Making the walk walkable

A few summers back, I was an unpaid intern at the City of Spokane. The fact that I was unpaid is not of great concern to me (it did, in the end, work out quite handsomely for me) but, it did provide me with a specific motivation: attempt to avoid any costs whatsoever in the performance of my work. I labored on a number of projects while I was there, and I could regale you with stories about federal grant application or the design of local economic development strategies, but this post is more pedestrian.

I'm fond of saying that the purpose of transportation systems is to bring your destination within walking distance. While that is useful in pointing out that no car, bus, train, bike or other transportation mode is necessary if you're within walking distance, it also raises the question, "what is walking distance?" This is an important question because the design of effective walkable districts is dependent on understanding the willingness and capability of pedestrians to utilize it.

While different pedestrians have variations in ability, I'm not going to dwell on that issue for this particular entry. However, I will briefly state that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has the potential to greatly enhance the ability of people to have access to the world around them without significantly disadvantaging anyone. The minimal costs associated with ADA compliance is trivial compared to the sums lavished on roads and highways. Whenever I say "pedestrian" in this entry, please remember that it's not just people in sneakers, but also people in chairs and with strollers and other devices who use many of these same facilities and deserve the same level of access.

Making it Walkable

Pedestrians need more than a strip of concrete to make the walk walkable. Yes, the distance is key and that implies density. Ultimately, density is determined by the private sector in response to travel patterns and availability of investment. However, there are public decisions which can greatly enhance the walk, and perhaps influence private decision-making.

Shortcuts. One of the reasons we use vehicles for travel is to make ourselves less sensitive to the distances involved. It stands to reason, then, that pedestrians are less likely to walk if they have to go far out of their way to reach their destination. For my internship, I took a shortcut through a park. Pedestrians are more flexible with their courses than cars because it takes far less space and infrastructure to support a pedestrian route than it does for an automobile route. Creating shortcuts can provide great advantages for relatively small costs.

Plenty of destinations. Just because a person is busy walking to a final destination doesn't mean that the final destination is the only destination! Having the ability to combine trips is a powerful incentive to coax reticent walkers to ditch their cars. You may expect that I would introduce you to several studies which emphasize this point, but rather than do that, I will just mention one thing: shopping malls. The entire theory behind shopping malls is the power of combining trips, and the success of a well-managed mall is a testament to this concept.

Presumptive signalling. I can't emphasize this enough: waiting for a cross signal greatly slows an already slow travel method, and requiring a pedestrian to push a button mandates the wait. The signals should be set to allow enough time for a pedestrian to cross without prompting from pressing a button, thereby eliminating the need for the button. If the light changes automatically for automobiles, then the signal should allow a pedestrian to cross as well. If the signal isn't normally long enough for a pedestrian to cross then the signal may cycling too quickly or the cross street may need to go on a diet.

Alternatives. If there are multiple routes to a destination, then no single barrier or hazard can prevent the trip from occurring. Having alternatives also goes especially well with presumptive signalling by allowing the pedestrian to take advantage of the cross signal no matter which one is active. It also provides a greater opportunity to engage an interactive, varying environment.

Interactive environment. Pedestrians experience their environment in much greater detail than auto drivers. This not only gives the adjacent property owners an excellent opportunity to interact with the pedestrians, but it also levies a minor obligation as well. If a walking area is boring, then the pedestrian will avoid it for more interesting areas. And when people aren't attracted to a place and occupy it, then a place may not maintain a positive reputation.

Safety, cleanliness. This is fundamental: the trip must be reliably safe. Unclear sidewalks, overhanging branches, uneven surfaces, and anything that reduces the visibility of pedestrians in an auto-dominated environment are serious barriers to pedestrian activity. Cleanliness is a standard by which the safety of a path is judged, so walkways must also be well maintained.

Refuges. Providing pedestrian amenities to manage the effects of fatigue and weather are useful as well. Awnings, besides being useful for site identification, are attractive for pedestrians who wish to avoid sun or rain. Benches provide an opportunity to rest and interact. There is also the technical pedestrian refuge: a space in the median of a road where a pedestrian can stop so they only have to cross half the traffic at one time.

