On April 24, 2013, the NYC Brownfield Partnership held its fifth annual Big Apple Brownfield Awards at the NYU School of Law, recognizing seven outstanding New York City remediation projects.  The awards ceremony was attended by over 200 people, including developers, regulators, consultants, and attorneys. The Partnership awarded its 2013 Distinguished Service Award to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, in recognition of his work in supporting environmentally responsible development within economically diverse communities throughout the five boroughs. Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway, in accepting the award, conveyed the Mayor’s thanks and praised the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation and the Partnership for their role in returning properties to productive use.  Additional speakers included Dr. Daniel Walsh, Director of the NYC Office of Environmental Remediation; David Freeman, President of the Partnership’s Board of Directors; Jennifer Chernowski, Brownfield Grants Specialist, USEPA, Region 2; and Venetia Lannon, Regional Director and Jane O’Connell, Chief, Superfund and Brownfield Cleanup Section, NYSDEC, Region 2.  Prior to the award presentation, Dr. Walsh also dedicated a sculpture in memory of Abbey Duncan, which, to honor Abbey’s commitment to the arts, children and the environment, will be installed at the Sugar Hill Children’s museum, part of a redevelopment project conducted under the NYC Voluntary Cleanup Program.

Project Location:

205 North 9th Street, Brooklyn

Project Team:

• North Driggs Holding, LLC
  
• Karl Fischer Architect
  
• Sive, Paget & Riesel, PC
  
• P.W. Grosser Consulting
  

This former industrial site was rezoned for redevelopment by North Driggs Holding, LLC.  Remediation was performed under the New York City Office of Environmental Remediation (NYCOER) E-designation program. The mixed residential and retail project includes three multi-level residential buildings incorporating common and commercial space.  Redevelopment and remediation, which began in 2006, continued throughout the recession and was completed in 2011, providing much needed construction jobs in the area.

Project Location:

920-924 Westchester Ave, Bronx

Project Team:

• Westrock Development, LLC
  
• MJM Construction Developers
  
• C&S Construction
  
• Hydro Tech Environmental, Corp
  

Redevelopment of this South Bronx former service station and bottling plant was undertaken by Westrock Development, LLC, with the remediation performed under the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP).  The eight-story building includes 110 units of affordable housing, retail space, a community facility and parking garage. A retail store within the commercial space provides at least 20 jobs, with additional jobs provided by the parking garage and building maintenance.  A physical therapy facility, a necessary community service, currently occupies the community space.

Project Location:

129-11 and 127-03 Jamaica Ave, Queens

Project Team:

• The Arker Companies
  
• Phillips Nizer
  
• Aufgang + Subotovsky Architecture and Planning
  
• AMC Engineering PLLC
  
• Environmental Business Consultants
  

This former commercial laundry and gas station/auto repair site was developed by The Arker Companies and remediated under the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program.  The property, located in Richmond Hill, Queens, is now occupied by a six-story, 65-unit building set aside for seniors, with 20 percent of the units set aside for formerly homeless households.  The project was developed through a 50-year regulatory agreement with NYS HCR, using a complex network of funding sources including NYCHDC, NYCHPD, NYSERDA, NYSHCR, Bank of America, and deferred developer fees.  The project also received NYS brownfield tax credits.  Coordinating these multiple funding sources involved a combination of timing and balancing, requiring the development team to track and meet all submittal requirements and deadlines.

Project Location:

1224 Prospect Ave., Bronx

Project Team:

• Prospect Court, LLC
  
• Great American Construction Corp.
  
• Ecosystems Strategies, Inc.
  
• Morris Associates Engineering Consultants
  

Remediation at this former gas station and auto repair shop was performed under the NYSDEC BCP and included excavation of soil and bedrock, removal of underground gasoline tanks, topical application of RegenOx ™ and injection of PersulfOx TM, and installation of injection laterals, terminating in dispersion pits dug into the bedrock.  The configuration of the laterals allowed the injected oxidant to pool in the pits and enter the bedrock fractures and enabled multiple applications of oxidant.  The ongoing groundwater remediation has resulted in significant reduction in total volatile organic contaminant mass and engineering and institutional controls will prevent exposure of building residents to soil vapor and groundwater contaminants.  A Certification of Completion was issued by NYSDEC and the ongoing construction will result in an eight-story residential building with 58 units, twelve of which will be set aside for formerly homeless families.

