Home within Range: Affordable housing on brownfields

A lack of affordable housing is a nationwide challenge, but the problem is especially acute in California. In the Golden State, 77% of California’s Extremely Low-Income Renter Households have a Severe Cost Burden according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Lack of sufficient housing has also resulted in a steep rise in homelessness. More housing is urgently needed on infill sites to meet the needs for shelter and sustainability of our communities, connecting the most vulnerable members of our community with services and opportunities where they are most plentiful.

The thousands of brownfield sites that sit vacant and underutilized in our communities can help meet this great need. And California is investing millions into this solution.

Many cities and developers are now using brownfields to expand housing solutions on sites with high access to jobs and existing infrastructure. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and other regulatory agencies have well over twenty-five years of experience overseeing environmental cleanup and affordable housing development on brownfields.

DTSC’s Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG) program may be one of the most aggressive and successful public agency interventions, with approximately $50 Million for housing site cleanups awarded in Round 1, and more in Round 2 recently announced. For context on the current scope of interest, The ECRG program has seen housing as the intended use for 66% of the 71 investigation and cleanup awards since 2021, with more than 4,000 units included in Round 1 cleanup projects. This is dramatic since ECRG is available for sites with a variety of possible eligible reuse types by public agencies, non-profits, and Tribes. With robust investment in brownfield redevelopment, the state is turning vacant land into public good.

The tools for success are all available, but require teamwork. Results aren’t always quick or glamorous but worth the hard work and patience. Brownfield to housing redevelopment trends appear to be accelerating, and California is setting an example.

The City of Anaheim and its Housing Authority have several ECRG projects in progress. Starting in 2003, over 40 acres at the “Kwikset” factory site were redeveloped in partnership with private companies into three different mixed-use and mixed-income projects. The housing included a range of townhomes, condominiums, and apartments. Property Development Manager Stephen Stoewer, who supervised this and at least four other brownfield to affordable housing projects, says that maintaining good relationships between public agencies is key. Stoewer also emphasized the importance of understanding the various tools available for financing, liability protection, and government intervention – like the Gatto Act passed in 2014.

The City of Emeryville, CA has seen 35 years of extensive brownfield redevelopment including a number of private and non-profit housing developments. The newest combines 90 units of affordable housing and a community food center – the Nellie Hannon Gateway. The 6-story building with ground floor parking and commercial space is nearing completion of construction, and successfully used a $575,000 Cleanup Grant from ECRG. Local nonprofit developer Resources for Community Development has led this project and now has a number of other successes. Read the case study in the April 2024 ECRG newsletter. DTSC echoes the need for frequent communication during the investigation and remediation plan preparation between project owner, consultant, regulator, and funders. At the 2023 California Land Recycling Conference, agency staff Doris Nguyen praised the project and reminded her audience that, in projects like this, there’s no such thing as overcommunication.

Nearby in Oakland, CA another experienced developer, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), has completed pre-development at the Lake Merritt BART station – the site of a 97-unit affordable senior housing project which received a $145,000 investigation grant. This is one of the latest of many redevelopment projects facing suspected contamination, but fortunately this site has been cleared without further cleanup. Senior Project Manager James Perez says ECRG funding was critical to moving the project toward construction. Read the success story in the January 2024 ECRG newsletter. Another project they are building on West Grand and Brush Street is employing Soil Vapor extraction, which can reduce the potentially harmful gas emitted from residual chemicals and the reliance on vapor barriers.

Other projects across EPA Regions 9 and 10 have also successfully remediated and reused contaminated or potentially impacted sites into affordable housing. The Cook Inlet Housing Authority recently transformed two underutilized sites to 81 affordable/mixed-income housing units in the Spenard Community of Anchorage with the help of State and EPA funds. While in Flagstaff Arizona, a Route 66 Travelodge has been transformed into 41 transitional housing units for formerly unhoused residents. The CEO for Housing Solutions Northern Arizona, Devonna McLaughlin, shared at the AZ Brownfields Workshop in Flagstaff how brownfields grants allowed the nonprofit to remove asbestos containing drywall at the Travelodge, making electric and plumbing upgrades easier, but also revealing significant structural issues that could be remedied before residents moved it.

Public policies are pushing these sites to be cleaned up to the highest standards, a process that can’t be rushed. A common concern is the need for ample time in the schedule to conduct additional testing and inevitably remove something unexpected during soil excavation. Assessment and cleanup take time and resources, so help from agencies and advocates is necessary to generate funding, expedite these projects, and minimize costs.

The goal should be cleaning a housing site to contamination levels not requiring institutional controls, which is why grants are critical. Higher density housing with podiums can more easily be made safe with vapor extraction, vapor barriers, and long term monitoring. The Project owner is required to demonstrate before occupancy that there are adequate reserve funds as well as insurance to pay for any problems that surface later. Regular reports from the groundwater and/or soil vapor testing ensure that residents and users are safe. All of this data is available for interested parties to review, and third parties like CCLR or other community-based non-profits can help make that accessible. DTSC even now has the Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program to facilitate this .

Solving both the housing shortage and the need for brownfield redevelopment together will take time and significantly more investment but together we can make it happen. The livability of our cities depends on it. On each project, be patient and thorough. Work together. Communicate. Use the right tools. This development process can be tedious, but the results are worth it. At the ribbon cuttings, you can see many joyful families moving in and children playing in safe, clean parks outside on former wastelands.