Future Land UseFeedback

The construction schedule can quickly become prohibitive to success, when revitalization initiatives are added to environmental contamination, infrastructure, community opinion, financing, and other factors associated with revitalization sites. As with most activities, communication and planning promote success, however, proper site characterization to minimize surprises during construction is essential. Involve the construction team in issues related to environmental activities. Involve the environmental staff in infrastructure issues and the schedule related to the timely completion of activities. Make the public relations and marketing teams aware of any possible delays and of significant developments, both positive and negative. Contact the financial team immediately with news of short falls and of significant savings. Include regulatory and local agency representatives in construction planning activities to gain support and cooperation for scheduling and improved communication. This close communication and inclusion in activities improves the working relationship with those involved in the planning and decision-making roles.

Perhaps the most critical issue involving construction planning at environmentally impacted sites relative to traditional “greenspace” construction sites is the coordination required among site personnel involved in environmental activities and those diligently working toward the initial phases of revitalization. Of potential impact to all of the on-site personnel is the unpredictability associated with unknown regulatory and permitting teams. The majority of the revitalization projects that reach fruition will be required to address a variety of unknowns, all with the potential to devastate project planning and budgetary requirements.

In response to increasing awareness of the environmental impacts of building, “green building” is a growing trend. Green building seeks to minimize the impacts of construction activities on the environment. This is achieved through materials selection, recycling and reuse, sustainable design, energy efficiency, etc. A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently;and reducing the overall impact to the environment.

The construction planning process is further complicated at potentially contaminated sites by ancillary issues that are no less critical in terms of social concern and political impact. These issues include:

Stakeholders should also note that, depending upon site-specific circumstances, environmental issues can sometimes be resolved prior to construction planning.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) can assist with revitalization efforts. Currently for USACE to assist in revitalization projects there must be a water resource related component associated with the site. USACE revitalization assistance is also limited by the “Thomas Amendment” Section 211 of Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The Thomas Amendment modifies procedures for accepting requests for services under the Inter Governmental Cooperation Act. It was enacted in response to private sector concerns that USACE was in competition for obtaining business opportunities, primarily with state and local governments. In order for USACE to provide services for a state or local government there must be a demonstration that USACE is “uniquely equipped” to provide such services. USACE can assist with the following activities:

Under the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) of the water resource authority, USACE can support revitalization projects by assisting with planning and construction for:

Projects must have non-federal sponsors (usually 65% federal/35% non-federal) and the federal share cannot exceed $5 million per project.

The project team should consider every contingency in developing an approach to the preparation of the site. Surprises during the construction phase can be far more financially damaging than extensive assessment and design that will promote a well-planned approach. Revitalization of a property may be hindered by the activities that caused the contamination and the “stigma” associated with it. The assessment phase should include everything from how to address environmentally impacted areas of the property to the capacity of the existing infrastructure. The financial viability of the proposed future use should be weighed carefully against the costs associated not only with construction, but with preparing the site for construction. Certainty of clean up costs is also a key to success. Some of the issues to consider include:

In some cases, combining the environmental tasks with other site preparation activities can minimize costs. It is important for the stakeholders to consider the most effective and efficient way to deal with environmental issues with the final development in mind. The site assessment should take the revitalization concept into account and the revitalization concept should be capable of modification according to the outcome of the site assessment. The efficiency of the approach to preparing the site for revitalization is critical to the success of the project from a variety of perspectives.

As a participant in the construction and development process, your success may depend on how well you identify, analyze, and manage your environmental risks. Being unaware of your environmental obligations does not relieve you of your liability. If you do not assign responsibility for environmental compliance before you start the project, some important steps may be omitted during construction. Prior to breaking ground, you should sit down with the other team members of the construction team to assign responsibility for meeting your environmental obligations.

At the onset of a construction project, it is important to clearly identify who will address the environmental requirements. Because many parties are involved in construction projects, different parties may be responsible for addressing different environmental requirements. For example, some requirements may be more appropriately addressed by the owner or developer, while others may be appropriately addressed by contractors or subcontractors.

A planning guide for construction and development has been published by the U.S. EPA Office of Compliance to provide a general overview of the federal environmental requirements for the construction industry. This guide Managing Your Environmental Responsibilities: A Planning Guide for Construction and Development (the MYER guide) was developed in a collaborative effort between U.S. EPA and its partners. Its purpose is to help you to:The MYER Guide contains two different sets of checklists and detailed discussion/case studies on major environmental areas (including stormwater) affecting the construction industry. It is designed to help the construction industry understand which environmental regulations apply to them, and it can be used during different phases of a construction project.

