News Articles

• Western Brownfields Newsletter Spring Edition Download (PDF)

  As the popularity and need for community gardens increase, so does the appeal of turning brownfields into productive gardens. Western communities are no exception. This spring edition of the WBWire…

• Western Brownfields Newsletter Winter Edition Download (PDF)

  January 21, 2012, marks the the tenth anniversary of the Brownfields Law. This edition of the WBWire highlights the continued success of Brownfields projects in the West in part made possible by the…

• HUD 2011 Sustainable Communities Grant Summaries

  A PROMISING FUTURE FOR THE WESTERN STATES In 2011, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded over $97 million in Sustainable Communities Grants to communities working to connect…

• Economic Development Administration (EDA) Funding Opportuniy

  EDA supports development in economically distressed areas of the United States by fostering job creation and attracting private investment. Specifically, under this Federal Funding Opportunity…

• Western Brownfields Newsletter Fall Edition Download (PDF)

  WBWire Fall Edition One month remains to apply for 2012 brownfields grants. If you have application questions, don't miss the last minute question and answer webinar on November 17th (1:00 PST…

• Groundbreaking Begins for MacArthur Transit Village

  Congratulations to Bridge Housing on the groundbreaking of the MarArthur Transit Village! CCLR helped secure the 1C funding and provided technical assistance for the cleanup of the…

• SF Neighborhood Parks Council Gets Grant for Eastern Shoreline Development

  SF Appeal - 2010 San Francisco's Neighborhood Parks Council has been awarded $175,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to heighten community involvement in the planning of a 13-mile…

• Brownfields Workshop Identifies Assistance for Site Analyses

  Siskiyou Daily News  - May 21, 2010 Yreka, California - The brownfields of Yreka may soon be catalogued and assessed, according to Tonya Dowse of the Siskiyou County Economic Development…

• HCD Announces the Designation of Thirteen California Communities as Models for Sustainability Download (PDF)

  California Department of Housing and Community Development Release - August 24, 2010 Today the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced that thirteen California…

• CCLR Joins Facebook!

  Check out CCLR's new Facebook page and become a fan here.

• $280 Million Available for Streetcars Download (PDF)

  US DOT Release - December 1, 2009 - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced the availability of $280 million for urban circulator projects such as streetcars, buses, and bus…

• Work Is Underway on Historic Central Shops at Downtown Sacramento Railyards Download (PDF)

  The Railyards - November 9, 2009 Sacramento - Work is now underway on six of the historic Central Shops buildings at the downtown Sacramento Railyards. Over 50 workers have been employed to begin…

• Q & A: Executive Director Stephanie Shakofsky Download (PDF)

  Scotsman Guide - August 2009 The nonprofit Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR, pronounced “see clear”) offers funding and technical assistance to brownfield developers and promotes…

• CCLR - A New Resource for Region 10

  CCLR Providing Technical Assistance to the Western States Building on Brownfields - August 2009  With the aid of a brownfields research and technical assistance grant, the Center for…

• CCLR Featured in Italian Vogue Download (PDF)

  Vogue Italia - October 2008 Italian Vogue features CCLR on their ECO page. Once again proving that being green is not only the right way to be, but fashionable.

• State Money Could Boost Bay Area Brownfields Download (PDF)

  California Real Estate Journal - February 25, 2008

• Balance Shifts to High Density Download (PDF)

  California Real Estate Journal - January 8, 2007 The lack of green space and focus on infill projects means that today's more complext development formats face added legal, regulatory, political,…

• Conference Highlights Brownfield Funding Options Download (PDF)

  California Real Estate Journal - December 4, 2006

• More Than One Toxic Problem

  The Eureka Reporter - October 31, 2006 Rail yard environmental remediation could be likened to an archeological dig; however, the discovered artifacts are far from what developers want to keep for…

• Many Rails Converge

  The Eureka Reporter - October 29, 2006 The collective opinion at Thursday’s “Next Stop: Rail Yard Revitalization” workshop, held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, was…

• Eureka and SHN Staff to Visit National Forum on Developing Rail Yards

  The Eureka Reporter - October 25, 2006 There have been numerous community meetings and many passionate podiums for people in favor of and against a Eureka rail yard’s development. A national…

• G-P Mill Site Workshop Provides Public Update Download (PDF)

  Fort Bragg Advocate News - August 10, 2006

• Community Alchemy

  Inner-city brownfield remediation education programs turn communities into environmental employment gold mines California Real Estate Journal  - February 16, 2004 For years, Jermaine Hodrick…

• How to Turn Brown into Gold by Using Green

  San Francisco Chronicle - November 13, 2005 You see them in every city -- abandoned gas stations, dry cleaners that sit empty for a decade, factories that no longer belch smoke into the city sky.…

• EPA Awards Palo Alto Nonprofit $204,604 to Study Business Park Transit System

  Information from US EPA Release - July 4, 2005 SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded a Palo Alto-based nonprofit $204,604 to study a new…

• New Law Adds Clarity to Brownfield Redevelopment

  The California Land Reuse and Revitalization Act of 2004 doesn't go far enough to please both developers and environmentalists Real Estate Journal - October 25, 2004 SAN FRANCISCO - California has…

• California Treasurer Angelides and Oakland Mayor Brown Laud Critical 'CalReUse' Loan to Help Oakland Jump Start Second Phase of Fruitvale Transit Village Project

  Press Release, Office of Treasurer Phil Angelides - July 22, 2004 OAKLAND - California State Treasurer Phil Angelides and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown today visited Fruitvale…

• She Cared; So Should We Download (PDF);

