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EPA Region 3 Superfund Reuse
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North Penn Area 12, Worchester, Pa: New office building constructed after former building was demolished and property was remediated.(From left to right, before, during and after cleanup)
This page provides "one-stop-shopping" for making an informed decision about reuse and redevelopment at a Superfund property in the Mid-Atlantic region. EPA’s Region 3 encourages and supports the safe and productive reuse of Superfund sites throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. EPA works with communities, prospective purchasers, local governments and developers to evaluate reuse opportunities and to integrate reuse options into the cleanup whenever possible.
Follow the steps to successful reuse or redevelopment at Superfund sites in the Mid-Atlantic region:
Step 1: Locate sites with reuse potential
Step
2: Gather information about the site or contact the owner(s)
Step 3: Review legal issues and obtain liability clarification and assurances (Ask Region 3 for assistance!)
Step 4: Consider future use possibilities
Step 5: Identify potential barriers to reuse
Step 6: Explore options for involving the community in redevelopment
Step 1: Locate sites with reuse potential
Whether you have a particular redevelopment project in mind or are trying to locate property in a certain state or county within the Mid-Atlantic region, EPA Region 3 wants to streamline the process by providing easily accessible information. Region 3’s Land Revitalization Action Team (LRAT) can assist you in finding sites in the Mid-Atlantic region with reuse potential.
Step 2: Gather information about the site or contact the owner(s)
You will need to identify and contact the owner(s) of a Superfund site in order to see if the site is for sale and, if so, to begin negotiations to buy or lease the site or portion of the site. You can review locally-held title or tax records to identify the current owner by, for instance, contacting the local property tax appraisal office or using their on-line property databases, if available.
Some limited site ownership information may be available in documents included as part of the site’s “Progress Profile” accessible through EPA’s CERCLIS database.
The Region 3 Cleanup website also provides information on the cleanup status of the site, including the current environmental conditions, future anticipated cleanup actions and current or future restrictions on the use of the site. Reuse or redevelopment can sometimes occur during the cleanup of the site, as long as the user is aware of certain limitations, such as refraining from drilling ground water wells when there is a contaminated ground water plume. Additional site information can be found at EPA’s Cleanups in My Community.
Step 3: Review legal issues and obtain liability clarification and assurances
There are complex legal issues associated with reuse of all Superfund sites. However, in most cases, the legal issues can be addressed by using a variety of liability protections and limitations available by the law or through other vehicles made available by EPA. Region 3’s perfected lien website provides information on Superfund sites in the Mid-Atlantic States where a lien on the property has been recorded. In addition to potential monetary claims on real property, there may be other requirements and obligations regarding such real property that was or is the subject of an EPA Superfund Response Action. (See Spring 2007 Land Revitalization Newsletter Article for more information.)
Region 3’s Land Revitalization Action Team (LRAT) can advise the prospective purchaser or developer of EPA’s statutory, fiduciary, and enforcement interests at the property. The LRAT is here to help prospective purchasers, lenders and developers understand the Superfund cleanup process. The LRAT provides timely, current and comprehensive information on the property history and cleanup status, as well as the financial, enforcement and engineering impediments to reusing the Superfund property. This information can be used to make a timely business decision regarding the potential for land revitalization. For more information and to schedule a meeting or conference call, contact Chris Thomas at thomas.christopher@epa.gov or 215-814-5555.
EPA has also developed tools and guidance to assist prospective purchasers:
- Top 10 Questions to Ask When Buying a Superfund Site (PDF) (xx p, xxk)
- Revitalizing Contaminated Sites: Addressing Liability Concerns (Handbook)
- Superfund Liens (also see National Website)
- Legal Policy and Guidance (including model bona fide prospective purchaser agreements, model comfort/status letters, and all appropriate inquiries)
- Superfund Cleanup Policies and Guidance
- Brownfields Liability
- Ready for Reuse Determinations
- Step 4: Consider future use possibilities
While you may have an idea of how you would like to reuse the site, you may also want to review examples of other Superfund sites that have been successfully reused both in Region 3 and nationally. EPA has issued guidance on how to reuse certain types of sites where contamination is left on-site (e.g., recreational use, commercial use).
EPA also promotes the reuse of other types of sites that have been contaminated with hazardous substances, including sites addressed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Brownfields program, the Underground Storage Tank Program and State cleanup programs. EPA Region 3’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization website and the Federal Facility reuse website provide links to details on how these types of properties have been reused.
EPA Region 3 has issued reports on how various sites (Superfund, RCRA and Brownfields) are being reused in the Mid-Atlantic states.
