Brownfield policy matures into new initiatives for city

After a decade of sharp focus and success, municipal efforts to reuse urban brownfields have shifted from academic policy debate to legislative and regulatory solutions to day-to-day operational successes.

No longer do we debate how clean is dean or what the unknowns -may bring in the form of liability. Sophisticated engineering, smarter regulatory regimes and legal presidents have made the matter into just another line item in the development pro forma.

Coupled with increasing land values and smart-growth planning policies, a new wave of financial and developer institutions have created new opportunities in the older industrial tracts of the nations cities.

Stamford has been a leader in this national urban policy evolution. In 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) named Stamford a "Brownfield Showcase Community." Funding from this program was used to assess the extent of environmental hazards in Stamford, particularly the south end. With this designation came funds to establish a cleanup loan program.