The guide contains a checklist of required tasks for each federal environmental regulation associated with the construction process. By completing these checklists prior to breaking ground, you will help ensure that your environmental requirements are not overlooked during construction. Furthermore, the guide contains additional details for specific environmental requirements. These sections will help you to learn about the environmental requirements for construction projects including the types of environmental permits you may need:

This guide presents information on federal environmental requirements. However, in many cases, state and local requirements may apply to your construction site and may be more stringent than federal requirements. You should always check with your state and local agencies before starting a construction project to make sure that you are addressing all relevant requirements. You can find information on state-specific requirements and contact information for state environmental departments at the Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center.

Construction and demolition (C&D) debris is excess material produced during new construction, renovation, and demolition of buildings and structures. C&D debris consists of the materials generated during the construction, renovation, and demolition of buildings, roads, and bridges. Debris often contains bulky, heavy materials that include:

Reducing and recycling construction and demolition debris conserves landfill space, reduces the environmental impact of producing new materials, creates jobs, and can reduce overall building project expenses through avoided purchase or disposal costs. Information on recycling construction and demolition debris is available at EPA Construction and Demolition Debris and regional and and state construction and demolition debris programs.

Reducing the amount of waste that gets generated in the first place is equally important. For example, a good soils management plan can prevent the mixing of contaminated soils and reduce cost for up front testing if soils will be removed for building footprint.

Standard construction and demolition operations haul and dispose these materials en masse to separation and transfer facilities or to permitted landfills. Some C&D facilities may separate materials on site for further processing and recycling. Others simply add the materials to the heaping piles of waste in the landfill. Of the total recorded waste stream, 30-40 percent is sent to municipal landfills, 35-45 percent is sent to specialty C&D landfills, and 20 to 30 percent of C&D debris is recycled.

To a certain extent, the reuse and recycling of construction and demolition waste maintains a long tradition in the construction industry. For decades, asphalt has been reused in transportation projects, rubble has been used for fill, and metal has been melted down for reuse. What is changing however, is the increase in the number and types of construction materials that can be reused and recycled. Innovative entrepreneurial activity and progressive leadership in local governments have stimulated much of this trend.

Standard C&D recycling practice involves the three types of recycling. The first is the direct use of materials where C&D materials are salvaged in usable form. Windows, doors, bricks and hardware can be removed and reused on site or sold to a used building materials retailer. Some salvaged building materials may demand high values, such as antiques or architecturally significant components. Other salvaged materials may target remodelers and builders who are looking for inexpensive building materials. For example, crushed concrete is used for granular sub-base layers in road pavement construction sites. Crushed brick and concrete may be used as fill on construction sites. Wood may be chipped and used as mulch or soil stabilizer during construction. A third recycling method is the re-manufacture of products. In this case, salvaged wood may be re-planed as flooring or furniture. Recycled wood scraps can be used to produce composite lumber and plastic. Glass can be transformed into fiberglass or extruded into glass beads. Obviously, the more complex processes require more labor and capital. All of these activities can translate into employment and business creation opportunities for communities. A Report on the Feasibility of Deconstruction focuses on barriers and opportunities for desconstruction as part of a construction and demolition recycling strategy.

If you are involved with building construction, demolition, or renovation, your company or organization creates C&D debris. These materials can consist of three types of waste: 1) Inert or nonhazardous waste; 2) hazardous waste as regulated by the U.S. EPA under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); and 3) items that contain hazardous components that might be regulated by some states. Most C&D debris is nonhazardous and is not regulated by EPA. Under RCRA, however, if you generate hazardous waste you are required to follow certain procedures when generating, storing, transporting, or disposing of it. In addition, many states have specific definitions fo C&D debris that effectively determine what materials are allowed to be disposed of in nonhazardous waste landfills,C&D landfills, or incinerators. Even if federal or state regulations do not apply to your business, you should make efforts to keep the hazardous components of the wastes you generate out of landfills to conserve natural resources and protect human health and the environment. RCRA In Focus provides an overview of RCRA regulations affecting construction, demolition, and renovation projects.

C&D waste managers must complete a significant amount of research and planning before they can develop an overall C&D waste strategy. The Construction & Demolition Waste Management Pocket Guide provides an overview of C&D waste management project planning.

Demolition work involves many of the hazards associated with construction. However, demolition incurs additional hazards due to unknown factors such as: deviations from the structure's design introduced during construction, approved or unapproved modifications that altered the original design, materials hidden within structural members, and unknown strengths or weaknesses of construction materials.

Resources for C&D is available in the Construction and Demolition Exhibit.

Exhibit: Construction and Demolition