[getsmart-l] My New Word for the Day - "Greyfields"

[John O'Gorman]

"In the US, several strip malls have been revitalized by adding residential units above the commercial ground floor units and reorienting the streetscape to make it pedestrian-friendly. 
Taking advantage of these large scale changes in land uses is an important economic development strategy. While most municipal staff and councillors do not believe they have the financial capacity to stimulate redevelopment of brown and greyfields, the long-term municipal revenue from new mixed-use commercial, residential and industrial projects will recoup the initial municipal program costs of initiating the redevelopment process."


http://www.wcel.org/issues/urban/sbg/Part6/BrownandGrey/


WCEL > Issues > Urban Growth and Development > Smart Bylaws Guide > Part 6 > Redevelop Brownfields & Greyfields

Smart Bylaws Guide – Redevelop Brownfields & Greyfields
Brownfields (unused industrial lands that may or may not be contaminated, or that have been remediated) and greyfields (aging strip malls and shopping centres) often pose challenging land use planning and redevelopment problems for local governments.  Vacant land signals urban decline, lost economic opportunity and holes in the social and land use fabric of a neighbourhood.  Municipalities often feel powerless to assist landowners to create new industrial ventures or redevelop these sites.

However, brown and greyfields provide large-scale opportunities for growth in serviced areas because they are often sizeable tracts of land in near-urban locations. Municipalities can use comprehensive development zoning to plan for mixed-use developments in these locations that can include housing, office and retail, civic uses and light industrial. Old industrial lands can also be revitalized using smart growth principles, most notably by integrating the green infrastructure into the site and supporting transit and other transportation modes, to accommodate new industrial uses.  Several municipalities in BC are seeking to transform old industrial sites into areas of eco-industrial networks.  In the US, several strip malls have been revitalized by adding residential units above the commercial ground floor units and reorienting the streetscape to make it pedestrian-friendly.

Taking advantage of these large scale changes in land uses is an important economic development strategy. While most municipal staff and councillors do not believe they have the financial capacity to stimulate redevelopment of brown and greyfields, the long-term municipal revenue from new mixed-use commercial, residential and industrial projects will recoup the initial municipal program costs of initiating the redevelopment process.

      “The death of a mall does not have to be bad news. Careful redevelopment can be the recipe for an economic rebound.”
      Greyfields Into Goldfields: From Failing Shopping Centers to Great Neighbourhoods (Study by Congress for a New Urbanism & PriceWaterhouseCoopers 2001). 
     

Two recent developments assist municipal councils and staff to stimulate the redevelopment of brown and greyfield.  The Federal Government established the Green Municipal Enabling Fund (administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities) in 2000 to provide grants of up to $100,000 for community brownfield inventories and assessments to develop policy options. The Maplewood Project in the District of North Vancouver received funding from this program.  The second opportunity flows from section 226 of the Community Charter.  Municipalities may designate Revitalization Tax Exemption Areas for which they can create a program that offers tax exemptions for up to ten years on the construction of new improvements or the alteration of existing improvements. The municipality may create smart growth guidelines and conditions that must be met in order for a property to quality for the revitalization tax exemption. 

Examples of Successful Brownfields Redevelopments Include:

Koo’s Corner in Vancouver - redevelopment of an automotive repair shop in a single family neighbourhood into six units. On the corner lot, the developer added on to an existing structure using several green building features.

Selkirk Waterfront in Victoria - 24-acre redevelopment of an old mill site in Victoria that includes industrial, commercial, office, retail, school and residential uses.

Cooksville Quarry in Mississauga, Ontario - 75-hectare former brick manufacturing plant that was transformed into a high- and low-density mixed-use development.

See other Case Studies from Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.

Examples of Municipal Brownfields Initiatives Include:

The District of North Vancouver’s Maplewood Project is integrating eco-industrial networking with sustainable community design.  The District held a design charrette to collect the best ideas for an eco-industrial network park as the redevelopment strategy for its aged industrial waterfront lands.

Vancouver’s redevelopment of the False Creek Basin/Burrard Inlet (False Creek Policy Guidelines and Southeast False Creek Sustainable Community) and Coal Harbour brownfields into high density mixed-use areas.   The City concluded that heavy industrial uses were no longer appropriate land uses adjacent to its downtown given Vancouver’s economic restructuring from an industrial to post-industrial city. After extensive study, the City adopted several policy frameworks to guide future development.

City of Hamilton’s Environmental Remediation and Site Enhancement (ERASE) Community Improvement Plan that outlines a comprehensive set of programs to encourage and promote brownfield redevelopment in the 1375-hectare (3400-acre) older industrial area of the city.   The Plan aims to “erase” brownfields by providing financial incentives to clean them up and stimulate economically viable land uses.  The incentives include Redevelopment Grants, Environmental Study Grants and grants-in-lieu of planning and development fees through tax increment financing, as well as assistance with marketing, and municipal property acquisition, and partnerships for investing.  See also Hamilton’s Brownfield Redevelopment Program information.

For More Information
Publications

  a.. Eco-Industrial Networking 
  b.. Cleaning Up the Past, Building the Future: A National Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy for Canada (National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, 2003) 
  c.. Greyfields Into Goldfields: From Failing Shopping Centers to Great Neighbourhoods & Greyfield Regional Mall Study (Congress for a New Urbanism & PriceWaterhouseCoopers 2001) 
  d.. Greyfields: The New Horizon for Infill and Higher Density Regeneration (US Environmental Protection Agency, Southeast Region Environmental Finance Centre) 
Organizations

  a.. About Remediation.com – a Canada-wide education/outreach service on brownfields redevelopment and site remediation.  While providing primarily Ontario-based information, the site content provides a comprehensive overview of issues for different sectors, and includes descriptions of municipal case studies and programs. 
  b.. Canadian Brownfields Network – a national network for brownfield practitioners and stakeholders. 
Thanks to Sarah Robin who provided substantial research assistance in the preparation of this section of the Smart Bylaws Guide
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