5.

animals) and the contaminants allows

Uses for for remediation to continue below while 2
the surface of the property can safely be
Contaminated used for other purposes.
Properties The approach brings unique partners
Options for brownfield use together – property owners, community
including parking and green groups, arts groups, entrepreneurs
spaces and/or the City of Edmonton.

Interim solutions have been used in

Recommendation: many jurisdictions including Edmonton
That the May 9, 2011, Corporate and have resulted in mobile micro-retail,
Services Department report community gardens, parks,
2011OOE009 be received for neighbourhood signage solar and art
information. installations.

Report Summary The City of Edmonton Brownfield Grant

For long term remediation sites this program has been revised to support
report includes options to enhance interim solutions and the remediation
community vibrancy. costs and activity required to make them
successful.
Previous Council/Committee Action
Policy
At the March 9, 2011, Contaminated Gs
Stations Task Force meeting, the The activity of the Contaminated Gas
following motion was passed: Stations Task Force supports Council’s
Environmental Policy C512.
That Administration provide a report
to the Contaminated Gas Stations Corporate Outcomes
Task Force Committee on possible Preserve and sustain Edmonton’s
uses of contaminated properties environment, and improve Edmonton’s
which may also alleviate community liveability.
concerns, such as parking and green
space. Attachments
Report 1. Interim Brownfield Uses to Alleviate
Where the potential for brownfield Community Concerns
remediation is good, but the duration Others Reviewing this Report
can be a number of years, interim
options allow for improved land use • R. G. Klassen, General Manager,
during remediation. Planning and Development
Department
These aesthetic, economic and • M. Koziol, Acting General Manager,
environmental improvements can be Asset Management and Public
accomplished using exposure control/ Works Department and General
risk management. Creation of barriers Manager, Capital Construction
between receptors (humans, plants, Department

ROUTING – Contaminated Gas Station Task Force | DELEGATION – M. Brostrom/P. Ohm

WRITTEN BY – B. Daly | May 9, 2011 – Corporate Services Department 2011OOE009
Page 1 of 1
 Attachment 1

Interim Brownfield Uses to Alleviate Community Concerns

Where the potential for brownfield remediation is good, but the duration of remediation
is expected to be years, interim options allow improved land use during remediation.
The range of exposure control options allow for a broad range of alternate, interim uses
that demonstrate land is being looked after while allowing productive use of the site.
With the creation of the Contaminated Gas Stations Task Force Strategy, tools for
accommodating interim use have been created and promoted.

While there are extremely limited means to force property owners to act on remediation,
consultation and support for interim strategies may result in a warmer reception. The
promise of converting community blight into a neighbourhood asset without impacting
existing remediation activity and the potential for economic gain may be acceptable to
property owners.

Essentially, an interim land-use strategy proposes temporary, economically viable,

community-supported uses of brownfield properties where redevelopment is not going
to occur in the near term. In exchange for an agreement to allow these temporary uses,
owners of the properties could be provided with a portion of revenue generation in the
case of a retail activity, or in the case of non-revenue generating interim land-use (e.g.
public art, solar installation) grant funding to offset expenses.

The following provides some common examples of desirable interim land-uses. In

addition, the role of a municipality in such a program is briefly explored and the
challenges and barriers to promoting interim land-uses are introduced.

An interim land-use that focuses on benefits to the community can work on two common
issues associated with brownfield redevelopment.

The first issue is a remediation timeframe that is considered unreasonably long to the
community and the municipality. Unfortunately, leaving brownfields vacant while long-
term remediation strategies are implemented is more common in Edmonton. There are
many reasons for a property owner to adopt longer term strategies including
technological barriers and high costs associated with more expedient remediation
techniques. A clearly articulated, interim land-use strategy can establish a sense of
urgency for returning a site to usefulness.

The second issue is the ‘domino’ effect that a vacant or underutilized property can
cause in the community. Vacant or underutilized properties can impact adjacent
businesses and lead to disengagement of the community from the area. An interim
land-use strategy can be designed to transform vacant land to interim land uses that
provide community benefit through economic development (e.g. Mobile Micro-
Entrepreneurial Businesses), improved aesthetics (e.g. public art), or other supportive
activities (e.g. community gardens).

