2022 CALRC Agenda

10:00 am – 12:15 pm

Pre-conference: Registration and Networking in the Atrium with light refreshments

ACRES – Reporting Brownfield Successes

Section A, 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Efe Jesuorobo, Sarah Daly, Kelly Gorini from U.S. EPA

The training will provide an overview of the ACRES database and how to efficiently utilize the tools and functions to document your brownfield successes.

The White House Initiative:  EPA’s Justice40 investments

Section A, 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Morgan Capilla/U.S. EPA

Join us as we share how EPA is implementing the Justice40 Initiative:  how we plan to maximize restorative investments in frontline communities in order to correct their long history of uneven resources and federal funding to ensure that the benefits and outcomes for frontline communities are quantified and tracked over time.

A welcome to ECRG grantees and applicants with DTSC Director Dr. Meredith Williams & Division Chief Peter Garcia

East Wing Activity Room, 11:15 am – 12:15pm

This is an exclusive pre-conference event for ECRG grantees and applicants. DTSC Director Dr. Meredith Williams and So Cal Division Chief Peter Garcia will speak about the genesis, present and future of the ECRG and invite an open dialogue with the attendees. Breakout sessions will foster discussion on ECRG challenges and changes. DTSC’s Office of Brownfields and CCLR staff will be available to answer questions and schedule appointments for more specific topics and “deep dives”.

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm

Registration, Networking, and Light Lunch

Networking & Exhibitor Area

Checkout our exhibitor area and featured “Table Talks”. This year’s Conference brings together a stellar group of exhibitors and sponsors who support our mission of Reusing, Rebuilding and Revitalizing communities across California. Don’t miss out on our popular Table Talks – small, engaging conversations with key exhibitors to learn about cutting-edge topics to support and invigorate your land reuse journey. Watch for more information in the coming weeks!

Network, Network, Network. CALRC 2022 is the premier event to engage, connect, and learn from fellow land reuse practitioners. Our networking events include luncheons, Happy Hour, coffee breaks, and Brownfield Karaoke.

1:15 pm – 2:30 pm

Welcome Plenary

Hall BC

Featuring keynote speakers: Meredith Williams, Director, CA Department of Toxic Substances Control; Lula Davis-Holmes, Mayor, City of Carson; Martha Guzman, Regional Administrator, EPA Region 9; introduction by Jeff Scott,  Director of the Land, Chemicals, and Redevelopment for EPA Region 9

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm

Concurrent Sessions

Show Me the Money

Hall BC

Noemi Emeric-Ford/U.S. EPA, Matthew Mena/GoBiz, Mayram Tasnif-Abbasi/DTSC, Sophie Young/Strategic Growth Council

You’ve heard the buzz and read news releases – we are experiencing a once-in-a-generation investment in economic revitalization to reinvigorate and reimagine our communities. Land reuse, including brownfield and infill development, is central to these initiatives. On this panel, representatives from federal and state agencies will address these historic initiatives: the  Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests $1.5 billion for brownfields redevelopment, DTSC’s Equitable Communities Revitalization Grant program that will provide more than $270 million in grants to incentivize cleanup and investment in disadvantaged areas of California and Go Biz’s Community- Based Solutions program that will invest billions in planning assistance and grant funding for revitalization efforts. These programs, and others,  can be leveraged and layered to support your brownfield redevelopment project. Pair this session with Stuck or Stacked: Layering Funding for Redevelopment Success to learn how to build a robust, creative capital stack that fills funding gaps and prevents project stagnation.

Mitigating Confusion on Vapor Intrusion: Empirical Attenuation Factor Sensitivity Analysis and Approaches to Improve Vapor Intrusion Screening at Redevelopment Sites

East Wing Activity Room

Rafat Abbasi/DTSC, Robert Ettinger/Geosyntec, Dan Gallagher/DTSC, CY Jeng/DTSC, Michelle King/EKI Environment and Water

This session goes till 4:15 and is followed by DTSC Office Hours.

A recent trend in analyzing whether the USEPA default vapor intrusion attenuation factor of 0.03 is appropriate for screening California redevelopment sites impacted with volatile chemicals. During this panel, experts will reveal an approach highlighting multiple lines of evidence, proposed plans to revise the Johnson and Ettinger model, and revisions to HERO Note 4. Additionally, panelists  will discuss the updated California database recently developed with sensitivity analysis and how attenuation factors, risk assessment and the application of multiple lines of evidence can help guide investigation, data analysis, off-site sampling decisions, and development of an updated attenuation factor for vapor intrusion screening at redevelopment sites.