  Juanita Tate, 66, L.A. Community Activist Los Angeles Times - July 12, 2004 In grocery-starved South Los Angeles, where low-fat milk, fresh vegetables and unspoiled meat are as…

• Down in the Dumps: Brisbane Debates Future of Toxic Baylands Landfill

  The Examiner - May 24, 2004 Can an age-old toxic dump truly be transformed into a 21st Century community gem? And if so, just what sort of diamond in the rough should it become? That's the…

• Workshop to be Held on Baylands Project

  San Mateo County Times - May 14, 2004 The city is organizing three workshops on environmental and design issues related to the proposed Baylands project. The first meeting is Wednesday at 7:30…

• Baylands Site May Finally Be Set for Development

  San Mateo County Times - May 5, 2004 BRISBANE - At first it seems like a developer's dream: 530 vacant acres in San Mateo County with views of the Bay and San Bruno Mountain. But on closer…

• Community Meeting Explores Possibilities for Schlage Lock Site

  Visitation Valley Grapevine - March 2004 Visitacion Valley residents packed the Community Center gymnasium Feb. 21 to learn latest developments in the planning process for the controversial Shlage…

• Governor Steps Up War on Brownfield

  Cal-EPA says Schwarzenegger backs cleaning up industrial blight Oakland Tribune - January 26, 2004Returning blighted industrial sites to productive use remains atop Gov. Arnold…

• Truckee Announces Acquisition of 30-Acre Railyard for Downtown Expansion

  January 15, 2004 Truckee Mayor Josh Susman announced today that Truckee has taken a giant step toward realizing our 9-year-old vision of expanding our…

• Old Land for New Growth

  Environmentalists Reflexively Fight, but CBIA Reforms Would Spark "Smart Development of Brownfields" California Builder Magazine - September/October 2003 What do San Francisco, San Diego, and…

• Molina Orders L.A. County to Create Brownfields Policy

  Press Release - August 5, 2003 Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina’s motion to create a policy for purchasing and developing brownfields was approved by her colleagues at…

• Brownfields Remain As Does the Politics Download (PDF);

  A CCLR Shakofsky Update The Planning Report - July 2003 Obstacles to brownfields redevelopment remain a significant impediment to urban infill in California. Last year,…

• Mayor Hahn Announces Creation of Industrial Development Advisory Committee

  February 11, 2003 LOS ANGELES - Mayor Jim Hahn today announced the creation of the Industrial Development Advisory Committee. The…

• CCLR Revitalizing California's Communities

  Strategically Leveraging Assistance in Communities with Brownfields November 25, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO - The California Center for Land Recycling (CCLR or…

• Major Grant Awarded to Truckee to Redevelop Large Railyard Site Next to Downtown

  November 1, 2002 TRUCKEE - The Town of Truckee and the Sierra Business Council today announced the awarding of a major grant from the State of California…

• Turning Brown Green

  Activists say abandoned urban fields have bright futures San Francisco Examiner - September 30, 1998 RICHMOND - Forget for now the waist-high weeds, the rusted …

• Restoring Idle Urban Sites is Key to Curbing Sprawl, Revitalizing Cities - But More Funding is Critical, Says Major New Report

  Abandoned Railroad Corridor in Richmond Showcases Need for Statewide "Brownfield" Reform What: Press Conference & Brownfield Tour When: 11:00 a.m. to Noon, Tuesday, September…

• Abandoned Oil Facility on Venice Beach Showcases Need for Statewide "Brownfield" Reform

  What: Press Conference & Brownfield Tour When: 11:00 a.m. to Noon, Tuesday, September 29, 1998 Where: Venice Beach Damson Oil Site (call 415-255-1946 for directions) Who:…

• Business, Environmental & Community Groups Urge Gubernatorial Candidates to Prioritize "Brownfield" Redevelopment as Solution to Sprawl

  Restoring Abandoned Inner City Sites is Key to Preserving Greenspace and Quality of Life, Letter to Davis and Lungren Says September 15, 2008 SACRAMENTO…

• New Land Recycler Targets California Sites for Renewal

  Blighted Land Througout State to be Redeveloped September 1, 1998 Four blighted sites throughout California are the target of the California Center for…

• California Lags Behind Other States in "Brownfields" Redevelopment: Greenspace, Quality of Life at Risk, Major New Report Finds

  With Population Expected to Hit 50 Million Mark in 2025, State Should Curb Sprawl and Restore Abandoned Urban Sites, Urges CA Center for Land…

• CCLR Helping Pacifica to Reclaim Beach-front

  Pacifica to Reclaim Beach-Front, Replace Sewage Plant. CCLR helping to find use for site, revitalize commercial center, beach; Some think the sewer plant would make a dandy aquarium November 10,…

Radio

• The California Report, National Public Radio - May 20, 2002 L.A. Sprawl: Fill In the Blanks (Part 2)The Los Angeles city council last week gave final approval to a $2.5 billion revitalization project for downtown. L.A. now joins a growing list of cities…
• The California Report, National Public Radio - May 13, 2002 L.A. Sprawl: Fill In the Blanks (Part 1)One solution to Los Angeles' sprawl problem is to build within the land that's currently developed -- but like urban areas throughout California, L.A. is…
• Morning Edition, National Public Radio - November 19, 2001 CCLR ProfileLand is an increasingly precious commodity in California. Capital Public Radio's Bob Hensley reports on a group that helps communities find new uses for land that has been abandoned or…

Public Testimonies

• Testimony of CCLR Executive Director Stephanie Shakofsky to Little Hoover Commission - June 28, 2001 Public Testimony Testimony of Stephanie Shakofsky, Executive Director of the California Center for Land Recycling, to the Little Hoover Commission June 28,…