The Grove at Fallon Park
WithersRavenel’s environmental engineers, geologists, and environmental scientists provided a thorough set of services. They helped M/I Homes turn a distressed brownfields site into a beautiful new community. This new community is in Raleigh’s historic Five Points district. It is called the Grove at Fallon Park.
Nestled inside the Beltline in the historic Five Points neighborhood is a 10-acre tract. Since 1952, it had served as a bus parking, fueling, and maintenance facility for Wake County Public Schools. In 2012 the school district declared the property surplus and sought to divest it. The school district estimated the sale would net a profit sufficient to offset future costs. These costs were associated with leasing an office building in Crossroads Corporate Park in Cary, NC.
About M/I Homes
M/I Homes is ranked the 3rd largest homebuilder in the Triangle and the 14th largest homebuilder nationwide. The company purchased the property in 2013. They planned a signature community of 83 Energy Star® Certified townhomes. Because the property had previously been used as a fueling center, M/I Homes wanted to take every precaution. They wanted to make sure that construction workers and future residents would be kept safe. Therefore, they turned to WithersRavenel, their partner on several other successful projects in Wake County. WithersRavenel was to provide land development and specialty environmental services for converting the site to residential use.
WithersRavenel’s role in The Grove at Fallon Park
During a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), WithersRavenel noted that Wake County Public Schools had pursued extensive investigation and cleanup efforts relating to the petroleum underground storage tank (UST) system and the remnants of the maintenance buildings since the early 1990s.
WithersRavenel completed a Phase II ESA along with additional investigation activities. These included soil, soil vapor, and groundwater assessments. These activities supplemented work completed by Wake County. Moreover, they were necessary to determine whether residential development of the property was feasible.
Although Wake County had obtained site closure letters for each petroleum UST system closure on the property, M/I Homes chose to pursue a Brownfields Agreement for the project. A Brownfields Agreement lets the NC Department of Environmental Quality treat new developers differently. Those new developers did not cause the contamination. It states what actions a developer must take to make a Brownfields site ready for reuse. These actions are often less strict than a full cleanup to regulatory standards. It also gives the developer some liability protection for contamination that was already there. This enables and incentivizes developers to reuse abandoned or underused properties rather than seek Greenfield sites.
A successful Brownfields application
The data from WithersRavenel’s ESAs became the basis for a successful application. This application included the property and the proposed residential development project in the NC Brownfields Program. M/I Homes of Raleigh, LLC became the official applicant for the project.
Learn about our Brownfields services
Complying with the terms of the Brownfields Agreement would ensure that the property was safe for reuse. M/I Homes wanted to provide an added level of protection for the residents of the development. In response, WithersRavenel designed an innovative soil vapor mitigation system. This system consists of the first residential application of an aerated floor system using CUPOLEX® in North Carolina.
What is CUPLOEX®
CUPLOEX® is a system of 100% recycled plastic modules that are linked together to create a custom formwork. Concrete is poured over this formwork to create an aerated floor concrete slab over an under-slab void used for ventilation. An aerated floor is effective at controlling vapor intrusion, humidity levels, and temperature ranges. It also eliminates the costs of importing and compacting the fill or gravel typically required to bring a slab to finished grade, grants maximum control over the concrete curing process to prevent curling or cracking, and provides a ready-made space for running cables and pipes.
Working with the manufacturer, M/I Homes design team, concrete foundation and plumbing contractors, and City inspections office, WithersRavenel spearheaded the integration of the mitigation system design and the development of best practices for this project. Once the system was installed, WithersRavenel performed sub-slab soil vapor mitigation system inspections. These inspections verified that the system worked as designed to eliminate any threats from vapor intrusion.
The Grove at Fallon Park construction
Where there was once underused and polluted property, many families now live there. They enjoy Five Points’ historic scenery. They also enjoy its great schools and thriving local businesses. Because of WithersRavenel’s ingenuity, they do not have to worry that their health is at risk.
