Brownfield Program

City of Caldwell Brownfield Program

The City of Caldwell was awarded a $500,000 EPA Community-Wide Brownfield Assessment Grant to support sustainable growth, address environmental concerns, and catalyze economic redevelopment.

What are Brownfields?

Brownfields is a term used to describe real estate that is contaminated or perceived to be contaminated by hazardous substances or petroleum in soil or groundwater. The complexity and cost of cleanup creates an obstacle to redevelopment or reuse of property. Brownfields examples include closed landfills, abandoned gas stations, old manufacturing facilities, and former dry-cleaning facilities. The cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields brings many economic development benefits to a community.

Why is Brownfield Site Assessment and Cleanup Important?

Brownfield revitalization transforms underutilized or contaminated properties into productive community assets. By addressing environmental hazards, these projects reduce the release of harmful contaminants, protect public health, and restore conditions that support plant and animal life. Redeveloping brownfield sites also helps limit urban sprawl by directing growth toward already impacted land rather than consuming undeveloped areas.

Beyond environmental benefits, brownfield redevelopment strengthens communities. It can increase surrounding property values, stimulate economic activity, and create jobs. These sites also offer opportunities for community-focused projects such as parks, open space, and community gardens, contributing to improved quality of life and long-term neighborhood vitality.

Key Target Areas:

Caldwell proposes focusing brownfields assessment efforts on three key target areas:

  1. Downtown Caldwell, the city’s historic commercial center.
  2. The Events Center District, a mixed-use area positioned for redevelopment and community gathering.
  3. The North Caldwell Urban Renewal District (URD), a designated area primed for industrial and commercial development.

Through this grant, Caldwell plans to identify and assess contaminated or underutilized sites in these priority areas to guide responsible redevelopment. By directing growth towards existing brownfields outside the densely populated urban core, the city can stimulate economic revitalization, attract quality employers, and reduce environmental burdens on vulnerable populations- ensuring the development benefits all residents.

The project period is July 1, 2025, through September 30, 2029.

Project Description

This grant will fund up to:

  • 1 Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) to ensure consistent, high-quality data collection and site assessment.
  • 13 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) Reports to evaluate potential environmental hazards and contamination at the identified brownfield properties.
  • 4 Site assessment Plans (SAPs) for conducting more detailed site assessments in specific areas.
  • 4 Health and Safety Plans (HASPs) to ensure the safety and well-being of all project staff during site assessments.
  • 4 Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESA) Reports based on the Phase I findings, which may involve sampling and testing to confirm contamination levels.
  • 8 Regulated Building Material Survey Reports to assess the presence of hazardous materials, such as asbestos or lead paint, that need to be addressed before redevelopment.
  • 2 Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCAs) to evaluate and recommend appropriate remediate methods for brownfield sites.
  • 2 Cleanup Plans outlining the strategies and processes for remediating identified contamination to ensure safe reuse of sites.
  • 4 Site Reuse Plans that provide detailed recommendations on how each site can be redeveloped for economic, environmental, and community benefit.
Community Involvement

The city plans to host at least one annual town-hall-style public meeting, open house, and/or pop-up event to explain the brownfields program, collect feedback, and allow residents to identify sites.  The city will also collaborate with partners, residents, and property owners in targeted outreach and plans to hold at least 20 one-on-one or group stakeholder meetings.

In addition to the public and stakeholder meetings, the city will create a brownfields steering committee comprised of at least six members from project partners and key stakeholders to assist with site prioritization, selection, and outreach to their respective stakeholder groups. This committee will also help make decisions on site cleanup and reuse, taking public input into consideration.

The city will provide progress reports, project updates, public meeting information, and other information regarding the Brownfields Program on the city's Brownfields Program webpages and on the City of Caldwell's Facebook page. 

Contacts

Grant Project Lead

Robin Collins, Community Development Director
City of Caldwell Community Development Department
208-455-3021
rcollins@cityofcaldwell.org

Environmental Assessments & Related Tasks Qualified Environmental Professional Lead

TBD

Brownfields Assessment & Site Planning Technical Assistance

Tony Harmon, Deputy Public Works Director
City of Caldwell Public Works Department
dharmon@cityofcaldwell.org

Financial & Procurement Oversight

RaeLynn North, Finance Director
City of Caldwell Finance Department
rnorth@cityofcaldwell.org

Grant Fund Disbursements

Rachelle Castleberry, City Treasurer
City of Caldwell Finance Department
rcastleberry@cityofcaldwell.org

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