Page 1 of 6 Report: 2011OOE009 Attachment 1

 Attachment 1

Potential Interim Land-uses

The concept of interim land use as a management option for contaminated sites is not
new. For many years, sites with elevated contaminants deemed not suitable for
development have been used as parking lots and storage yards as they undergo long
term remediation or risk management. These interim land-uses, although revenue
generating for the property owner, are often considered undesirable to the community.
In recent years, a more creative application of the concept of interim land-use has been
explored. The following examples are provided to illustrate some of these more
desirable interim land-uses:

Mobile Micro-Entrepreneurial Businesses

Micro-retail is again not a new concept; however, it is clear that small mobile kiosks are
especially viable for interim land uses on brownfields due to the intrinsic scale of their
operations and their low on-site infrastructure needs. It has generally been noted that
former gas station sites are situated in high traffic, often walkable areas of the
communities which makes them ideal candidates for temporary retail or food
establishments. Also, as they are revenue generating, once established, a portion of
the revenues of these kiosks could be provided to the landowner in return for the use of
the space.

Portland Food Carts Example

Food cart ownership in Portland has increased 25% in the last two years
(http://www.foodcartsportland.com/). Food carts are being positioned in previously
vacant lots and transforming community blights into community meeting places. Best of
all, at least from the perspective of modeling this for Edmonton, the majority of the
mobile food courts are operating year-round. An example of a successful mobile food
court is one that has been established in Southeast Portland's historic Sellwood
neighborhood. The neighbourhood is a transition community that is becoming known
for its antique shops, green space and close proximity to the river. In 2007,
approximately $30,000 of site upgrades (largely relating to utilities) were made to the lot
to accommodate a mobile food court. The upgrades provided the minimum amount of
infrastructure to allow for the food carts to function and licenses/permits to be issued. In
this case, the revenue for the property owner is generated through rents collected from
the food carts (reportedly $450 per month per cart) and the municipality was not directly
involved. Although the property owner receives only small revenue for the property, it is
more than he would have received by leaving the site vacant. The real benefits of this
interim use come from revitalizing a brownfield property by activating a formerly
underutilized parcel of land1. The mobile food court has improved the aesthetics of the
area, increased the property taxes collected (although only marginally), and spurred
local small-scale economic development until such time as the property becomes
suitable for more permanent development.

1
Case Study Research Exploring Interim Use Brownfield Projects and Their Feasibility in the
United States: Whitney L. Hawke April 20, 2009

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 Attachment 1

Photo 1: Portland Mobile Food Court

Brownfields to Brightfields
The option of using renewable energy for micro generation on small footprint sites is
becoming more viable. A solar installation can be tailored to the size, shape and
orientation of any property. Some installations are configured in such a way that they
could also be considered public art. Ultimately, the energy generated could power on-
site remediation equipment or possibly adjacent buildings. In the event a feed-in tariff is
brought into Alberta2, the solar energy could also potentially be sold onto the grid. In
Ontario, the feed-in tariff pays approximately $0.44 per kWh for ground-mounted
projects producing less than 10 kW3 (compared to typical electricity price in Edmonton
of $0.08 per KWh). A small scale site can range from $35,000 to $100,000 in set up
expenses with very low yearly maintenance costs (<$100)4.
Solar panels at the scale of a typical gas station site can often be installed in less than a
day. In addition, the equipment can be moved from site to site as properties reach
remedial endpoints and/or redevelopment opportunities arise (ownership models could
be explored). Limited subsurface work is required to install the panels and site access
can be limited making them a good fit for a managed contaminated site. In addition, as
the sites in question are former gas station sites, they will likely already have the
necessary rudimentary electrical connections. The expected useful life of a solar
installation is estimated to be 25 years, which can fit some of the timeframes outlined for
monitored natural attenuation (e.g. long term bioremediation) which is becoming a more
common management strategy for urban contaminated sites in Alberta. Installation
would likely required a Development Permit.

2
Although significant lobbying is underway and speculation is widespread, at this time, no formal announcment
regarding a feed in tariff has been made in Alberta.
3
Ontario Power Authority website (http://microfit.powerauthority.on.ca/) accessed April 27, 2010
4
Photographs and costs are provided by Provident Solar Ltd., and Edmonton based company.

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Photo 2: Solar Panels as Public Art

Public Art Installations

Sites undergoing long-term site management could be used for art installations which
can be an extremely flexible option that improves the aesthetics of the area while a site
is being remediated. Through Policy C458A, Percent for Art to Provide and Encourage
Art in Public Areas, the City of Edmonton dedicates 1% of qualifying construction
budgets to public art installations. If applied to mobile art pieces (see photo 3),
agreements could be made with property owners to display this art while the site being
remediated or risk managed. As mentioned previously, solar panel installations can be
designed to be visually interesting and also may meet the community’s definition of
public art.