Project Location:

Bright’N Green, Brooklyn

Project Team:

• Scarano Realty, LLC
  
• Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C.
  
• Rizzo Environmental Services
  
• M Square Construction, Inc.
  
• Laurel Environmental Associates, Ltd.
  

This project, partially located on the site of a former racetrack in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, was developed by Scarano Realty, LLC, and remediated under NYCOER’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP). The Track 1 cleanup enabled installation of an underground earth tube air pre-tempering system, which allows the fresh air entering the building to be conditioned by the uniform temperature of the subsurface.  Additional features of this compact urban structure include a rainwater collection system, gray and black on-site water treatment, and the use of the Cupolex system to provide sub slab capping and depressurization and eliminate the need for backfill within the building envelope, thereby reducing the number of truck trips associated with the project.  Bright ‘n Green has also received numerous awards and recognition including Net Zero Energy Status, possible LEED Platinum perfect score submission, Green Globes certification, EPA Water and Air Sense Recognition, Passive House Certification and NYSERDA Multifamily and Energy Star Rating.

Project Location:

4-56 47th Road, Queens

Project Team:

• Empire State Development Agency
  
• AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
  
• Fleming-Lee Shue, Inc.
  

Redevelopment of this site was a public-private partnership between Queens West Development Corporation and AvalonBay Communities.  Remediation, completed under the NYSDEC BCP, addressed contaminants associated with the prior use of coal tar in the on-site manufacture of roofing products.  NYSDEC designated Parcel 8 as a Significant Threat Site based upon the presence of an estimated 47,000 pounds of contaminants. Remediation of soil and groundwater at this site was the first use of the RemMetrik SM process, combining estimates of contaminant mass and physical location with use of subsurface pressure waves to open the pore space within the aquifer, resulting in more effective targeting and distribution of the treatment chemicals.  The resulting contaminant mass reduction exceeded the 90 percent reduction goal set by NYSDEC.  The site is slated for future use as a public library.

Project Location:

383 East 162nd Street, Bronx

Project Team:

• Courtlandt Crescent Associated, L.P.
  
• Phipps Houses
  
• CA Rich Consultants, Inc.
  
• Monadnock Construction
  
• Dattner Architects
  

This project is located within the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area in the Bronx and was developed by Courtlandt Crescent Associates, L.P.  The redevelopment area, a former collection of commercial, residential, industrial and vacant lots, was remediated under the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program. The end result will be a two-building development with 217 units of low-income affordable housing units, a daycare center and a 9,700- square foot landscaped courtyard. The project is consistent with the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Plan, developed with extensive input from City government, residents, elected officials and community organizations. The developer for Courtlandt Crescent worked with the local Community Board to market the new housing units and Community Board preference will be given for 50 percent of the units.

2013 Abbey Duncan Brownfield Scholarship Recipients

• Eric Carlsen, Brooklyn College
  
• John Driscoll, City College of NY
  
• Eliza Eckstein, City College of NY
  
• Danielle Hagans, Brooklyn College
  
• Ezazul Haque, York College
  
• Sean Martin, Queens College
  
• Ethan Middlebrooks, CUNY School of Law
  
• Jessica Miller, Brooklyn College
  
• Tracey Sheu, Hunter College
  
• Kishan Singh, Brooklyn College
  
• Suzanne Stempel, Brooklyn College
  
• Kimberly White, Baruch College
  
• Sarah Vorsanger, Hunter College
  

2012-2013 NYC Brownfield Partnership Interns

• Alexandra Adams, New York Law School
  
• Ann Aquilina, Stevens Institute of Technology
  
• Cecily Goodrich, Brooklyn Law School
  
• Alan Grotheer, The New School
  
• Jullee Kim, Brooklyn Law School
  
• Rupa Magar, New York Institute of Technology
  
• Samantha Morris, University of Southern California
  
• Vignesh Ramakrishnan, Carnegie Mellon University
  
• Chase Sandler, Brooklyn Law School
  
• Naomi Wasserman, Barnard College
  
• Jiang Yili, Queens College