News What Are Brownfields?

What are Brownfields?

Brownfields are properties where reuse, redevelopment, or expansion is complicated by the known or perceived presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. They may be occupied, vacant, or abandoned.

Brownfields are not limited to previously developed parcels. A site can qualify as a Brownfield when contamination from a neighboring property is known or suspected to have affected otherwise undeveloped land.

Brownfields differ from Greenfields, which are undeveloped properties generally presumed to be uncontaminated, and Greyfields, which are previously developed retail properties that have lost market demand to newer shopping options.

What are common examples of Brownfields?

Brownfields may originate from industrial, commercial, civic, or residential uses. While chemical releases are common drivers, fires, structural damage, improper disposal, and demolition practices can also create Brownfield conditions.

Industrial sources commonly include mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and power generation.

Commercial sources include gas stations and fuel storage facilities, chemical storage, automotive repair, dry cleaning and industrial laundry operations, and rail corridors.

Civic sources may include municipal maintenance vehicle pools and firefighting training facilities.

Residential sources may include asbestos building materials, lead-based paint, underground or above-ground fuel tanks, and older air-conditioning systems containing refrigerants.

Illegal dumping can also create Brownfield conditions.

Together, these examples show that Brownfields can result from a broad range of routine land uses—not just heavy industry.

What kinds of contamination exist at Brownfields?

Contamination at a Brownfield site depends on current, former, and adjacent property uses. For example, a release at a paint manufacturing facility today might involve volatile organic compounds (VOCs), while similar operations decades ago may also have contributed lead contamination.

Common types of Brownfield contamination include the following:

• Asbestos
• Metals (lead, arsenic)
• Solvents
• Hydrocarbon compounds (petroleum, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
• Pesticides and herbicides

What are the risks associated with a Brownfield site?

Brownfields properties can present environmental and public health considerations, but those risks are highly site-specific and depend on the nature of the property, the types of contamination present, and how the property may be used in the future.

The Brownfields process is designed to evaluate those conditions and manage them appropriately so redevelopment can move forward in a way that is protective of people and the environment while remaining economically feasible.

How do Brownfields programs manage risk?

Risk mitigation may include cleanup activities, engineering controls, land-use restrictions, and long-term monitoring or maintenance requirements. Engineering controls can limit exposure pathways. Restricting the property’s future use can limit public exposure to unsafe contaminant levels.

Who is responsible for Brownfields?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program, “Under CERCLA, a person may be held strictly liable for cleaning up hazardous substances at properties that they either currently own or operate, or owned or operated in the past, during the time when hazardous substances were managed at the property.”

What is CERCLA?
CERCLA is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980. It is the federal legislation that authorizes the president of the United States to respond to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances into the environment. It is also called the Superfund.

The EPA generally does not perform Brownfield assessment or cleanup work directly. Instead, it supports communities through technical and financial assistance.

States and tribal governments establish and enforce assessment and cleanup standards for Brownfield contamination.

What are the benefits of Brownfields redevelopment?

Although Brownfields can present environmental, regulatory, and financial challenges, they also create meaningful opportunities for communities, property owners, and developers. When properly assessed, cleaned up, and reused, Brownfields can return underutilized land to productive use, reduce development pressure on undeveloped land, and support broader community revitalization.

Key benefits of Brownfields redevelopment include:

• Environmental improvement
• Economic revitalization
• Community reinvestment
• Reduced development pressure
• Access to funding, tax incentives, and technical support

How does WithersRavenel support Brownfields projects?

WithersRavenel helps property owners, developers, and communities evaluate, acquire, remediate, and reposition properties that may qualify as Brownfields.

Our environmental team conducts Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments in accordance with the All Appropriate Inquiries Final Rule and ASTM standards. Depending on site history, the team can also perform targeted inspections for asbestos, mold, lead-based paint, radon, and vapor intrusion.

Using the findings from these investigations, we help clients navigate Brownfields program applications, administration, and remediation requirements. Our planning and land development professionals can also assist with redevelopment of a Brownfields property.

WithersRavenel partners with developers and communities to transform underused or blighted properties into productive homes, businesses, and public amenities.