Brownfields Program News

Brownfield Program News

Directed Research for Tulane University’s Sustainable Real Estate Program

On April 26, 2024, CPC Brownfields Program Director, Kari Godchaux was invited to participate as a Directed Research Panelist for Tulane University’s Sustainable Real Estate Master Program, for the 2024 graduating class presentations. The final papers this year focused on a range of topics from brownfield financing, steps to ensuring healthy air quality for building interiors to incorporating arts and culture into the development world. The students engaged in vigorous conversation with the panelists around these critical topics.

 

City of New Orleans Awarded $2 Million by EPA for Remediation of Former Naval Support Activity Complex

BrownfieldsNEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today was joined by City Planning Commission (CPC) Executive Director Robert Rivers, CPC Brownfields Director Kari Godchaux, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Brownfields Section Chief Althea Foster, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Roger Gingles and Limitless Vistas Executive Director Sherry Callaway to announce and present an award of $2 million from EPA to support the environmental remediation of the former Naval Support Activity Complex (NSA) located in the Bywater neighborhood. The award was from the EPA’s Brownfields Cleanup Grant program, funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  

“As the City of New Orleans remains on the frontlines of the ongoing global climate crisis, a top priority has been bolstering our more vulnerable, marginalized populations that have been disproportionally impacted by environmental injustices for generations,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “We are honored to be selected as a recipient of EPA's Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program, which is a critical next step towards the renovation of this immense and derelict property. Once complete, this site will provide a resilient and sustainable source of power, as well as much needed affordable housing, commerce and job creation. My administration will continue to demonstrate our commitment to resolving our decades-long environmental issues and identifying sustainable solutions that are a win-win for our city and our residents and also in direct alignment with our federal infrastructure and climate action goals.”

The Brownfields Cleanup Grant program provides funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites to allow for future development. Funds are used to address sites contaminated by petroleum, hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants, including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum.

The former NSA complex was completed in 1919 by the United States Navy and was used as a logistic station to protect the Port of New Orleans from attack, a shelter and training center for the unemployed and homeless during the Great Depression and later as a recruiting and training station for multiple military branches. It was deactivated and sold to the City of New Orleans in 2011 to facilitate its redevelopment. The complex is currently vacant and primarily consists of three 84,000 square-foot, 6-story buildings within an approximately 1.5 million square-foot site. All three buildings are listed under criteria A on the National Register of Historic Places due to its military history. 

"The City Planning Commission is thrilled to have played a role in securing this funding for such a critical redevelopment project," said Rivers. "Since 2018, the CPC – led by its full-time Brownfields Director, Kari Godchaux – has been working with the Administration, as well as our regional, state and federal partners, to build a robust Brownfields Program for the City. This grant award is evidence of that work and demonstrates the value of the City’s continuing support of this important program."

“The City of New Orleans and the Limitless Vistas job training program have proved, again and again, the transformative power that EPA Brownfields grants can have for communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “With historic amounts of funding available from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these outstanding partners will continue to create benefits for local families and neighborhoods.”

EPA has also selected local nonprofit organization, Limitless Vistas, for a Brownfields Job Training grant. Limitless Vistas plans to train 200 students and place at least 120 in environmental jobs. Students who complete the training will earn up to three federal certifications. Limitless Vistas is targeting students from New Orleans, specifically dislocated, unemployed, underemployed and low-income individuals, minorities, opportunity youth, citizens with justice-system involvement and veterans. Key partners include the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, Louisiana DEQ and the Urban League of Louisiana.

"The Brownfields program is our primary tool to get longstanding impaired properties remediated and rehabilitated," said Secretary Gingles. "It lets us give new purposes to neglected assets."

The City’s application for the Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program was submitted by the CPC’s Brownfields Program, in coordination with Mayor Cantrell’s IIJA Task Force. The City created the multi-departmental IIJA Task Force in January 2022 to analyze infrastructure needs within the City and secure funding from the new infrastructure law. 

More information on the EPA Brownfields programs and awards can be found here: Multipurpose, Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Application Resources | US EPA.
 

