What they are and why they matter
A brownfield assessment is a property investigation looking for potential contamination. All investigations start with a historical review to identify any past or present on-site activities that could have resulted in contamination. If contamination is known or suspected, then a deeper investigation is needed to identify the type of contamination present and how much is there. This often includes sampling both soil and groundwater and assessing buildings for hazardous materials.
For more information on this particular investigation, please call 651-757-2904.
Brownfield investigations help us:
- Identify potential contamination. Knowing the condition of a property allows for better planning, helps prevent costly surprises for future developers, and ensures that cleanup dollars are used efficiently.
- Plan for safe redevelopment. Once contamination is understood, redevelopment plans can be designed to protect future site occupants and users, and the environment. Safe reuse or redevelopment of a property may include removing contaminated soil, installing a radon-like system that prevents contaminated soil vapors from entering building spaces (called vapor mitigation), removing lead-based paint, and more.
- Support economic revitalization. Cleaning up and reinvesting in abandoned or underused properties opens the door for new businesses, housing, parks, community spaces, and more. These projects create construction jobs, attract private investment, improve neighborhood livability, increase the local tax base, and help bring long-term economic activity back to areas that have been stagnant.