by Daniel Axelrod, Middletown Times Herald-Record (NY)

The owner of the iconic former Grossinger’s Resort is seeking state help to clean soil contamination for what could become step one in building a 300-room hotel and 500 housing units.

In March, representatives of Sullivan Resorts, LLC, a subsidiary of owner Louis Cappelli’s Valhalla-based Cappelli Enterprises, applied for the state Department of Environmental Conservation to designate the former resort site a brownfield and offer clean-up assistance. The state may soon render a decision on the Grossinger’s site, said property manager Henry Zabatta.

Over the next month, Cappelli hopes state officials will approve brownfield status and help pay to remove contamination his environmental consultants say came from old underground fuel tanks, dry-cleaning chemicals and other resort-related sources, Zabatta said.

…

For the entire article, see
http://www.recordonline.com/news/20170801/grossingers-owner-seeks-state-aid?start=17

by Tim Louis MacalusoRochester City Newspaper (NY)

Up until about the 1950's, the Bull's Head area was a thriving part of the southwest section of the city. Though it's still remembered fondly by many people, particularly in Rochester's African-American community, right now Bull's Head is scarred by vacant lots and abandoned buildings. It's often better known for the free public health clinic on West Main Street than for its large older homes and historic sites.

But more than 100 people joined Mayor Lovely Warren and other city officials at St. Mary's Campus recently for a meeting about the city's plans to try to revitalize Bull's Head. Warren, who opened the meeting, thanked residents and business owners for "sticking with the neighborhood." The road to improving the area has been a long one, she said; planning has been underway for about a decade.
…

For the entire article, see
https://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/bringing-back-bulls-head/Content?oid=3947906

More from the 2017 NSCW.  If you missed it, enjoy the information.  If you were there, enjoy the refresh.

Like many programs focusing on environmental issues, brownfields are facing an uncertain future. Changes in Washington are signaling potential disruptions in the regulatory landscape and funding for programs that support redevelopment.  These evolving diverse regulatory and budgetary challenges continue at a fast pace, and tomorrow's issues are likely to be different than today’s.

When we look to the future of brownfields, transactional and planning-driven redevelopment will likely influence the amount of money going to projects. The allocation of the federal budget will continue to shift, and it is essential for brownfield redevelopment practitioners to track and integrate into their planning, the potential loss of federal and as well as state and local funding opportunities. 

The integration of sustainable infrastructure and resilient, adaptable design into brownfield projects is critical to preparing our communities to address the impact of extreme weather, flooding, or sea level rise. Support from the federal government for infrastructure, transportation, and other sectors will likely diminish, and local and state governments need to focus their efforts here to address on-the-ground realities. Even considering the unforeseeable outcomes resulting from federal changes, the strength of our communities will rely heavily on local action. Regardless of the constant evolution of programs or funding, brownfield redevelopment will continue to be a crucial component of resilient communities.

BCONE thanks Andrew Welch of CCLR for preparing this summary, and thanks Andrea Poinsett of GEI Consultants for editorial services.

Mid-Hudson News (NY)

State environmental officials Thursday announced the completion of a brownfield cleanup at a Kingston industrial site, located at a blighted area along the Rondout Creek waterfront. The work took just over a year and over 30,000 man-hours to finish.

Formerly a manufactured gas production facility, the property, located on Front Street behind the old Millen’s scrapyard, currently serves as a gas regulator facility for the utility. 

Christopher Capone, CFO of Central Hudson, which owns the site, said the project was very important, both to his company, and also the surrounding community.

…

For the entire article, see
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2017/July/28/King_waterfront_remed-28Jul17.html

by Jonathan D. Epstein, Buffalo News (NY)

Rocco Termini hopes the directors of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency like beer. A lot.

Termini is seeking help from the ECIDA to support his conversion of an old industrial building on Chandler Street into the new home of Thin Man Brewery and a business incubator.

