About CCLR

The Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR or "see clear") is a nonprofit organization focused on creating sustainable communities and encouraging environmentally conscious and socially responsible development through the facilitation of land recycling. Our work is founded on the belief that the creative reuse of land, (often environmentally-distressed properties, commonly referred to as “brownfields”) is the key to responsible land use and sustainable development. Our work is accomplished through training, technical assistance and funding for communities who are attempting to turn around vacant or environmentally distressed properties through creative private, public, and nonprofit partnerships. CCLR was founded in 1996 as a project of The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national, nonprofit land conservation organization with seed funding from The James Irvine Foundation. CCLR became an independent 501(c)(3) organization in 1999.

CCLR accomplishes its work through the following programs:

Workshops

Recycling land requires specialized knowledge and tools in order to manage complicated environmental issues. CCLR’s practical, interactive workshops provide project managers and stakeholders with the tools, techniques and resources required for remediating and redeveloping environmentally distressed properties. CCLR developed its training program after documenting a clear community need for education regarding the management of the technical, legal, regulatory, and financial hurdles that can impede the successful reuse of brownfields.

Policy & Research

CCLR draws upon its wealth of experience with redevelopment projects to inform policy research and advocate reforms with the goal to make land recycling an encouraged, economically-feasible pattern of development. CCLR promotes reform of state and local land use and development policies that help level the playing field between brownfields and greenfields, the undeveloped areas at the outskirts of metropolitan regions. CCLR provides leadership on land use initiatives at both the state and federal level that work toward creating a regulatory regime that meets the needs of communities and sensibly weighs risks and rewards. CCLR’s research program provides a scientific foundation to support our progressive policy initiatives.

Consulting

CCLR offers pro bono technical assistance to nonprofit developers and municipalities for brownfield redevelopment projects through our Project Learning Program (PLP). The objectives of PLP are to study the conditions that contribute to the abandonment and under-use of brownfields in under-served communities and to develop approaches and solutions that can be applied to bring other brownfield redevelopment projects to completion.

CCLR also offers fee-for-service consulting and technical assistance in support of land recycling and brownfield redevelopment efforts for a range of diverse groups. Clients typically include municipalities, redevelopment agencies, nonprofit organizations, community groups, community development corporations, and affordable housing developers. CCLR serves as a trusted advisor, facilitator, and project manager focusing on the environmental components of brownfield redevelopment.