Purpose
The Cape Charles/Northampton County, Virginia Pilot is working with
multiple partners to revitalize the area’s brownfields. Collectively,
the Pilot has established more than 90 partnerships with local,
state, and federal agencies, as well as private organizations and
has leveraged more than $8 million in cleanup and redevelopment
funding.
Background
The Brownfields National Partnership selected the Town of Cape
Charles and Northampton County, Virginia as a Brownfields Showcase
Community in 2000. In 1993, the Northampton County Board of Supervisors
appointed a
Sustainable Development Task Force to manage the Sustainable Development
Initiative in Cape Charles. The award of the EPA Brownfields Showcase
Community designation assisted in the development and implementation
of the Initiative. By preserving greenspace, building ecoefficient
infrastructure, and providing updated commercial and office space,
the Cape Charles/Northampton County project is working to stimulate
economic and environmental renewal in one of the nation’s
most impoverished areas. The poorest county within the Commonwealth
of Virginia, 20 percent of its 13,000 residents live in poverty.
Along with multiple economic incentives from the area, the county
was named as an Enterprise Community by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
The Pilot’s activities focus on four key projects throughout
the county: the Sustainable Technology Industrial Park (STIP)
and Cape Charles harbor area, the Seaside Park near Oyster, the
Center Chevrolet property in Exmore, and the Webster Canning or
KMC Plant in Cheriton. Each property has a unique redevelopment
plan aimed toward meeting the needs of the community. Redevelopment
plans include: an innovative eco-park and sustainable technology
facility; a regional-scale coastal park with recreational amenities;
a community Boys and Girls Club and town park; and a potential
renewable energy project.
Current Activities and Achievements
The Cape Charles/Northampton County Showcase Pilot has achieved
multiple redevelopment successes throughout Northampton County.
The Sustainable Technology Park at Cape Charles was targeted by
the EPA Showcase Community Pilot for assessment and cleanup and
is designed as a world class research/development and manufacturing
center, encouraging green businesses, products, and processes. The
environmental assessment involved evaluation of an abandoned 25-acre
town dump and harbor front, with minimal cleanup completed. Building
One, featuring many advanced design features, is open for business
with 31,000 square feet of commercial, manufacturing, office and
meeting space. The STIP property is one of four national eco-industrial
park demonstration projects and features pollution prevention efforts.
Just north of Oyster Harbor and the town of Oyster, the county resolved
to reuse the former Northampton County landfill into a safe and
popular public amenity and coastal park with passive and active
recreation. The new Seaside Park will provide relief for a shortage
of recreational facilities in the area, including soccer and recreational
fields, a golf course, a skateboard park, a pool, and trails and
boardwalks. The county successfully leveraged the necessary funding
for initial construction. The environmental assessment findings
indicate that much of the property is ready for reuse. Phase II
environmental sampling was completed, with the Phase II study to
determine whether any cleanup is needed or whether the county master
plan requires revising.
The Phase I environmental assessment on the former Center Chevrolet
property in Exmore, Virginia is complete. A sampling program is
proposed to further evaluate whether soil and groundwater contamination
exists, and if so, whether it presents potential health risks to
construction workers and future users of the park. The property
redevelopment plans include a Boys and Girls Club and a town park,
which is part of the town’s Main Street
revitilization.
Finally, cleanup was completed at the KMC Plant located just outside
of Cheriton, Virginia, and redevelopment activities are underway.
The property used Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) funding
to conduct an initial assessment, with the Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) assisting with additional assessment
and cleanup. The property has had commercial use in the past, but
the town is considering new sustainable uses, which could include
incorporating an innovative solution such as the construction of
a biofuels plant, an agricultural plastic recycling location, or
a waste-to-energy facility.
Showcase Community Objectives and Planned Activities
The Brownfields Showcase Community designation has provided outreach,
advice, and assessment in support of multiple revitalization efforts
throughout the Northampton County community, as well as a liaison
to regulators and funding sources. Projects in the Cape Charles/
Northampton County Pilot meet multiple environmental objectives
while continuing to bring blighted properties back to safe and
productive use. Several kinds of energy efficiency and renewable
energy projects are under development at multiple brownfields
in the county.
The Sustainable Technology Park at Cape Charles is currently for
sale. With a projected leveraging of 1,500 jobs, this former brownfield
is an example of a successful economic and environmental restoration
effort. In addition, the work on the other three projects in Cape
Charles/ Northampton County continues to bring blighted properties
back to safe and productive use.
| Contacts |
Showcase Community Coordinator
(757) 678-0413 |
U.S. EPA - Region 3
(215) 814-3132 |
For more information on the Brownfields Showcase
Communities,
visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/showcase.htm
|
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