4:15 pm – 5:00 pm

Concurrent Sessions

Art and Inspiration Walk: Poster Session

Atrium

As land reuse practitioners, we look to inspire our communities to reuse, rebuild, and revitalize. And what better way to do that than through art? The Art & Inspiration Walk will showcase a poster session of community revitalization projects from around California.

From Interim to Reuse: Creative Placemaking and Brownfields

Section A

Pastor DJ Criner/Saint Rest Baptist Church, Naria Kiani/Kounkuey Design Initiative, Jonathan Nettler/Placeworks, Cherella Nicholson/Sankofa Consulting

Brownfields generally take years to redevelop. The lag time between community visioning and project ribbon-cutting can be significant and especially noticeable after years of pushing for change. To keep community momentum and excitement around the future redevelopment at a peak, consider strategic, short-term, interim uses for your brownfield site. Once a brownfield is cleaned and deemed safe, creative placemaking is a highly effective tool for reclaiming and rebranding a property to reflect the community’s spirit and values. This dynamic session will explore how creative placemaking can lift local artists and cultural pride to spark positive change at brownfield sites well before final projects are built

Mitigating Confusion on Vapor Intrusion Office Hours and Extended Q&A with DTSC

East Wing Activity Room

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. Bring your “in the weeds” questions about Vapor Intrusion, Multiple Lines of Evidence, and Attenuation Factor to Office Hours with DTSC.

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Happy Hour is the Best Hour

Atrium

Join us for the best hour of the day – Happy Hour! Make sure you stop by our happy hour event for informal conversations, appetizers, and delicious cocktails or mocktails.

8:15 am – 9:15 am

Breakfast and Networking

9:15 am – 9:45 am

Morning Plenary

Women Visionaries

Hall BC

Mary Hashem/Adaapta, Teron McGrew/McGrew & Associates, Maryam Tasnif-Abbasi/DTSC, Vanessa Delgado/Azure Development

Women play critical roles as communicators, collaborators, champions for sustainable practices and reinvigorated areas that more practically reflect community needs. This roundtable celebrates our accomplishments as brownfield practitioners across a range of disciplines, touches on the challenges we faced and experiences that got us here today. Discussions will consider women as champions of sustainability, resilience and a fair economic future. Join us as we forge a future with opportunities for more representative and equitable leadership in brownfield practice, policy, revitalization projects and technical innovations.

10:00 am – 11:00am

Concurrent Sessions

Real Talk: Redevelopment without Displacement

Hall BC

Michael Affeldt/LARiverWorks, Jessica Barlow/Center for Regional Sustainability, Ivory Chambeshi/City of Los Angeles, Jackie Flin/APRI San Francisco, Joshua Silver/San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department

Brownfield redevelopment offers the opportunity to take harmful, nuisance properties and create something profoundly affirmative in their place – reuse that benefits the community by creating a positive ripple-effect for surrounding residents. However, that same redevelopment has the potential to inflict lasting harm on neighborhoods through gentrification and displacement. This panel will discuss the necessary and complex work of redeveloping brownfield properties for the benefit of the existing community by proactively planning for equitable development. Topics will include, local leadership, interdepartmental coordination, community partnership, housing policy and workforce development.

Stacked or Stuck: Layering Funding for Redevelopment Success

Section A

Ignacio Dayrit/CCLR, Ami Pascual/Mercy Housing CA, Diana Sasser/National Development Council

With billions in brownfields funding you want to be prepared to add these funds to your financing plan. In this session, financing experts from the National Development Council will shed light on the funding deluge and tax credits and how you tap into it. Mercy Housing will provide a case study on how to break a project into component pieces to match to sources of funding and offer strategies for creative capital stack building to fill funding gaps and prevent project stagnation. Pair this session with Show Me the Money to get the full picture on how active and upcoming federal, state, and regional funding sources can be used to support land reuse efforts at every stage and from every angle.