Human services. In addition to managing the negatives of pedestrian activity, it's helpful to have some services available to be provided directly to the pedestrian, such as meals, coffee, etc. Not only does this enhance an area for the pedestrians, it also provides people with an excuse to become pedestrians for the adjacent properties. One of the first thing we noticed as students surveying Sprague Avenue in the University District was that there's the smell of coffee from a local roaster, but no coffee retail. Without this amenity, there's really no way for people to gather and produce a community.

Friendliness. And another part of making that community is having a culture that appreciates the presence of other people. I was struck one morning, heading to City Hall, by the great attitude of another downtown employee. He was wearing a "Cruisers" (a local burger joint) shirt, asking how I was doing that day. We weren't at his place of work--he was just being friendly to a fellow pedestrian. When I told him that I was impressed he said he was "just making Spokane a great place!" True.

Four the Future - Reconfiguring Roads

A look at the issues surrounding road reconfiguration: the redesign on Spokane's Community Block, an adjacent neighborhood's opposition to a pedestrian mall proposal, the massively positive effect of roads on retail activity, and a peek in on a little-used alternative.

• Getting There: West Main to get new kind of street parking
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 5, 2016
  Summary: Main Avenue between Division and Browne will be reconfigured to add additional parking and pedestrian amenities. The street will be reduced to two lanes in order to accommodate a third lane of parking in the median, a mid-block crossing for pedestrians with channeling structures that create pedestrian havens, and pedestrian-scale lighting. Local business owners are in favor of the new design.
  Opinion: The new design is highly supportive of the activities on the block in question. It will take some time for drivers to adjust to the new configuration, particularly since traffic speeds is likely to reduce. And, of course, there will be the routine scoffing from the peanut gallery (as always, it's important to remember not to enter the cesspool that is the comments section of the Spokesman-Review website). However, with greater parking and pedestrian support, the retailers should benefit.
• Rose Pak flashes red light on Stockton Street pedestrian mall
  Source: San Francisco Chronicle; August 7, 2016
  Summary: When San Francisco tore up Stockton Street to install a subway, the businesses of the Union Square Business Improvement District suffered sales losses (this is a misinterpretation of the data; more on that below). The solution was provide the retailers with a pedestrian area with artificial turf (here is a photo on the installation, provided by the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency):
  
  
  
  This sparked the idea of making a permanent pedestrian mall. However, the adjacent neighborhood is registering an objection because they want the road to be available to bring traffic to their businesses.
  Opinion: This demonstrates a fundamental issue in transportation planing in the United States: for whom is the right-of-way designed? The reason why we have this problem is that Americans tend not to differentiate between roads (which are used to increase mobility and provide a path through a place) and streets (which are used to increase access and provide a path to a place. Instead, we design and construct stroads, which do neither task particularly well, and are dangerous to boot. We know instinctively that we do this incorrectly: just think of the number of times you've complained about people driving too fast through your neighborhood. People drive fast on roads and buy things (and live) on streets. Planners need to get property owners to collaborate on what their right-of-way is intended to achieve, and transportation engineers must design to those purposes.
• Getting There: Downtown Spokane businesses suffer in construction zones
  Source: Spokesman-Review; August 15, 2016
  Summary: Businesses adjacent to construction projects in Spokane depend on revenues from people to travel to their locations. But, when construction occurs, customer visits drop (in one case, by half) imperiling the business. Other businesses are less affected because they have a dedicated customer base. Extending construction hours to reduce the length of time isn't effective because it would cost more and the work is job is hard on the workers.
  Opinion:Americans are strongly driven by convenience. If the journey to your door isn't convenient, it just isn't taken. Unless you're an anchor (or "destination") retailer, ease of access is key--and that's exactly what government-maintained right-of-ways are providing. I humbly suggest that, rather than take this story as a tale of woe about construction barriers, please view this as a testimonial as to the effectiveness of the roads all the other summers when construction isn't at your doorstep. Yes, it hurts this year, and help would be beneficial, but remember that the road doubles your sales all other years.
  
  This story has been updated.
  


