Brownfield Redevelopment and HIA Sandra Whitehead, PhD Director of Program and Partnership Development National Environmental Health Association June 15, 2016

Overview What is a brownfield Who is impacted by brownfields? Why HIA is a good tool for brownfield redevelopment Two examples Lessons learned

What is a brownfield? A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant (US EPA)

Brownfield Facts It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties: Increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment Can increase residential property values 5.1 percent percent near Brownfield sites when cleanup is completed The EPA determined that brownfield clean up can increase overall property values within a one-mile radius by $0.5 to $1.5 million

Who is affected by Brownfields?

The Role of EH Professionals Convene partnerships Engage the community Determine and communicate health risks Work with the community to establish their redevelopment priorities and needs Develop recommendations for redevelopment that address these needs

Health Impact Assessment “A systematic process that uses an array of data sources, analytic methods, and input from stakeholders to determine the potential effects of a proposed policy, plan, program, or project on the health of a population and the distribution of those effects within a population” -National Research Council

Phases of HIA ScreeningScopingAssessmentReportingEvaluationMonitoring

Brownfields and HIA HIA is a data-driven tool that can be used to define the risks associated with the redevelopment The mitigation of health disparities rooted in the social determinants of health can be advanced by incorporating HIA into the brownfield redevelopment process HIA is a prospective process, allowing recommendations from the community before expensive redevelopment decisions are made HIA can be used to add value to the redevelopment process by incorporating health into the economic equation

Two Examples: LTT and South Volusia

Pasco County, Florida

Lacoochee-Trilby-Trilacoochee Policy and language changes to Brownfield Redevelopment policy to assess possible health impacts as part of redevelopment planning Pasco County pursue further assessment funding Incentivize a grocery store or assist Dollar General in the sale of fresh food items Install a primary care clinic operating 5 days a week in the community center Continue to engage citizens on issues relating to housing quality, walkability, transportation and creating economic opportunities

Lacoochee Community Center

Atlanta Beltline Parks: 700 acres of park improvements and 1,300 acres of new greenspace and parks Trails: 33 miles of new multi-use trails Transit: 22 mile loop of transit service Redevelopment: 6,500 acres of redevelopment, 10 redevelopment nodes, 29,000 housing units (5,600 affordable units), 5.3 million square feet of office space, 1.3 million square feet of retail space, 30,000 new jobs Other improvements: sidewalk, streetscape, road, and intersection improvements

Beltline HIA Photos: Atlanta Beltline, Inc.

Atlanta Beltline Photos: Atlanta Beltline, Inc.

Lessons Learned LTT Community engagement early in the process is key Language is important Brownfield redevelopment can be an opportunity to examine long-standing structural issues in the community Atlanta Beltline Monitor/Track health performance measures using HIA baseline Collaboration among various sectors and disciplines is needed to bridge the gap between research, policy making and implementation. Decisions about time, timing and targeted audience are important.

Issues with the current process Defining Health issues-Social Determinants of Health are not considered during the redevelopment process Focus is on environmental remediation and economic development Current indicators that measure economic gain from redevelopment fail to consider the full range of benefits that accumulate from improving overall community health

HIA and Post-Disaster Redevelopment

HIA can be used to inform redevelopment plans or projects for health implications It can be used to evaluate alternatives using scenario planning

Challenges for Including HIA in Brownfield Redevelopment in the Future Redevelopers are not incentivized to pursue HIA Introducing a regulatory mandate could impose additional costs and discourage new brownfield mediation activities Realign incentives by: –a) providing redevelopers with the resources required to conduct HIAs through the redevelopment funds allocated for community engagement or public health monitoring –b) prioritizing approval for projects that incorporate HIA into the redevelopment process –c) fast-tracking projects with outsize potential to improve health outcomes

Possible funding sources for HIA Brownfields health monitoring funds Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Grants Community Development Block Grants Tax increment financing like a Community Redevelopment Agency State brownfields funding provided to the developer who would then employ a consulting company or the local health or planning department to conduct the HIA

Challenges for Environmental Health Only local governments are currently eligible to apply for brownfield redevelopment funds New partnerships are necessary to lead in this area, HIA is proactive, so lay groundwork early New paradigm of economic development including health, broad definition of EH Role of EH is not necessarily clear

Questions? Sandra Whitehead, PhD Director of Program and Partnership Development National Environmental Health Association