City Planning Commission Brownfield Program (CPCBP), among other Louisiana Brownfield Professionals, attend the National Brownfield Conference

Detroit, Michigan hosted the National Brownfield Conference this year. It was a close look into the changes and successes Detroit is currently celebrating, using brownfield remediation as a catalyst, after declining and struggling as a city for decades.  It was beneficial for CPCBP to learn from and collaborate with hundreds of Brownfield professionals from all over the nation, committed to the clean-up of harmful contaminants in soils, protecting residents, spurring investment, and bringing property/ historic buildings back into commerce. In addition, Kari Godchaux, City Planning Commission Brownfield Program Director along with fellow brownfield professionals were able to attend a site visit of a historic restoration legacy project, Michigan Central Station, formerly a highly contaminated brownfield. After being abandoned and neglected for thirty years, this significant historic structure is about to open its doors, once again, to the public. Ford Motor Company’s renovation costs totaled over $1B; a fine example of how brownfield funding and historic tax credits can spur large development projects and change neighborhoods.

Detroit and New Orleans share many parallels; history/loss of population/background of contaminated soils/ rebuilding/remediating/preservation and bringing land and formerly abandoned buildings back into commerce. The conference acted as a catalyst to discuss nationwide brownfield to greenfield successes and look to the future towards remediating brownfields to brightfields (remediating contaminated land to solar and other alternative energy uses).  We also congratulated Phoenix Award winners like Louisiana’s own Rebecca Otte, LDEQ Brownfield Coordinator and winner of 2023 National Phoenix Awards for excellence in the profession, congratulations Rebecca!

 

 

City Planning Commission Brownfield Program Awarded $2 Million EPA Grant for Remediation of Former Naval Support Activity Complex 

The EPA’s Brownfields Cleanup Grant program has granted an award of $2 million to the New Orleans City Planning Commission Brownfield Program to support the environmental remediation of the former Naval Support Activity Complex (NSA) located in the Bywater neighborhood. The award is funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell said, “The City of New Orleans is honored to be selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive a $2 million Brownfield Clean Up Grant, applied for in November 2022 by the City Planning Commission’s Brownfield Program. This grant will support the environmental remediation of the former Naval Support Activity Complex (NSA) located in Bywater and is a critical next step towards the renovation of the immense, vacant, and derelict property. With this grant we are one step closer to the transformation of this long vacant Brownfield site, which when renovated, will provide much needed affordable housing and local job creation.”

The EPA Brownfield Clean-up Grant program provides funding to carry out remediation activities at brownfield sites to promote future development. Funds are used to address sites contaminated by hazardous substances, environmental pollutants, and/or contaminants. More information on the EPA Brownfields programs and awards can be found here: Multipurpose, Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Application Resources | US EPA .

The former NSA complex, completed in 1919, was used initially to protect the Port of New Orleans from attack, later as a shelter and training center during the Great Depression, and finally as a recruiting and training station for multiple military branches. It was deactivated and sold to the City of New Orleans in 2011 to facilitate its redevelopment. The complex is currently vacant and primarily consists of three 84,000 square-foot, 6-story buildings within an approximately 1.5 million square-foot site. All three buildings are listed under Criteria A on the National Register of Historic Places.

CPC Brownfield Program & Tulane Master of Sustainable Real Estate Program Coordination

CPC’s Brownfield Program Director, Kari Godchaux, was invited to be a panelist for the Tulane’s School of Architecture Master of Sustainable Real Estate Program’s directed research presentations. Kari’s role for the directed research project was as a mentor, supervisor and coordinator for CPCBP intern Mario Das who spent two concurrent semesters at CPC Brownfield Program. This collaborative research project further represents City of New Orleans Planning Commission’s dedication to environmental research and project implementation pushing towards a cleaner, safer built environment in New Orleans. The directed research presentation titled: Brownfields to Brightfields; Revitalizing Brownfields with Solar Infrastructure in New Orleans highlighted the main points of the expanded in-depth research paper, showing the positive environmental and social benefits of remediating contaminated lands to solar energy production in New Orleans. The paper will be available to view at the City Planning Commission by July 1, 2023.   

First Regional Brownfield Coffee Klatch

The first successful Brownfield Klatch meeting was hosted at the Port of New Orleans on January 11, 2023, and included members from the Port, State LDEQ, Regional Planning Commission Brownfield Program, Louisiana Department of Agriculture, City of New Orleans; City Planning Commission Brownfield Program, Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission and Gretna Brownfield Program.

This successful event concentrated on communication and the importance of coordination between Louisiana governmental entities to support priority remediation projects for the benefit of the environmental health and rejuvenation of Louisiana. These meetings will be ongoing quarterly.