The developer, through his Signature Development Buffalo LLC, has applied for sales and mortgage recording tax breaks for the $4.695 million project, in which he would add 10,000 square feet to the 40,000-square-foot building at 166 Chandler St.

…

The century-old building suffered a fire in 2001 and has been vacant more than 10 years, according to Termini's application. It's "in very bad condition" and is considered an "environmental hazard" because of the fire and prior uses of the building.

…

For the entire article, see
http://buffalonews.com/2017/07/28/termini-wants-tax-breaks-thin-man-brewery-project/

by Judi Currie, Foster's Daily Democrat (NH)

The city has chosen Credere Associates of Westbrook, Maine, to lead the cleanup effort at Breton’s Cleaners.

In March the City Council authorized Belmore to sign an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Services to accept $178,000 from the state Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund.

Despite not receiving a $200,000 EPA Brownfields grant in the 2016 round of funding, the council opted to move forward with a plan to clean up the former site and demolish the building.

…

For the entire article, see
http://www.fosters.com/news/20170724/credere-to-lead-clean-up

by Cyrus Moulton, Worcester Telegram (MA)

The juxtaposition on Grand Street in Main South is stark: A renovated, historic factory building with new windows looking into 94 affordable apartments is surrounded by an abandoned, dilapidated conglomeration of industrial buildings and vacant lots.

“Hopefully it will stimulate other work in the area,” said Steve Teasdale, executive director of the Main South Community Development Corp., of the renovated factory.
…
The factories of Central Massachusetts’ industrial age may have largely faded into the past or been repurposed for new uses. But in many cases, a legacy of that age remains: a degraded environment.
…
For the entire article, see
http://www.telegram.com/news/20170729/making-it-in-central-mass-restoring-regions-environment-in-wake-of-industrial-age

by Derek Carson, Bennington Banner (VT)

Cleaning up the Putnam Block is expect to cost just shy $1 million, with the lion's share of the money going towards the removal of a chemical called "trichloroethylene."

The public was largely absent from Wednesday's hearing on the clean-up plan, but project engineers still took the time to go over the plan and answer what questions there were.

The Putnam Block Project is a $54 million renovation plan for the buildings on the southwest side of Bennington's Four Corners. Local investors, including Southwestern Vermont Health Care, Bennington College, Southern Vermont College, the Bank of Bennington, and individuals, plan to invest and take advantage of grants and tax incentives to revitalize the block, and with it hopefully the rest of downtown.

…

For the entire article, see
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/under-1-million-to-clean-up-putnam,513488

by John Nicholson, Hazmat Magazine

The Niagara Region municipal government, which is made of 30 representatives from 12 area municipalities, recently announced it is changing its incentive program for the revitalization of brownfields. When the changes to the brownfields incentive program are enacted, developers will be eligible to recoup 100 percent of the costs or remediation for brownfield sites. Under the existing program, only development charges were waived.

The revised plan will be beneficial when the cost of soil and groundwater remediation at a brownfield site costs more than development charges.
...
For the entire article, see
http://www.hazmatmag.com/hazmat/niagara-region-proposes-new-incentive-program-redevelop-brownfield-sites/1003275822/

by Nicole Gugino,Dunkirk Observer (NY)

It looks like the lawsuit that prevented a developer from locating in one neighborhood in the city of Dunkirk has not prevented it from setting sights on another. 

Neighbors rallied against Great Lake Cold Storage building a freezer facility for Fieldbrook Foods on the empty lot between Central Avenue, Fairview Avenue and Main Street Extension, culminating in an Article 78 lawsuit. 

>Many residents at the time suggested an ideal location for the development would be the former Atwater warehouse on Roberts Road. Even Mayor Willie Rosas said if the brownfield had been remediated prior to the developer’s interest it would have been everyone’s first choice.
…
For the entire article, see
https://www.observertoday.com/news/page-one/2017/07/cold-storage-to-locate-on-city-brownfield/