are being made to hold a
parallel workshop involving both U.S.
and Czech participants in late summer.
Output from the workshops will also be
used to structure educational materials
related to course projects and case
studies.
Vitkovice
Steel
Ostrava,
Czech
Republic
The project involves both the City of
Ostrava and the City of Pittsburgh. The
project has the support of the Central
European Linkages Program, which has
funding from the Heinz Endowments.
As a supplement to the ongoing
National Science Foundation (NSF)
funded project on infrastructure and
brownfield development, travel funds
have also been requested from NSF.
ISRC '98
Industrial Site Recycling Conference
With over 400 attendees, the 1998
Industrial Site Recycling Conference
held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on
April 13-15, 1998 was a great success.
Sponsored by the Engineer's Society of
Western Pennsylvania and supported by
The Brownfields Center, the conference
attendees included consulting engineers,
attorneys, real estate developers,
industry representatives, non-profit
organizations, regulators and academics.
Mayor Tom Murphy of Pittsburgh
opened the conference with the
impressive progress made in Pittsburgh
through the city's purchase and
subsequent financial support for
redevelopment of old industrial sites. In
a plenary session, Mr. Timothy Fields,
EPA Assistant Administrator, Office of
Solid
Waste
Management
and
Emergency Response, noted the
commitment of the federal government
in the formation of the National
Partnership and the ongoing brownfield
pilot
and
showcase
initiatives.
Tuesday's luncheon featured Mr.
Michael McCabe, EPA Region III
Administrator
with
a
message
connecting the State's Clean-Air
Implementation Plan with brownfield
development giving specific attention to
reduced vehicular mileage associated
with brownfield developments as
opposed to greenfield developments.
Mr. James Seif, Secretary of the
Pennsylvania
Department
of
Environmental Resources, hosted the
presentation of the Phoenix Awards
during Wednesday's luncheon. The
Phoenix Awards are given to private
and public sector success stories in the
innovative reuse of old industrial sites.
The winner of the private sector
Phoenix Award was Ryan Companies
US, Inc. for the Quarry Retail Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 42-acre
Johnson Street Quarry had become an
unmanaged "dump" for contaminated
debris, and, although located next to a
metropolitan freeway system, the
obstacles of a brownfield site
discouraged potential developers. With
a grocery store as its anchor, the site has
been converted into a retail center
hosting national companies. The site has
been a catalyst for other development,
has created over 1170 new jobs, and has
increased the property and sales tax
bases in excess of $3 million per year.
The winner of the public sector Phoenix
Award
was the
Redevelopment
Authority of Washington County for the
Ingersoll-Rand Redevelopment Project
in Charleroi and North Charleroi,
Pennsylvania. Ingersoll-Rand ceased
operations on a 4.3-acre site in 1988.
The site was contaminated with toxic
materials and surrounded by a dense
residential community suffering from
unemployment and poverty. Through
multiple
collaborations,
The
Washington County Redevelopment
Authority proceeded to acquire,
remediate, and renovate the site.
Occupants of the property now include
Tri-State Hydraulics, Inc. and Jaycees
Foods, Inc. These new businesses
employ 59 residents with a forecast of
102 within the next three years.
Other unique and interesting events:
Announcement if the PaDEP Keysites
Program - This entrepreneurial
initiative of the PA Department of
Environmental Resources will be a
catalyst to developing high-market
potential brownfield sites which are
being hindered by environmental issues.
(Please Contact Mr. Tom Fidler for
more information, (717) 783-7509.)
Marketplace - For the first time, ISRC
featured a marketplace (The Deal
Happens Here!) to promote the
interaction of brownfield property
holders and potential buyers.
The
success of this effort leads to
consideration of a 1999 expansion.
Additionally, Michael Baker Corp. and
The Brownfields Center introduced a
new web-site "BBWeb" (URL: ams1.
mbakercorp.com/ bakerbrownfields), a
GIS-based inventory of brownfield
properties.
Brownfield Development: The Reality This real-life town meeting was
facilitated by Mr. John Craig, Jr., editor
of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and
included Ms. Karen Miller of the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development, Mr. Frank Horrigan from
the Governor's Action Committee,
Allegheny
County
Commissioner
Michael Dawida, Mayor George Matta
(Duquesne), Mr. George Tkach of the
Allegheny Trail Alliance, Mr. Bruce
Haney of the Gustine Company and Mr.
Andrew
Quinn
of
Kennywood.
Residents from the local communities
that house these brownfield sites
participated from the audience. The
discussion was lively and helped to
raise some issues seen to be potential
barriers to a regional brownfield
development initiative.
Vocalized
issues included the influential role of
the media, cost effectiveness of
brownfield development vs greenfield
development and the importance of
adequate infrastructure in expediting
development.
Brownfields: Sustainable Economic
Development - Mr. Mulugetta Birru,
Executive Director of the Urban
Redevelopment
Authority
of
Pittsburgh/Allegheny County moderated
a session which included Mayor Tom
Murphy, Dr. Jared Cohon, President of
Carnegie Mellon and Mr. Andrew
McElwaine of the Heinz Endowments.
Mayor Murphy spoke to the success of
the City in the transformation of 600
acres of brownfields into regional
economic catalysts.
Dr. Cohon
discussed the role of the university in
supporting the city as a "sustainable
system." With the Heinz Endowments
as a strong supporter of local brownfield
development, Mr. McElwaine discussed
the continuing interest of foundations in
promoting economic and environmental
revitalization.
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