The Missing Key to Financing Brownfields Development

Posted on June 13, 2018April 1, 2024 by Alex Miller

Right now, in cities and towns across this nation, abandoned and underutilized properties stand as a reminder of a different time – what are now empty husks of buildings, tall red brick or cement facades, and abandoned industrial corridors were once prosperous properties that provided jobs and economic benefit to their communities.

The expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of these former industrial or commercial sites may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of environmental contamination are known as “Brownfields”. At EnviroForensics, we see the opportunity these sites hold, and we have a unique set of keys to unlock the assets needed to realize the full potential of Brownfields properties. For decades, we’ve been Turning Environmental Liabilities Into Assets®, and overcoming the hurdles surrounding Brownfields development. In 2016, we even developed an abandoned Brownfields site into our new, cutting edge headquarters. Read how we transformed the former Brownfields site into a place focused on conservation, reuse, and being a part of the community.

brownfields site before renovation — Brownfields site example: The property pictured above at 825 North Capitol Avenue in Indianapolis is a Brownfields site. The 23,000 sq. ft. structure had environmental contamination left behind by an auto repair shop. The contamination complicated redevelopment and reuse.

The Challenges of Developing Brownfields

When looking for a property to develop, municipalities and developers have to make a choice: “Do I search out a pristine ‘greenfield’ property (where little to no real or perceived environmental concerns exist) in the suburbs?”, or “Do I roll the dice and purchase an existing piece of property that may have some environmental concerns due to historic operations?”.

The development or redevelopment of an existing property can be complicated, but as cities are revitalizing their urban cores, and companies are looking for urban space near their future workforce, they are facing their concerns with more focus and interest to solve the potential development challenges. The most common way to bankroll the environmental services needed to bring a Brownfields site back to life is through local, state, and federal grant and loan funding; however, city officials and development corporations often cite the lack of available grant or loan money as their biggest challenge. Even if a project is awarded a grant or loan, those funds come with restrictions and can run out before any meaningful progress is made towards revitalization of the property.

There are several specific challenges that make Brownfields cleanup and development unique when compared to other real estate projects:

1. Environmental Liability Concerns
Brownfields and other contaminated properties carry with them very real concerns and questions about liability:

Who is responsible for paying for the investigation and cleanup if there is a possibility of historical operations that may have contaminated a property?
How can a purchaser protect their current and future liability through becoming a Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser (BFPP)? How long does this liability protection last?
Can a purchaser ensure that their family or business successors will not be burdened with this liability in the future?

2. Financial Barriers: How Much is This Going to Cost?
The hurdle many investors, developers, and municipalities fear from the start of a project is that their funding sources could run short, and they could be left responsible for additional costs or liability. This is often the reason Brownfields properties can sit vacant for decades, adding blight and risk to communities.

Although there are opportunities for grants, tax incentives, and loan packages, they are highly competitive, and are not always the best option to fund a project from start to finish; even if grant money can be applied toward a project, there are often gaps in payment due to the limitations and restrictions of the funding source. For more information on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Grants and alternative funding sources, read EPA Announces Millions in Grant Funds–But Who Was Left Out? A supplemental funding source is needed to make sure projects are seen through to completion.

3. Planning for Redevelopment
Often, property owners, municipalities, and developers have plans and visions already conceptualized for the development of a Brownfields property before even starting down the environmental road of performing Phase I, Phase II, and other site investigations as a part of the due diligence process. Unfortunately, this process can uncover environmental concerns that can dramatically change the planned course of a project, and in some cases grant funding sources will only provide enough funding for a minimal amount of cleanup.

For example, let’s say a developer or municipality wants to redevelop a Brownfields property as a multi-tenant mixed-use (commercial and residential) building. They learn that their grant or loan source is limited, which ultimately limits their options for development to commercial or non-occupied land use. This could relegate the property’s potential to nothing more than a parking lot due to outstanding environmental concerns. Where can they find additional funding sources to cleanup the property and bring their original vision to life?

