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Pa. DEP Secretary to tour Lehigh Valley sites
Sec. Krancer: Nominated by Gov. Corbett on Jan. 18th.This Friday Pennsylvania Department of Enviornmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer will be the guest of the Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Intiative (LVLRI) and will tour three of the region’s top projects: The Allentown Waterfront Redevelopment, the Simon Silk Mill in Easton, and the Bethlehem Steel Site in LVIP VII. Secretary Krancer will meet with some of LVEDC’s public-sector partners in each city during his scheduled four-hour visit. The tour will be an opportunity for the secretary to see first-hand how all three projects once they are completed will address environmental concerns, create new jobs and provide tax revenue for each of the cities. Revitalization of brownfields is critically important to the Lehigh Valley. Properties that were considered lost forever have now become viable economic vehicles once again. To learn more about how LVLRI helps our community click here.
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What happened in Hellertown?
How can sustainabile growth benefit a community? In April LVLRI, through our tenacious approach in redevelopment, gained national recognition at the 2011 National Brownfields Conference. With this came accolades and benefits to the Lehigh Valley. The Environmental Protection Agency selected the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township to receive Technical Assistance to explore smart growth and sustainable design Cathy Kichline, Hellertown’s Borough Manager and host of the workshop said both communities were very pleased to be chosen by EPA for this seminar. “Both Ryan Bouma of AECOM and Susan Gitlin of EPA facilitated the discussion on key community issues, constraints and interest and design for sustainable development of three sites within the Borough. All three sites were either underperforming commercial, infill redevelopment or brownfield. Using the concepts identified in Smart Growth, such as allowing mixed use zones, using urban dimensions in urban places, foster walkable places and using green infrastructure to manage stormwater, amongst other tools, the groups created a site development that will expand economic opportunity, protect the environment and improve the overall quality of life. These site specific design concepts are available for public viewing at the Hellertown Borough Hall.” Another community member, Kim LeBrake, AIA of MKSD architects, offered her perspective as a community member, “What are the Sustainable Growth Guidelines? I was lucky enough to find out. I was invited to attend a sustainable growth workshop in Hellertown sponsored by the EPA Office of Sustainable Communities, made possible by a grant awarded jointly to the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township. Only 32 of over 350 communities across the nation were successful in obtaining this grant. Through this program the EPA strives to create partnerships with communities to improve their quality of life by explaining how the Smart Growth Principals can benefit a community. Being a design professional, I work with the concept of “sustainability” on a daily basis with my client and their projects. This workshop introduces these key sustainability concepts to empower change at a community level. The workshop invites members of a community to the table not only to introduce these concepts but to facilitate an open forum for how “sustainability” can benefit the community. This discussion between the stakeholders identifies the positive elements already existing in their community as well as areas which can be improved. Although each community is different, the Smart Growth Guidelines emphasize the development of a strategy which is unique to the community’s assets. The key concept of this strategy, which can supplement the community existing master plan, focuses on protecting open space, revitalizing the existing town center by directing new development where service already exist, looking at transportation options to reduce driving while creating “walkable” neighborhoods which are safe, accessible, and places people want to live, work and play in. In layman’s terms, walkable and efficient town planning can help communities save money, reduce traffic, and become healthier. I was encouraged to see the enthusiasm by all participants. Each member, whether they were residents, business people, or community leaders bring a unique view of their community to the discussion and were all ready to jump in to make a positive impact on their community. As a resident, business owner and designer I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the ongoing task of creating a vision for the joint communities of Hellertown and Lower Saucon.”
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Event features discussion of latest stormwater permit regulations
In the first decade of the 21st century both federal and state governments became increasingly aware of environmental contamination and the need to cleanup these “brownfields.” The federal attention began the redevelopment of brownfields however; it did not offset the further development of green fields. One of the biggest challenges that land development faces is securing a stor water permit. Is it easier to secure a stormwater permit in Pennsylvania for a brownfield project? This month the Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Initiative is hosting Ken Murin, Chief Division of Waterways, Wetlands & Stormwater Management for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Mr. Murin will present an overview of the new PA DEP Stormwater Permit Regulations and how these new regulations work with brownfields redevelopment. By attending this event, engineers will be able to receive a Certificate of Completion that can be used toward completing their continuing educational requirements. Mr. Murin has been with the with the Pa. DEP for 25 years. In his current position, he manages statewide implementation of the Commonwealth’s environmental laws and regulations, and corresponding federal requirements relating to Erosion and Sediment Control, the NPDES Stormwater Construction and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit Programs, Submerged Lands License Agreements, Waterways and Wetlands, and Stormwater Management Planning Programs. He also directs the development of rules, regulations, policies, and procedures for the Erosion and Sediment Control, the NPDES Stormwater Construction and MS4 Permit Programs, Waterways and Wetlands, and Stormwater Management Planning Programs. The program starts at 4 p.m. on Monday, June 13th at the Hamilton Room at The Allentown Brewworks, 812-816 Hamilton St., Allentown. Registration starts one half-hour earlier. Please RSVP by 5 p.m. June 10th.
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Status is important
Last summer 11 organizations came together to apply for a grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The grant program was the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant. This grant was one of a few programs that are made possible through the federal Office of Sustainable Communities, a historic collaboration among HUD, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Locally, the 11 partners applied through the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation as the Lehigh Valley Sustainability Consortium (LVSC). Read More…
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Brownfield Redevelopment
There are certain things in life which just can’t make a comeback. Enron. Bell bottoms. Your socks from last week. And one thing that definitely is shot is obsolete properties. That brings us to brownfields. What are they? Brownfields are abandoned, idled or underused industrial of commercial properties or facilities where redevelopment is burdened by real or potential environmental contamination. Read More…
