Land Development: Brownfield Essay Example

The parcel of land identified to be situated at the corner of 9th and Anne Morrison Park Drive in Boise, Idaho can be considered a brownfield field site. The main reason for this categorization is that the site has a part that was previously used as gas station, which may be a reason for possible contamination of hazardous waste. Fuel oils which have been previously used in the site have high likeability to have contaminated some of the areas (National Conference of State Legislatures). The area has a high potential to become a venue for commercial development once the contaminants have been removed or treated.
If the said parcel of land is acquired there are certain steps that I would take in order to limit my liability in terms of damages pertaining to collateral contamination and environmental cleanup. The first step is to conduct an environmental assessment of the area, which include detailed sampling of soil and water samples for environmental pollutant analysis such as polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs – heavy metal contamination could also be an issue so there should also be a separate sampling for this particular environmental pollutant. The second step is the identification of suitable treatment procedures. The third is the conduct of such treatments. The fourth and final step is continuous monitory of environmental pollutants in the area during and after its development. Note that the fourth and final step constitutes the phase II of the environmental assessment. In this phase, analyses for oil pollutants (leacheability tests for immobilized pollutants if immobilization was chosen), continuous air and water sampling and analyses are also important in phase II.
In order to perform the phase II environmental assessment, there are certain steps to take. The first is the identification of environmental assessment institutions to perform the task. Note that there must be more than one institution to have a comparative study of their results. Once the institutions have been identified steps 1 through 3 as previously discussed can be re-performed depending on the results of previous analyses.
There are options for looking for funds in doing the environmental cleanup in the area. One is to involve the possible business owners who would reside in the place once it is developed. The task of convincing such business becomes easy if certified land appraisers could be consulted to upraise the parcel of land. It should be noted that the parcel is nearby Universities which gives it a high market value. Another option is to invite nearby institutions in the environmental cleanup such as the aforementioned universities, which are also affected in case there is indeed a contamination in the area. Another option is to avail tax incentives (Environmental Protection Agency). Last option is to ask the previous owner to consider helping in the clean-up process or simply deduct the cost of environmental cleanup to the total cost of the parcel.
Given the requirements to address the possible environmental concerns and the high commercial value of the area, there is a highly possibility that I will buy the said parcel. The cost of the environmental clean-up and monitoring could be outweighed by its future commercial value once developed; hence, it is practical to buy it.

Works Cited

Environmental Protection Agency. Brownfields tax Incentives. 2010. Web. 27 February 2015. < http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/tax/index.htm>.
National Conference of State Legislatures. Brownfield Overview Page. 2009. Web. 27 February 2015. <https://login.ncsl.org/SSO/Login.aspx?vi=7&vt=4297817812f12f3eaae8299cf03eb4d57a75070d2a7370029fea919fb0e976076109eb670f544b259f8694a7db227e54ca34f0d02f7a6415c9dd90e2f81e34ec3917bdb7634dcd6e91a62b723a95d3919feaac9310d361001776bd61b7f0c782e3bac601ea97fa057799ccdd52ea75f51728c042896338eef4ce6e57f893c47a>.