Cleaning Up Without Being Cleaned Out – Navigating Dry-Cleaning Sites Through the Environmental Process

East Wing Activity Room

Rafat Abbasi/DTSC, Noemi Emeric-Ford/U.S. EPA, Murray Sinclair/Murray M. Sinclair & Associates, Timothy Wood/GSI Environmental

The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) estimates approximately 7,495 – active or inactive – dry-cleaning facilities in California, many of which cause significant soil, air and groundwater contamination. The State Coalition for Remediation of Dry-Cleaning sites estimated that it could cost millions of dollars to investigate and remediate these sites, but unfortunately, California has a funding gap in allocating resources specifically targeted to investigate, mitigate, and clean up releases from current and former dry-cleaning sites. This panel will explore and analyze the scale of the dry-cleaning issues and provide attendees with viable options for funding streamlined investigations and cleanups, technical considerations and pathways to reuse these sites to effectively foster economic growth in underprivileged communities.

11:15 am – 12:00 pm

Mid-day Plenary

CEQA-stered and CAPped?: Unleashing sustainable development

Hall BC

Ignacio Dayrit/CCLR, Letitia Moore/Holland & Knight

The road to a Just Transition and brownfields reuse goes through CEQA and Climate Action Plans (CAPs). Climate change adaptation, affordable housing, open space and trails,  sustainability and equity are goals of all communities – and these types of projects can appear in CAP (or part of a General Plan) and may be subject to CEQA. Yet CEQA has been weaponized against infill development. Likewise, a CAP may cap a communities’ GHG and have unintended consequences. How can CEQA and CAPs facilitate – and not be used against – these objectives? Letitia Moore will use her experience as a mayor and land use attorney working in environmental justice communities to explain the challenges and competing interests of attaining equitable and sustainable development.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Lunch and Networking

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Concurrent Sessions

Going Green: Connecting Sustainability with Remediation Success

Hall BC

Mital Desai/Geosyntec,  Andres Martinez/DTSC, Luis Navarro/Langan, Greg Neal/DTSC, Sebastian Harrison/CCLR

This Panel will examine sustainable remediation both holistically and in the individual dimensions (economic, social, environmental) with practical take-aways for project management. Expert presenters will discuss case studies that illustrate ways of presenting the value case for sustainability, strategically highlight metrics, and share ideas for integrating sustainability into existing projects.

Additionally, panelists will review how sustainability can impact clean-up design, ‘green remediation’ technologies such as phyto and bioremediation and provide an explanation of what sustainable remediation can mean from both an economic and community capability building perspective.

Small is Bountiful – Tribal, Rural, and Small Communities Redevelopment

Section A

Victoria Flowers/Oneida Engineering Solutions, Jose Garcia/U.S. EPA, Tod Whitwer/Terracon

Tribal and rural communities face unique, and sometimes more daunting challenges compared to their metro counterparts. Yet, the resources from the EPA and DTSC are specifically geared toward small communities that are experiencing climate change, equity and sustainable development issues. Don’t miss this chance for one-stop access to the expertise and fund sources.

Equitable Engagement: Culturally Informed Pathways in Brownfield Revitalization

East Wing Activity Room

John Kamp/Place It!, James Rojas/Place It!, Seng So/APIEN

Engaging and informing community members early in any land reuse process is essential to redeveloping brownfields in a just and equitable manner. This session will highlight various techniques for engaging communities through a cultural lens, approaching civic engagement and collaborative design visioning through art and comprehensive, intergenerational outreach, while avoiding displacement of the existing community as a result of land redevelopment. Following examples from LatinX and Asian Pacific Islander communities in Los Angeles and Long Beach, panelists will discuss their experience working in local disadvantaged communities and the actions required to build trust early, engage in non-verbal engagement techniques, and integrate civic recognition of community priorities. The session will also engage attendees in an interactive exercise during the session.

2:15 pm – 2:45 pm

Afternoon Plenary

P3 To the Brownfields Reuse Rescue

Hall BC

Jose Antonio Bermudez/McCormack Baron Salazar, Tracy Craig/Craig Communications,  John Yonai/City of Lynwood

What does a Public-Private Partnership in sustainable brownfields reuse look like? This fireside chat will feature veterans of real estate who work almost exclusively in partnerships with local government. How will these partnerships change in light of the changing equitable and environmental goals? Do the usual funding, financing, development, and partnership structures work, or how do these need to evolve? How can communities nurture the environment while addressing affordable housing, economic growth, and other needs? Participants are invited to bring their most difficult challenges and creative suggestions from their communities for our speakers to tackle.