• Omaha's answer to pothole complaints: a new dirt road
  Source: Associated Press; August 16, 2016
  Summary: To the chagrin of its residents, the City of Omaha is removing pavement in certain neighborhoods. All cities have a long list of deferred road replacement projects, but Omaha is characterized by extreme sprawl. Making short-term deals in order to encourage development results in these long-term deficiencies.
  Opinion: The chickens come home to roost. Of course, the initial developers want to avoid costs in order to make their developments more profitable and avoiding building to City standards is one way to do that. Of course, that means that the neighborhood has a responsibility to maintain the road, but they rarely do because, again, they're trying to avoid paying for what they're using. I hasten to add, though, that we shouldn't dismiss the possibility that the City demands that everyone have a stroad in front of their house rather than a street! Regardless, the costs of periodic repavement is substantial, and many people are satisfied with letting some (read: someone else's) neighborhoods degrade. It's high time that the federal and state governments deny funding for and authority to accept new road construction without demonstrating that they have the funds available to properly maintain their road infrastructure.

What is Sprawl?

I was reading a recent article on The Atlantic Cities entitled High Density Sprawl is Still Sprawl. It got me thinking about what sprawl actually is. While I agree with some of the observations the article makes, I'd prefer to have a definition of sprawl which is less gut-felt.

What it is not

First, let's start with the things that sprawl is not. It is clear that sprawl is not entirely about density. If it were, then sprawl would not need to be a separate concept – we would only speak in terms of density. It's more complicated than that. When the author notes that high residential densities at the edge of an urban region constitutes sprawl, I believe he is mostly correct, but there important details that are missing from the analysis.

Sprawl is also not entirely about walkability. I spent my junior high and high school years in the town of Odessa, Washington. Everything in town was within walking distance, what little there was. As an agricultural town, the variety of services available was limited, and no one would say that it was urban. If Odessa were magically transported to the edge of an urbanized area there is little doubt that it would be considered sprawl. However, in its current location it is entirely appropriate and necessary.

Sprawl is also not entirely about suitability. In the article referenced above, the author objects to agricultural activities in a place where he believes water was unavailable or available using inappropriate means. In effect, he is stating that the location is unsuitable for the activity. My observation on this particular example is that the context is missing: what effect does utilizing aquifer water at this location have on other activities, human or not? Perhaps it has a beneficial effect — we have no way of knowing. Nevertheless, suitability cannot be a sole determinant of whether an activity is sprawl, as few would argue that large agricultural tracts immediately adjacent to a high density core and surrounded by low density housing tracts would not be eligible for infill, even if it were of high soil quality. Suitability is an important factor in determining appropriate uses, but it's not determinative.

Interrelationships

Like many other things in planning, it's not merely a single concept which tells us about how the neighborhood works. Yes, the characteristics of sprawl are related to density, walkability, and suitability. However, the interrelationships between various elements of a neighborhood – how it works in a practical sense – determines the health and functionality of the place. If the concept of sprawl is to be useful, it must also contain these interrelationships.

A high density residential subdivision on the edge of an urban area may be internally walkable, the land may be suitable for that purpose, but its lack of quality relationships with its surroundings gives us pause. (It is likely better, however, than the same number of units spread over a much larger area!) A centrally located large tract agricultural activity may be highly suitable for its particular soil conditions, but it severs the bonds between the core and those it serves. Sprawl, then, is not about the characteristics of the individual use, but about the uses’ context and relationship with surrounding uses.

In attempting to characterize sprawl, we should think in terms of a spectrum – some places are more or less sprawl-like – determined largely on each uses' ability to interact with other uses. A residence may be sprawl in one location and not in another based on its ability to facilitate interaction amongst other residents, commercial and retail areas, and third spaces. Likewise, the presence of a residence alters the degree of sprawl experienced by adjacent parcels.

Sprawl is avoided, then, by ensuring a mix of positively interactive uses. (It is important to note that negative interactions do exist and should be minimized. Zoning was intended to separate incompatible uses; it has been well argued that it has gone too far.) It is easy to see how density would contribute to the number of interactions available to a location, as would walkability. Suitability can be integrated into our understanding of sprawl by including the positive or negative interactions between the use and the natural services provided at the location, and the interactions caused by all externalities.

The Uses of 'Sprawl'

We here in Spokane have, for a very long time, recognized that the lack of middle income housing in downtown Spokane is a problem. In a way, it's the same problem that we have with large residential subdivisions that lack commercial activities. Both areas exhibit the same weakness; both areas show signs of sprawl.