EPA encourages sustainable reuse of properties. Incorporating “green” buildings, clean energy, and best management practices for storm water runoff into the reuse design is not only good for the environment, but may save you money over the long-term. To get you started, EPA Region 3’s Sustainable Reuse website can provide more information. Additional information can be found at:
- Sustainable Redevelopment
- Pollution Prevention (Green buildings and landscaping, stormwater reduction)
- Green Communities
- Green Scapes (environmentally-friendly landscaping)
Step 5: Identify potential barriers to reuse
In reusing a site, you will need to consider barriers that may prevent certain types of development. For example, many sites are subject to long-term site management and may require institutional controls, such as covenants, that may restrict residential use. Another institutional control could prohibit the construction of certain buildings at, for instance, a landfill where a cap needs to be maintained to ensure protection from contaminants.
Site-specific information can be obtained on the Region 3 Cleanup website or through the LRAT team (see Step 3, above). State or local agencies may also have additional restrictions, including zoning requirements.
Step 6: Explore options for involving the community in redevelopment
By working with the community, local governments, prospective purchasers and developers can return sites to beneficial uses without jeopardizing the effectiveness of the remedy installed to protect human health and the environment.
EPA provides support for communities through technical assistance grants, community advisory groups, guidance and a regional Superfund public liaison (ombudsman).
Superfund Properties With Reuse Potential
Ready for Reuse Sites
Nationally, EPA has deemed some sites as “ready for reuse”, indicating that the site will remain protective for that use, so long as any use limitations established by EPA continue to be met. A “Ready for Reuse” determination provides potential users of formerly contaminated sites with an environmental status report that documents a technical determination by EPA that all or a portion of a property at a site can support specified types of uses while remaining protective of human health and the environment.
Southern Maryland Wood Treating – Hollywood, Maryland
Sites with Reuse Profiles
Upon request, EPA will develop Reuse Profiles for Superfund sites and sites addressed under the Oil Pollution Act to provide information
Photo of Ready to Reuse/ Site Profile Photo (Sagertown)
Saegertown Industrial Area Site, Saegertown, Crawford County, PA (PDF) (1p, 232K)
A.I.W. Frank/Mid-County Mustang, Exton, Chester County, PA (PDF) (1p, 266K)
Rentokil Site, Henrico County, VA (PDF) (1p, 310k)
Former Tranguch Tire Company, Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Superfund Successes
The number of redeveloped Superfund sites in Region 3 is constantly growing. New and continued land uses at these sites include commercial, industrial, recreational and ecological uses. Region 3 has developed a number of fact sheets and Land Revitalization Newsletter articles about some Superfund sites in the Region that describes sites already reused, as well as sites that are ready for reuse or have strong potential for reuse.
Delaware
Wildcat Landfill, Lebanon, Delaware
Bo-Win Pennisula Plating Site, Blades, Delaware (Spring 2007 Land Revitalization
Newsletter Article)
Other Delaware Sites (National Database)
District of Columbia
Maryland
Kane & Lombard Street Drum Site, Baltimore, MD (PDF) (1p, 270k)
Woodlawn Landfill Site, Cecil County, MD PDF (1p, 270k)
Other Maryland Sites (National Database)
Pennsylvania
Bollinger Steel, Ambridge Borough, PA (PDF) (2pp, 198K)
Crater Resources, King of Prussia, PA (Summer 2008 Land Revitalization Newsletter article)
Mail Order Company & Park Reclaim Suburban Philly Site, North Penn 12, Worcester,
Montgomery County, PA (PDF) (1p 240K)
Millcreek Dump Site, Millcreek Township, Erie County, PA (PDF) (1p, 227K)
Ohio River Park Success Story (PDF) (2pp, 149K)
Price Battery Plant. Hamburg, PA
Revere Chemical, Nockamixon Township, Pa. (PDF) (2pp, 241K)
Strasburg Landfill, Chester County, PA (Spring 2006 Land Revitalization Newsletter article)
UGI Columbia, Columbia, PA (Fall 2007 Land Revitalization Newsletter article)
Wade (ABM) Site, Chester, PA (PDF) (1p, 233K) (also see Land Revitalization Newsletter Article Summer 2005)
Whitmoyer Laboratories, Jackson Township. Lebanon County, PA (PDF) (1p, 232K)
Other Pennsylvania Sites (National Database)
Virginia
Avtex Fibers Site, Front Royal, Warren County, VA (PDF) (1p, 327K) (also see Fall 2005
Land Revitalization Newsletter article)
Crozet Arsenic Site, Crozet, VA (Summer 2007 Land Revitalization Newsletter)
Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, VA (Winter 2006 Land Revitalization Newsletter Article)
Other Virginia Sites (National Database)
West Virginia
Fairmont Coke Works, Fairmont, WV (Winter 2007 Land Revitalization Newsletter Article)
Other West Virginia Sites (National Database)