• In 2013, the City of Vancouver was awarded an EPA Brownfields Community Wide Planning Grant, which was used to establish a citywide brownfields site inventory and conduct environmental assessments on key individual sites.
• In 2020, the City of Vancouver, in partnership with Clark County Public Health and the Vancouver Housing Authority, received a $600,000 EPA Brownfields Coalition Grant to update and expand the City’s existing brownfields site inventory to include other potential sites in Clark County, conduct environmental assessments on key individual sites to determine contaminants and issues involved, and develop clean-up plans if needed.
• As the lead agency on the grant, City staff conducted a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) procurement process and selected Maul Foster & Alongi for consultant services to lead environmental assessments and clean-up plans and support community engagement.
• City staff recommends awarding a contract to Maul Foster & Alongi in the amount of $530,000 for these services.

Goal 1: Ensure our built urban environment is one of the safest, most environmentally responsible and well maintained in the Pacific Northwest.

Goal 6: Facilitate the creation of neighborhoods where residents can walk or bike to essential amenities and services – “20-minute neighborhoods”.

Objective 6.1: Support a strong, active neighborhood program that enhances livability and community connections.

Goal 8: Strengthen commercial, retail and community districts throughout the city.

Brownfields are properties previously used for industrial or commercial activities that may have resulted in low level soil contamination from oil-related or hazardous materials. Redeveloping brownfields can promote economic development, more efficiently utilize existing infrastructure to support development, create jobs, strengthen neighborhoods, promote a cleaner environment and reduce health risks.

In 2013, the City of Vancouver was awarded an EPA Brownfields Community Wide Planning Grant, which was used to establish a citywide brownfields site inventory and conduct environmental assessments on key individual sites. This grant allowed the City to prepare several brownfields sites for future redevelopment, including Block 10 in downtown Vancouver and the Quad Investment Sites in the Lower Grand Employment Area.

In 2020, the City of Vancouver, in partnership with Clark County Public Health and the Vancouver Housing Authority, received a $600,000 EPA Brownfields Coalition Grant to build upon the successes of the previous Brownfields project. The current grant includes a focus area around the Fourth Plain corridor but will include other potential sites throughout the City of Vancouver and Clark County. The following work will be completed over the next three years:

• Update and expand the City's brownfields site inventory to include the expanded Clark County geography
•  At least 15 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) (10 ESAs to be included in the Fourth Plain focus area)
• At least 12 Phase II ESAs (8 ESAs to be included in the Fourth Plain focus area)
• Prepare Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCAs) at one hazardous substance site and one petroleum site
• Develop an Area-Wide Plan (AWP) and a Final Cleanup Plan for up to two brownfield impacted areas, potentially including real estate market analysis, infrastructure assessment, conceptual reuse planning and design, and targeted community outreach and engagement

The City will act as the lead agency on the Brownfields Coalition Grant and will manage the project through close collaboration with Coalition partners, the consultant team, the EPA and the public. As the lead agency, City staff conducted a competitive Request for Qualifications (RFQ) procurement process and selected Maul Foster & Alongi for consultant services to conduct the work listed above and support community engagement for the Brownfields project.

1. Enables efficient land use through redevelopment of underused properties to productive use

2. Reduces the need for greenfield development, conserving undeveloped land elsewhere in the community

3. Promotes economic development and creates jobs

4. Strengthens neighborhoods by improving the quality of life for the local community

5. Promotes a cleaner environment and reduces health risks

6. Aligns with the Council priority related to equity by focusing resources in economically vulnerable communities