The Missing Key

The bottom line is that there is a limit to the most commonly used avenues of grant and loan funding in the Brownfields world. Additional forms of funding can maximize your development options, can minimize your future liability, and can provide you with the flexibility to apply funding to suit your project’s needs.

This is where PolicyFind™ comes in. PolicyFind, a subsidiary of EnviroForensics, uncovers evidence of historical insurance coverage that can be used to cover both environmental investigation and cleanup costs. To learn more about the insurance archeology process, read How Does It Work: Insurance Archeology and CGL Policies.

In many cases, adding our insurance archeology strategy to your traditional portfolio of funding options can provide you with confidence that the resources needed to complete your development project are sufficient and accessible. Let us help you realize your development visions by helping you add these untapped funding sources to your Brownfields strategy.

Ensure Better Reuse Opportunities with Thorough Environmental Cleanup

A better cleanup means more options for your development project by conducting reasonable and necessary cleanup efforts to remove the risks of exposure to contamination. The use of insurance assets can put your Brownfields project on the fast-track to remediation all without solely relying on traditional grant funding options. This is how EnviroForensics and PolicyFind can help you find the missing key to financing your Brownfields Development.

Brownfields Are An Opportunity For A Promising Future

Despite the perceived challenges, Brownfields don’t have to be a reminder of days gone by, but instead can be seen as the sign of a promising future. Brownfields properties are untapped resources waiting to be revitalized and returned to a meaningful use, all with the added benefit of providing an improved tax base for cities.

fully developed brownfields site — Brownfields development example: At EnviroForensics, we saw the value of investing in the North Meridian neighborhood. We located and used historical insurance policies to investigate and remediate a vacant building and once cleanup activities were completed, we brought our vision for a new HQ to life. EnviroForensics’ Headquarters sits at 825 North Capitol Avenue, a former Brownfields site in Indianapolis, where more than 75 team members come to work every day.

A redeveloped property that works to bring new life to an area is more likely to bring new business opportunities, jobs, and tax revenue back to your city.

Learn more about Brownfields development and contact us today!

How EnviroForensics Transformed a Brownfields Site into Their HQ

Posted on June 8, 2018April 3, 2024 by Alex Miller

BY: STEVE HENSHAW

Metropolitan cities across America have experienced a renaissance over the past 15 to 20 years with new construction and development of Brownfields, and nowhere is this more prevalent than in the City of Indianapolis. Laid out in a grid, Indianapolis is partitioned into sections and intersected by freeways like spokes on a wheel — creating the “Crossroads of America.”

Over the years, patches of each quadrant have seen a slow, deliberate wave of redevelopment and revitalization wash over it. Factories have been replaced with luxury apartments and hotels, warehouses have been transformed into office buildings and craft breweries and old garages are getting second lives as art galleries, restaurants and grocery stores. These buildings are a natural fit for adaptive reuse with their large footprints and timeless architectural features and their redevelopment brings commerce and excitement to distressed areas. The biggest hurdle standing in the way of most of these revitalization efforts is potential environmental hazards left behind from years of industrial operation. We manage environmental cleanups to revitalize these properties all the time. It’s what we do for our clients every day. But, in this particular case, it’s what we did for ourselves and for the surrounding North Meridian Neighborhood in Indianapolis.

North Meridian Neighborhood Map — The North Meridian Neighborhood starts a block north of I-65 and runs south to New York Street, just two blocks north of Monument Circle. Courtesy: Downtown Indy.

Brownfields Site History: An Old Transmissions Garage

The 825 N. Capitol building operated as a transmission and automotive repair shop for decades and it sits on a stretch of Capitol Avenue just a few blocks north of the Indiana Statehouse, and right across the street from the famous Litho Press Building, now a luxury apartment complex. We originally purchased the building to store our equipment and company trucks. In a few short months, we found ourselves needing more space for our employees and we decided to use the space to build a new corporate headquarters.

