Contact: Chrystal Bartlett 919-733-4996 x425
Date: August 17, 2001 Distribution: Targeted
City of Charlotte and DENR Sign Historic Brownfields Agreement
MEDIA ADVISORY
RALEIGH - City of Charlotte officials and state Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Bill Ross will sign an agreement August 21 that allows a state brownfields specialist to work exclusively on sites in the Charlotte area. The agreement, which sets a national precedent, will be signed at Camden Square Village, site of North Carolina's first brownfields redevelopment. Another brownfields agreement to expand the Camden redevelopment will also be signed at the event, scheduled for 3 p.m.
The agreement allows the City of Charlotte to fund a state employee who will work with the city's Neighborhood Development Department. In addition to advancing Charlotte brownfields projects at no additional cost to the state, this employee will serve as site manager for EPA-funded cleanup projects. Local applications for brownfield agreements will also be processed more quickly.
The Brownfields Property Reuse Act, which took effect in October 1997, encourages and facilitates the safe reuse of properties abandoned due to environmental contamination. Brownfield agreements shield prospective developers from liability in return for performing those actions needed to make the property safe for its planned reuse. The agreements do not change the obligations for the parties responsible for contamination, but the reduced liability enables developers to obtain financial backing.
Brownfields benefit the environment by reducing the amount of green space destroyed to accommodate new construction. By bringing jobs back to city centers, sprawl and commuting times are reduced. Tax
rolls also benefit, as do the residents of newly-revitalized neighborhoods.
North Carolina has completed ten brownfields agreements, four of which are located in the Charlotte area. More than 30 projects are pending review, ten of which are in Charlotte.
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