2024 WV Brownfields & Main Street Conference

Brownfield sites often pose health and safety risks to communities, but redevelopment can offer an array of social and economic benefits. Two aspects of brownfields redevelopment planning will be covered in this session.  Local growth and development are frequently driven by comprehensive planning, but the prevalence and extent of brownfield inclusion in comprehensive plans is unknown. The first half of this session will include a document analysis of four county and municipal comprehensive plans across West Virginia for existing brownfield strategy integration. Two of the plans included the term “brownfield,” but no plans provided a definition of the term. In some cases, brownfield concepts were discussed using other terminology, such as “abandoned” or “vacant.” No plans identified local brownfield sites. When brownfield-related goals, objectives, and action steps were identified, these aims primarily focused on housing needs and opportunities for housing rehabilitation. Timelines and related implementation tools were absent from discourse around brownfield aims. WV Code identifies thirteen mandatory topics and six optional topics to be included in comprehensive plans.  Planners and communities should consider engaging these topic areas when integrating brownfield strategies in future plans.

The second half of this presentation will focus on utilizing EPA Brownfields Assessment grant funding for conducting site and area redevelopment studies and activities that can be used to formulate and strengthen comprehensive plans. Returning a brownfield site to productive use often starts with understanding the local community, including local economic settings, infrastructure conditions, community goals, and social and environmental circumstances. Specific planning activities can help determine reuse feasibility options for a brownfield site and the target area. Examples of eligible planning activities will be reviewed from across the WV region. Session attendees will learn about the wide-ranging eligible activities that can be conducted with brownfields funding to help compile and move Comprehensive Plans forward while incorporating brownfield redevelopment strategies.