But why do we even care about that? If both areas function, then what is the issue? Economics is not a gentle mistress. Inefficiencies built into our land-use patterns weigh upon economic development initiatives, and the region’s earning potential suffers. Increasing hostility in our politics indicates that our culture is beginning to devalue the ability to interact civilly with other people, potentially due to a reduction in opportunities to practice interacting civilly with other people face-to-face. One might say we are suffering from a breakdown of positive interactions in several ways, and we should care about these things for both cash and culture.

Just one final thing: let us remember that the correction of sprawl is not an end in itself. Sprawl is merely a way of measuring the net positive interaction of site within its context. It is an abstract concept, created to measure the relative dysfunctionality of a location. It cannot diagnose the cause of the problem, but merely the presence of one. The solution must remain in the hands of those who are disadvantaged by it, and those it will harm in the future.

Cascade Collaborative: A Planners Conference

For the next three days, the Washington and Oregon Chapters of the American Planning Association are meeting in Portland, Oregon for their annual conferences. But, rather than operate separate events, they are working together on one which will serve the needs of both organization's members.

Today's events include mobile workshops, discussions about topics while traveling to sites to show planners how the topic affects what happens on the ground, in the world. While there are several mobile workshops underway, this blog will address two: Portland's Food Carts, and the Beaverton's EcoDistrict. Entries will be linked from here when they become available.

Over the next couple days, there will be numerous other entries, and they will be linked from here as well.

Q&A with the Deal Makers

Moderator:
Denice Trimble, GordonDerr
Speakers:
Denice Trimble, Partner, GordonDerr
Seth Hudson, Weston Solutions Inc
Don Moody, First Vice President, CB Richard Ellis
Ed Morales, Environmental Risk Officer, Sterling Savings Bank

10:15 AM: Denice Trimble introduced this session as an opportunity to talk about what financial resources are available for brownfield projects, and the legal and risk concerns on these projects.

How do the current economic conditions affect the negotiations these days?
Don Moody: brownfields are very similar in process to other properties, but with the inclusion of costs associated with the remediation. But, there are simply fewer buyers. Since 2007, there was a 70% decline in large lot sales. Same for brownfields. But, activity if picking up. Brownfields are becoming more positive because they tend to be in urban settings. Tearing down a building have costs, too.
Seth Hudson: They do 6-8 deals across the country for brownfield purchase and development. There has to be a trust relationship and a exit strategy. They do not hold property for more than 5 years. They clean them up and move on. This is easier with access to capital.

How has the economy affected the financing of brownfields?
Ed Morales: There haven't been many deals lately, as developers have been licking their wounds on construction loans. But, there is money available. It's important to try to understand the risk. U.S. Bank wants to do these kinds of loans because they have internal expertise. Private investment brownfield "flippers" are saying that there are places where brownfields are ready to be taken up, and the Northwest is one of the hot areas, particularly Seattle and Bellevue.
Hudson: Agreement on that last point.

How do you identify the right properties?Moody: There is movement away from greenfield development. From a financing perspective, owner may have to finance half the cost. But, sometimes, there's no point to insuring a building, except for liability, because it doesn't matter if it burns down. But sometimes they can be used for purposes which provide low incomes. In the end, though, it's important to have good exit strategies.
Hudson: It used to be that if you build it, they will come, so it's little more than buying it, cleaning it up, then selling it to someone. The market is changing because you can identify a customer first and find a property that best fits their needs. Now they can set criteria for site selection because they know a specific need. That's what has changed the most. But, sometimes, current owners call to dispose of it.
Moody: It's almost impossible to find financing for a new building right now, even if the need can't be met elsewhere. That's new. So, it may be that they must use a brownfield site because it doesn't exist any other way.
Hudson: There are finance structures which recognize that the land might be upside down prior to the environmental concern. In that case, property owners might provide the land for free (even with cash) to get it off their books. Alternatively, the payment for the sale might happen on the back end after the final owner receives it.
Morales: Indemnity flow is important: who is ultimately responsible for the cost. This will also be a variable in the financial and insurance arrangements.
Moody: You must be highly curious to make these work. Every deal is different.
Hudson: people involved must be open about the situation. Testing in areas where there wouldn't be an issue isn't appropriate.

What kinds of clients are you looking for? How many are there?
Moody: there are very few buyers. there are no 30-60 day sales. These can take 3-5 years, and you don't get paid until the back end. Sales are always a team effort, including sellers, buyers, and government agencies.