2:45 pm – 3:15 pm

Art and Inspiration Walk: Poster Session

Atrium

As land reuse practitioners, we look to inspire our communities to reuse, rebuild, and revitalize. And what better way to do that than through art? The Art & Inspiration Walk will showcase a poster session of community revitalization projects from around California.

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm

Day-end Plenary

Disrupting Tends and Trends? As real estate markets restructure, can communities pivot to sustainability and equity?

Hall BC

John Raymond/City of Carson, Eric Sussman/UCLA and Clear Capital LLC

Money talks – and rules the real estate marketplace. Sustainable and equitable reuse projects need to navigate these forces to become reality. Cities and their partners once had redevelopment agencies to fund and empower these efforts. Since the loss of funds and staff capacity, and with additional challenges of COVID recovery, emerging climate challenges, and equitable development objectives, communities need to work through these challenges as they compete with monied interests. As the real estate markets reposition and restructure to emerging conditions, regulations and economies, how can communities use this transition to promote sustainable and equitable reuse?  In this session, Eric Sussman will give an overview of real estate markets, how the market has responded to COVID, changing demographics and tastes and lifestyles, and what communities need to do to support or compete toward the development of affordable housing, parks and other community uses

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Brownfields Karaoke

Doubletree Salon 3

Join us Wednesday evening, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, for an evening of music and great conversation. Whether you want to sing your heart out solo or sing along with the group, Brownfield Karaoke is for all. Drinks and light fare will be available.

Register

8:30 am – 9:30 am

Breakfast and Networking

9:30 am – 10:30 am

Morning Plenary

Against the Odds: Landfills, Oil Wells and Superfund Sites, and more

Hall BC

Mike McLaughlin/SCS Engineers, Markus Niebanck/Amicus, Sigrida Reinis/Langan, Stephen Stoewer/City of Anaheim

Many communities have “seemingly incurable” sites – Superfund sites, landfills, oil fields, and hard-to-categorize property that stymie a coordinated planning effort and can paralyze reuse for decades. This session will orient the audience to the roadblocks of redeveloping these sites and innovative workarounds with regulatory approaches and planning.

Are the odds truly impossible?  With the right combination of talent and tenacity, they often are not!

Which brownfields resources and tools can be useful, and what can communities do to move these projects forward? What financial, policy and legislative fixes can help?

10:45 am – 11:30 am

Concurrent Sessions

Silos, Roadblocks & Speedbumps: Creating Bridges with Brownfields Resources

Hall BC

Andrina Dominguez/WSP, Bahram Fazeli/Communities for Better Environment, Ali Frazzini/LA Country Sustainability Office, Cynthia Guzman/Estolano Advisors

Brownfields resources for planning, assessment and cleanup have been bridges to sustainable and equitable reuse. Yet, brownfield resources are typically just the first step. Along the way, reuse projects will need funding, regulatory approval from various environmental and planning agencies, local and state government support, community input and acceptance. Local capacity is strained and there is limited funding for such efforts. To attain all those objectives, partnerships must be built, plans must be developed, efforts need to be funded and bureaucracies need to be overcome. Learn from communities that are navigating bureaucratic potholes, funding and financing voids, gridlocked politics and ideological silos, and the challenges yet to overcome to achieve Just Transition.

Workforce Development: Creating Partnerships to Build Change

Section A

Wendy Butts/Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Noemi Emeric-Ford/U.S. EPA, Fred Lucero/RichmondBUILD

Brownfield properties reflect a history of commercial abandonment and societal neglect. However, youth engagement, workforce development and community pride can be the antidote. Investing in people, not just property, is the way to support long-term positive transformation and local wealth building in brownfields-impacted communities. This interactive session will reveal strategies for creating lasting partnerships between city agencies and nonprofits and developers, unions and other government agencies to build parks, housing and renewable energy facilities. Presenters will also discuss habitat restoration and urban tree planting to help build vibrant, climate-resilient communities of the future in the place of brownfield sites.

11:45 am – 12:45 pm

Closing Keynote – Dr. Manuel Pastor

Hall BC

Moderated by Mary Hashem/Adaapta

Dr. Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity and Director of the Dornsife Equity Research Institute at USC, will deliver our closing keynote address. The way to climate and environmental improvement is straight through environmental justice. Dr. Pastor will elucidate how equity is not a detour but a central element of addressing our crises, building coalitions, and forging sustainable solutions in the land reuse sector.

We’ll also leave you with some thought-provoking words on the state and future of the land reuse industry. Don’t skip out early on this conference!