Photo 3: Mobile Art Installation at Shaw

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Gardens, Parks and Historical Markers

Community gardens, parks, and historical markers can all have flexible life spans that
match the duration of the remediation activities on brownfields. All of these land uses
generally consist of aboveground infrastructure and can be designed to be consistent
with more easily managed exposure control programs. For instance, raised bed
community gardens require no underground infrastructure or soil disturbance making
them ideal when trying to limit exposure to subsurface contaminants. Portability is key
to ensure ready access for property owners to meet monitoring obligations of their
exposure control activity.

In areas of historical relevance, markers can be added to brownfield sites. Often

historical markers are paired with mobile information kiosks or park benches that
support the site as a walking destination or rest area. Although small in scale, the idea
is that these minor additions can improve the aesthetics of the area and reduce the
blight associated with vacant properties. This approach could be successful in older
areas of Edmonton with rich history such as Strathcona, Alberta Avenue, Beverly, or the
Quarters.

The potential role of the Municipality in interim land-use implementation can be

perceived to be complicated because of its many partners and the administrative
processes that are set in motion. This being said, it is not outside the suite of processes
and services already in place at the City (e.g. newly established Brownfield Coordinator
role, Community Recreation Coordinators at the City to assist community groups locate
and obtain the permits to establish community gardens).

A municipality could play a role ranging from silent supporter to managing partner,
depending on the particular project. Where the City of Edmonton takes a more passive
role in an interim use initiative, it may still need to be involved in the process through its
issuance of development permits, business licenses and inspections just like they would
be for many other types of commercial land-use. However, where the City becomes an
active partner in the process, its involvement might include site planning, partner
engagement, administrative management, and funding through grants or tax
abatements. For property owners to consider interim land-uses, some type of incentive
may be needed.

Interim Land-use Challenges and Barriers to Implementation

While interim use appears to be straight forward and advantageous to all parties, there
are many things that need to be considered. These include: zoning restrictions,
development permit considerations, limiting liability, resource constraints, community
engagement and desire, vandalism, administrative requirements of utility companies,
stigma associated with a property and lack of successful examples in the Alberta
context. In addition, there are several players that need to ‘buy-in’ and actively
participate in the process for desirable interim land-uses to be successful on brownfield
sites. Obviously, these include the property owner, the City (Planning & Development,
Community Services, etc), Alberta Environment, Alberta Health Services and the

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various community stakeholders (e.g. artists, community leagues, local business

owners, etc.). Some key challenges that will require further exploration are listed below:

Exposure Control and Suitability for Intended Land-use

For a contaminated site to be suitable for an interim land use, remediation to applicable
standards must be completed or an appropriate exposure control program must be
implemented; this is true for interim as well as permanent land-uses. Where there is a
technological or financial barrier to complete remediation in the short term, for many of
these sites, exposure control is the likely method to be employed in an interim land use
strategy. Exposure control programs must satisfy Alberta Environment, Alberta Health
Services, the Property Owner, and affected third party landowners which may include
the City of Edmonton. Exposure control programs are usually implemented in
conjunction with long-term remediation strategies (e.g. dual phase extraction or
monitored natural attenuation). Methods of exposure control are extremely varied but
can include anything from the installation of a geotextile barrier to limiting access on
parts of the site. Challenges associated with exposure control programs include
obtaining regulatory acceptance and ensuring that the site is continually managed in
accordance with the accepted exposure control program over the long term.

Feed in Tariff (specific to microgeneration)

Currently, there are no feed-in tariffs5 in Alberta. In the absence of a feed in tariff, there
is no financial incentive to sell directly to the grid. Moreover, there are some hurdles
with respect to generating on-site power that does not result in a net billing from the
utility. At this time, on-site power generation will need to be associated with either an
on-site remediation system or possibly funneled to adjacent buildings.

Zoning and Permits

The City will require that the exposure control programs on the sites are consistent with
the intended usage and that all necessary approvals are appropriately obtained.
Development permits may be required for infrastructure upgrades and construction of
above grade structures. Also, the planned interim land-uses must be appropriate to
current zoning or a rezoning would be required. In the event a rezoning is required, the
viability of an interim land-use plan decreases substantially.

Conclusion
A municipality has the power to take a pro-active role in advancing interim land uses. By
providing support to shepherd a land owner through the process of creating an interim
project, the City of Edmonton can blend its own priorities with allocation of resources
and partnership with property owners, community groups, artisans, entrepreneurs and
other non-traditional business players. The City of Edmonton Brownfield Grant has been
revised to accommodate and encourage interim solutions.

5
A feed in tariff is a policy mechanism designed to encourage the adoption of renewable energy sources by paying
a premium price for electricity produced from these sources.

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