825 N Capitol Building as a Brownfields site in 2015 — 825 N. Capitol Building in the fall of 2015.

The unassuming cinder-block structure with a limestone façade was first constructed in the 1930s and because it operated as an auto repair shop, there were unexpected spills and releases of oils and solvents that found their way into the soil and groundwater. In addition to specific source contamination, groundwater beneath the building was also impacted from an unknown upgradient source.

Seeing the Brownfields Site Potential for Redevelopment

In 2000, EnviroForensics opened its Indianapolis office with three people in the old Stutz Auto Building, which is the “original” Indianapolis Brownfield Redevelopment, made up of nearly 100 offices and art studios of various size and configuration. By 2010, the office grew in size and was relocated to another old warehouse at 602 N. Capitol, above an active dry cleaner. As the city downtown grew and parking became more scarce, management found an old automotive repair company at 825 N. Capitol Ave. to store its trucks and equipment. By 2016, EnviroForensics was bursting at the seams with staff jammed in the main office and several satellite offices located in nearby buildings. By this time, EnviroForensics had grown to over 60 people and it was pretty clear that they needed to consolidate the team and find a new office space. After assessing the financial implications of renting more office space and committing to a new lease, it became clear that the old automotive repair building could be remediated and refurbished as the corporate headquarters.

“We wanted to make a statement with our headquarters about conservation, reuse and giving back to the community. Not only did we want to create a great environment for our team to work in, we wanted to reuse a structure that had once been a thriving part of the local economy and assist the neighborhood in maintaining its industrial legacy and heritage.”

Rising to the Redevelopment Challenge

The 825 N. Capitol Avenue property needed serious updates. Not only was the building divided into separate structures, old and in disrepair, but in order to get financing from the bank for the construction build out the soil and groundwater quality beneath the building needed to be assessed and remediated and the employees occupying the new building needed to be protected from potentially harmful vapors emanating from the soil and groundwater beneath the building. From a construction standpoint, the property had many issues, which included:

Construction on front of 825 N. Capitol Building — The front facade’s tenuous connection to the rest of the structure.

wires and grout on front of building — Eroding wires and weathered grout were the only things holding the front of the building together.

Construction worker removing built-up gravel from roof — There were significant roof issues with the built-up tar and gravel that had been in place for decades.

cars and trucks parked in building — The building was still in a two-unit configuration from its days as a transmissions garage and a costume warehouse, and there wasn’t a safe way to travel between the two buildings without having to go outside.

Redeveloping Our Brownfields Site With Insurance Archeology

For us, dealing with the environmental issues was relatively painless, as we conducted the research of the historical operations and we were able to find the old Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies of the past owners and operators. Because the soil and groundwater was contaminated, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management demanded that the site be fully assessed and understood and that soil vapors be routed from beneath the subsurface concrete slab to the roof line, so they did not build up and create an indoor health hazard. In tendering the insurance carriers of the former owners and operators, we were able to get the old insurance carriers to pay for all of the environmental and legal costs required to get the building squared away from an environmental standard and satisfy the banks concerns regarding the soil and groundwater contamination.

To learn more about how CGL policies can work for you, read How Does It Work? Insurance Archeology and CGL Policies.

While remediation efforts were ongoing, we contracted Brandt Construction and Mawr Architecture and Interior Design to start work on shoring up the structural integrity of the building, and designing the eventual floor plan, so we could push the project forward as quickly as possible. The Brandt crew turned the two buildings into one by:

Pre-construction stairway — The adjoining walls were torn down in four spots to connect the two buildings.

Worker installing supportive archway — Once the walls were opened up, Brandt Construction secured them with load bearing archways.

portion of second floor removed for stairway — Brandt Construction also connected the first and second floors with a custom-built stairway.

construction worker installing window in community room — And they erected a new facade along a portion of the roof to create what is now our open common area for company-wide meetings and gatherings.