From a lending perspective, what are you expecting to see during the due dilligence phase?
Morales: Do as much as possible. You're risking capital. The amount of due diligence is very important. Characterization of the site is key, and how much has been done to mitigate, and what plans are in place to complete it, including the costs. Regulators require a course of action. Insurance may cover those costs of the presumptive solution. How often does this happen? On occassion.
Hudson: this is a costly, time-consuming process. Sometimes gaining that time requires hard or soft money to hold it off the market. Sometimes a government can assist on those costs, if they're important sites. Remediation can take a year or two.

Does the size of the site matter? Are small ones worth it?
Moody: There are hundreds of small sites in Tacoma. Almost every gas station is simply too small. Aggregating them makes more sense. In old cities like that it's even difficult to determine what the source is because the contamination plumes can overlap.
Hudson: the best use for fomer gas stations are...gas stations. But there are also similarly sized uses, such as fast food drive through restaurants, so there's some possibility of that if the city will allow it. A gas station in Fresno is different from one in Beverly Hills because it has to do with land value. You can do more with it if the land value is higher.
Morales: one of the ways to make the credit people in the banks happy is to provide an insurance policy against the cost of remediation of these small sites.

Can the insurance policy actually solve the problem if there's a new owner afterwards?The term of the insurance policy is usually pretty short because there's usually enough time for big oil to finish cleaning it up within a couple years. So, it may not be necessary for later owners. But, they could also add a new beneficiary to the existing insurance policy.
Moody: It's important for brownfield experts to be a source of information for the clients so they can learn about what is actually going on here. Others may not be willing or able to provide useful information.
Hudson: For his company, the land is owned by an LLC created for that purpose, and the insurance is transferred to the corporate parent. This allows them to bankrupt the LLC while protecting the corporate bottom line.
Morales: This also helps with funding because the banks are more willing to provide dollars to the guarantor: in this case, not the LLC, but the mother corporation, which balances the risk load.
Hudson: And they provide a guarantee that if any further contamination is found, they will go back to finish it up.

How do attorneys affect this process?Trimble: This is a partnership amongst all the members of the transaction. But, yes, as attorneys are very risk averse. There is a spectrum: "as is" to "full indemnities" (though that never happens). there has to be sufficient time for due diligence. What are the representations and warranties? What is the source of the information? Some information is more reliable. There may be a limit to the indemnification. Are there sunset provisions which provides a number of years before the seller is off the hook?
Morales: the strength of the legal team is very important. Good representation makes a difference. The context is also important because there may be superfund exposure and interaction with environmental assets off site.
Hudson: But, it's important that the business terms are clear before you bring in the attorney otherwise it will never get off the dime
Trimble: Non-binding terms!

Mr. Hudson, do you work with the public sector?
Hudson: Yes.
How long are you willing to hold the properties?
Hudson: 5 years was what was said in the past. Now it's more like 5-7 years. We don't want to clean for one year then hold it for several more years. We are looking for jobs that would take longer now because there's the time. In hot markets, you have to move faster, and that's difficult with brownfields because they simply take time.

What about brownfields without a building?
Morales: There isn't alot of that going on right now because you need to know that the building was substantially leased. It was 50%, but now more like 70%.
Hudson: this requires pre-leases, even. They moved into a building they were building in order to have the building leased.
Moody: There is little market for this. It's simply not happening right now. It will take a year to get the funding and you will have to prove you don't need it to get it.
Morales: Confirmed. That's the current conditions.

What about land banking?
Morales: Yes, you can get liability insurance for a longer term after remediation. There's only three markets, though, for environmental remediation coverage, down from five last year. It's easier to do this if you're bigger. One-offs are far more difficult.
Hudson: insurance is flexible, you may put in large deductables or insurance for a part, then no insurer liability for a range of values, say between $5 million and $10 million where the company is self-insured, then the insurance kicks in again above that.

Denise Trimble thanked the participants.

A Developer's Perspective

9:09 AM: Presentation by Jason Wheaton, President, Greenstone Corporation

9:11 AM: Jason came from California, which he likes, but this area is paradise. They consider themselves as a communication company rather than a developer. When things go wrong it may be because they failed to communicate well with their internal and external customers. They tell themselves that 30% of everything they're doing is wrong. It's a hard thing to say. If you have the attitude that 30% of what you're doing is wrong, you can always get better. 30% of environmental regulations can be better, too.

