The Three R’s of Brownfields — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Sound familiar?  The “three R’s” of recycling – reduce, reuse, and recycle – can also be applied to brownfield redevelopment.

What are brownfields?  Essentially, brownfields are vacant, abandoned or under-utilized properties where redevelopment is challenged by real or perceived environmental contamination. From large cities to small villages, almost every community has one brownfield site, be it the old corner gas station or the massive former industrial property.

Here in East Peoria, the city is redeveloping brownfield property along the Illinois River and on the former Caterpillar Inc. manufacturing site.

East Peoria’s efforts to revitalize and make more productive and attractive use of its riverfront coincided with newly energized national and State efforts to revitalize urban brownfields. Redeveloping sites such as EastPort Marina and Harbor Pointe, the Wallace Station property, and East Peoria’s riverfront at the Michel Bridge has provided the city experience turning brownfields into attractive developments that produce new property tax, sales tax and hotel/motel tax for the city’s operations.

Today, with our partners, such as Caterpillar Inc., State elected officials serving our community, planners, engineers and a master developer, the city has purchased land, removed contamination, obtained funding for infrastructure, planned civic, commercial, technology and office land uses, and negotiates now to build new businesses and improve the quality of life for residents.

In East Peoria, it’s Green and cost efficient to redevelop brownfields: 

• Reduce
A basic notion of recycling is reducing waste. For East Peoria, this means building sustainable developments and removing contaminations. Often brownfields are more sustainable because building occurs within existing service areas for police, fire and paramedics, garbage collection, recycling, water, sanitary sewer, electric and natural gas.

Miles of roadways and utility mains with added personnel do not need to be extended to the edge of the city. Instead, brownfields reduce vehicle miles driven because shops and residences are closer and often times within walking distance, with pedestrian accessibility encouraged.

Over the years the State has supported the city’s and park district’s efforts to develop a network of hiking/biking trails to reduce the use of automobiles. Removing contaminations from property reduces waste, and with assistance from State elected officials, the city has received several Illinois EPA grants to plan remediation and redevelopment of the riverfront — sites included a tank farm, railway station and tracks, truck and heavy equipment garages — and the Downtown 2010 site, a 65 acre former manufacturing plant site.

With Caterpillar Inc., the city has removed contaminants from the West Washington Street property. Today the city continues to partner with others, such as PCM+d architects and Cullinan Properties Ltd. to design and build energy efficient buildings that are sustainable into the future.

• Reuse
Reusing land adjacent to existing roadways and infrastructure is also a critical element of brownfield redevelopment. Since East Peoria’s start along the riverfront and West Washington Street, the roads, sidewalks, sanitary and storm sewers, water, natural gas and electric have all aged and require improvements.

And it’s time to increase capacity of utility mains, bury electric underground and add fiber optic so the area can once again be an economic engine. The city’s improvements in this infrastructure on the riverfront and Downtown 2010 property drive new business investment on the property. New private investment at the riverfront provides revenues that allow the City to develop the new public riverfront promenade, a lighted, landscaped walkway along the Illinois River shoreline from Granite City to Bass Pro Shops.

And with the State’s $26 million infrastructure grant, and the city’s additional upgrades such as landscaping and streetscapes, the City Council will insure the bar for quality private investment is raised in East Peoria. 

• Recycle
Finally, brownfield redevelopment is recycling land. Brownfield properties often sit vacant for many years, while properties outside the urban areas, such as farmland, are developed at the suburban fringe. Reuse of brownfields through environmental cleanup, reinvestment in infrastructure and revitalization of an area is essentially recycling land.

Evidence of brownfield recycling will soon be seen with the Downtown 2010 site, where architects PCM+d are collaborating with the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center at the University of Illinois to explore “green building” elements (such as LEED and Energy Star certifications) to insure highly energy efficient and environmentally conscientious development.

In today’s economy, it is more critical than ever to reduce waste, reuse and recycle development sites. East Peoria has been and remains at the forefront of this important effort, leading by example around the riverfront and with Downtown 2010.