Piping for mitigation system — To ensure the safety of the indoor air for our team, Vapor Protection Services (VPS) installed a passive mitigation system.

With the electric and water utilities installed, the skeletons of office walls put up, and the windows replaced, the bones of our building were complete.

Bringing Further Revitalization to the North Meridian Neighborhood

The new and improved EnviroForensics building is now a two story, 23,000 square foot office and community space with beautiful exposed brick walls, stylish edison bulb light fixtures, and plate glass room dividers.

825 N. Capitol building after renovation — The new and improved 825 N. Capitol Building where EnviroForensics’ 75 team members come to work every day.

The hallways are a celebration of Indiana artists with work from 13 Hoosier painters and photographers. We’re proud to have six different collaborative workspaces, including three conference rooms, and two dedicated kitchen areas for EnviroForensics’ 75 team members to both work and enjoy each other’s company.

front foyer and conference room in EnviroForensics headquarters — One of the first things you see as you enter is the Founder’s Room. One of six open collaborative workspaces in the EnviroForensics building. Courtesy: MAWR Architecture + Interior Design

Renovated kitchen and common area — The Community Room, where EnviroForensics team members gather for full staff meetings, meals, and other office-related fun. In its previous life, this room was part of the roof. Courtesy: MAWR Architecture + Interior Design

renovated archway and stairway — The two buildings are connected with four archways like this one (pictured left). Also pictured is the custom-built staircase (right), which required a portion of the floor to be removed and reinforced in order to install. Courtesy: MAWR Architecture + Interior Design

renovated front kitchen area — The Front Lounge is another multifunctional space for team members to collaborate on projects or meet for lunch. It features a number of works by Clotilde Embry Funk, a Hoosier artist who was an illustrator at the New York Times, and was one of the first females to work at the storied newspaper. Courtesy: MAWR Architecture + Interior Design

The North Meridian Neighborhood was slowly on the rise before we moved to our renovated office in August of 2016. The popular Indianapolis Cultural Trail is headquartered here, the popular Indianapolis Canal Walk is available for lunch time strolls, employees can grab a drink after work at Brew Link Brewing Company, luxury apartments are right across the street, and Myriad Fitness, a crossfit gym, is within a short walk. And, coming in late 2018, there will be an added infusion of culture with the renowned Phoenix Theater moving its operations to a new 20,000 square feet, state-of-the-art facility nestled at the corner of Illinois street and the Cultural Trail. We’re excited about the future, and hope that our contribution of keeping high-paying jobs in the area helps spur the continual redevelopment of downtown Indianapolis.

EPA Announces Millions in Grant Funds—But Who Was Left Out?

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Alex Miller

By Morgan Saltsgiver, Director of Brownfields & Agribusiness

In late April, the EPA announced it had selected 144 communities to receive 221 grants totaling $54.3 million through their Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) Grants program to assess, clean up, and redevelop underutilized properties while protecting public health and the environment. While it’s great that the EPA is providing assistance in the fight against blighted and underutilized properties, the grant program is not nearly sufficient enough to tackle the entire problem, leaving many of our municipalities feeling as if they are out of options until next year. The good news is there are alternative funding approaches and programs available to municipalities, private property owners, not-for-profits, and businesses to supplement or replace their Brownfields funding options.

How Far Does that Federal Grant Money Actually Go?

For the FY18 grant season, 390 communities applied for EPA Grants and only 37% of these communities were awarded grants, meaning the majority of applicants didn’t receive any grant money to investigate or clean up their Brownfields sites. There are an estimated 450,000 Brownfields properties across the United States, and let’s say that it costs an average of $600,000 to investigate and clean up a single Brownfields site. Using the current rate of EPA funding alone, it would take almost 5,000 years to fully address the country’s current roster of Brownfields properties in need of environmental work. This problem requires more attention and more options, and a higher taxpayer burden is not the answer.

