City hosts Public Meeting for Input on Brownfield Sites
The list of vacant commercial and industrial properties in Auburn that have the potential to be redeveloped if contamination concerns are addressed almost doubled after a public meeting where residents added properties they believe have economic potential.
During a May meeting at the Underground Cafe in Auburn, city officials revealed a map of nine vacant or unused properties that have the potential for development but are considered brownfields due to possible contamination.
Many of the sites, which are owned by the city, used to house factories such as the Wadsworth & Son Scythe Factory, the Henry & Allen Factory and the Auburn Woolen Factory. But residents added 14 other sites to the list, most of which are clustered near York Street, along Columbus Street and along the Owasco River. West Middle School, which will close this year after all middle school students are moved to East Middle School, was also identified as a potential site due to mold and possible asbestos issues.
Grant Kyle, whose family is redeveloping several contaminated properties in Auburn, said identifying contamination is crucial. “Cleaning up contamination can be 15 to 20 percent of your overall costs,” Kyle said. “If it’s going to be that high, you don’t buy the property.”
The meeting will help the city narrow its list down to 15 and 18 brownfield properties that have the most potential for redevelopment. The city intends to use a $400,000 grant to determine which sites have the potential for contamination and then how extensive clean-up is.
Mary Burgoon, principle planner for CHA Consulting, which is helping the city with the identification process, said the grant will not cover the cost of cleaning any contamination, but will help determine how much cleanup is necessary. “If you dig up contamination, you can’t just leave it lying around, you have to clean it up, which can be expensive,” Burgoon said. “This will identify how contaminated some of these sites are. Some may have none or very little contamination and will be easy to clean while others may not be.”
A key element to the project’s success will be cooperation from property owners.
Collin Sullivan, of the Cayuga County Arts Council, said the council will fully cooperate with city officials in an attempt to get asbestos cleaned out of the Schine’s Theater, but city officials noted that other property owners may not be as cooperative or easy to contact.
The city has purchased several pieces of property that has the potential for redevelopment in preparation for the brownfield identification process to avoid having problems with property owners, Burgoon said. Once contamination is identified and cleaned up, many residents want to know what the city will do with the land.
Some residents suggested that the city focus on brownfield properties that current businesses might purchase in order to expand their existing operations, but Kyle suggested that the city give the land away in exchange for new jobs and economic growth.
“Will Auburn sell this land or swap it for jobs and development,” Kyle asked. “Auburn could offer to give away the land, which has no value to the city, instead of tax breaks. I see it as a way to spur new business without putting money up front.”
—Nate Robson, Citizen staff writer