6 Key Takeaways From The EPA’s Federal Grant Funds

The majority of funding has been awarded for environmental assessments of contamination and not the remediation (clean up) of that contamination.
Recent Assessment grants average $320k per award and are typically used to assess/investigate 10 to 12 sites, so an average of $30k is spent on each site. Remediation grants are issued on a site-specific basis and the typical grant award is $255k so on average, the amount of EPA grant funding available for both the investigation and remediation of a site is $285k. This is not enough to get site assessment and cleanup completed at most Brownfields sites.
In Indiana, 65% of communities who applied didn’t receive grant funds.
In Wisconsin, only one community out of 12 applicants received grant funds to both assess and remediate environmental contamination.
In Kentucky, 86% of communities who applied didn’t receive grant funds.

Where Else Can Funding for Brownfields Be Obtained?

Outside of the EPA’s Brownfields ARC Grants program, municipalities do have alternative funding options available:

Historical Insurance Policies from former property owners and site operators may be identified through Insurance Archaeology that can be used as a component of funding for environmental investigations and clean-ups.
Municipal Development Incentives are likely available from local or State sources that can be added to the funding plan to assist with the cost of environmental and infrastructure work. Examples include:
- The Industrial Grant Fund (IDGF) encourages municipalities and other eligible groups to redevelop properties by providing assistance to fund infrastructure enhancements including sidewalks, airport facilities, rail spurs, fiber-optic lines, etc.
- The Community Revitalization Enhancement District (CReED) credit allows applicants to redevelop or rehabilitate properties within a CReED, and includes tax credits for costs incurred during environmental remediation activities.
- The Industrial Recovery Tax Credit (Dino) credit allows applicants to receive tax credits on expenditures related to the rehabilitation of an industrial property at least 75,000 sq.ft. in size. Eligible costs include property acquisition, environmental remediation, and other hard costs.
- The Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is available for local governments to help finance both new development and the development of blighted areas.

What Can You Do to Complete Your Brownfields Funding Plan?

If you didn’t receive FY18 EPA ARC Grant funding, or only received enough funds to pay for a portion of your Brownfields situation, then you should:

Call EnviroForensics and, in affiliation with PolicyFind, we can help you assess all funding options for your Brownfields property, including historical insurance policies.
The bottom line is there are billions of dollars in unclaimed assets available to parties looking to defend environmental claims. If you are a municipality or business needing to manage your historical, current, or future environmental liabilities, you can use these insurance assets to evaluate and clean up your Brownfields site.
Authorize EnviroForensics to interface with Insurance Carriers on your behalf.
For over 25 years, we’ve been working with insurance carriers to unlock previously untapped policy coverage. We fight for our clients, including organizations ranging from mom and pop businesses to Fortune 100 companies.
Let EnviroForensics take care of your Brownfields situation!
From site investigation and cleanup to litigation support and site closure, EnviroForensics will handle your environmental liability at little to no cost to you.

With EnviroForensics’ approach, you can rest easy knowing that the remediation process and long-term liabilities associated with your Brownfields properties will be in the hands of experienced professionals. We will be by your side throughout the development of your property and will help to turn it back into a productive piece of your community.

Learn more about PolicyFind

We’ve addressed environmental contamination using old insurance policies on over 400 sites. PolicyFind specializes in locating old Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance policies, or evidence of insurance that support the existence of coverage, and utilizing them to address environmental liability.

Morgan Saltsgiver is a Licensed Professional Geologist (LPG) with fifteen years of experience in the environmental industry specializing in providing agriculture, Brownfields development, and traditional environmental consulting services to her clients. Her educational background in geology provides a strong basis for geological and hydrogeological interpretations of contaminant migration through subsurface media and the development of conceptual site models used to develop the path forward towards closure for each project site. She assists her clients with finding and using alternative funding sources for their environmental issues, including historical insurance policies, federal and local Brownfields grants, and state trust funds.