9:15 AM: Market Conditions...job growth and interest rates will be the driving force in the recovery. With efforts to reduce the deficit loom, the effect on local and regional governments should be monitored. Vacancy rates are leveling off. There are opportunities, and there is some optimism.

9:17 AM: Housing inventory is beginning to be depleted. California still has a great deal of inventory. We're in a better situation. But, our market is fragile. They closely monitor the Spokane MLS Quintile Analysis. Greenstone tries to serve the middle three quintiles. There's little margin at that level for brownfield remediation.

9:21 AM: Spokane is a relatively affordable market for nice housing. The community is "tremendously appealing." With the medical base, there's good economic prospects. There are existing opportunities as demographics change. The current housing mix isn't good for our future demographics. "Investment Capital is very difficult to attract." Money is currently going to markets which were hardest hit. Spokane isn't in that category.

9:25 AM: Greenstone has adjusted to the new market, bringing down their labor force by 25%. "Hope is not a strategy." Buyers are purchasing homes for shelter, not investment.

9:26 AM: How does out region manage growth. Greenstone is pursuing a "Sustainable Growth Model." "We need strong urban growth in the next 20 years." The baby boomers are aging and are looking for a different kind of lifestyle. Empty nesters will increase by 244%. "This will be a huge burden on our government."

9:29 AM: We spend about 32% of our income on housing, and 17% on car ownership. That's 49%. If we can develop lands to reduce auto dependency, then more can go to housing and less to cars. "Shelter isn't going to be less expensive." Health care is getting more expensive. What's happening is that discretionary expenses are going away: entertainment, clothing, household furnishing, education, pensions and social security contributions. It's an attack on what made the middle class feel prosperous.

9:35 AM: Municipal infrastructure is crumbling, and it will be expensive to repair. $21.8 billion annual need for over 20 years just for transit. $131.7 billion and $9.4 billion annually for deficient roads and bridges. Water will be $151 and wastewater will be $390 billion.

9:37 AM: Only 10% of the growth is occurring in the areas which are designated as centers and corridors. Development is happening in the wrong places. There are several incentives to encourage development in the right places, but it's not happening. The brownfields in Spokane are so intense, the original map was impossible to read. There are significant areas which cannot be utilized because of this. You can follow the rail line through town on the brownfields map.

9:39 AM: Jason recommends very strongly the Department of Ecology's "Guide to Leveraging Brownfield Redevelopment for Community Revitalization." (Publication number 10-09-054.) He read the full first page of the document.

9:41 AM: There are benefits to brownfield development: creating jobs, leveraging existing infrastructure, neighborhood revitalization, new local revenue and taxes, clean up environmental problems, reduce urban decay. "Neighborhoods are always getting better or getting worse."

9:43 AM: Developers need information about the land in order to create economic certainty. Financial institutions resist investment due to "perceived long term liability and marketability issues." Brownfields depress land values, this prevents investment for remediation, so it perpetuates the problem. Most of the brownfield projects are downtown because land values are higher. This is highly inelastic, small price changes eliminates the ability to build. Worse, it affects adjacent properties' value that discourages continued investment.

9:48 AM: A review of Kendall Yards and its changing ownership. Had to leave to prepare for next section, entitled Q&A with the Deal Makers.

Welcoming Remarks

8:45 AM: Melissa Wittstruck introduced Mayor Mary Verner. Mayor Verner is thanking people for attending and encouraging the participants to see how Spokane has changed over the years.

8:50 AM: Mayor Verner is reflecting upon how Riverfront Park used to be a brownfield site, contaminated by the presence of the rail yards. University District is also a brownfield site with its remediation currently underway.

8:56 AM: Mayor Verner continues: There will be a tour tomorrow which will include many sites around Spokane which have been recovered. They include buildings such as the Saranac, the Main Street Co-op (which has been certified LEED Gold). Kendall Yards (formerly a rail yard) is also being remediated, and will include commercial and residential properties for all income levels.

8:58 AM: Joanne, a representative of the EPA Region X office introduces the types of assistance they provide to help conversion of brownfields to productive use. They are actively engaging other federal agencies to participate. They train people to help residents get the skills to help remediate brownfields, to help them get jobs and stimulate the economy.

9:04 AM: The EPA has not been informed as to its budget at this point. The EPA is receiving unusual scrutiny, and people should forward to them their success stories.

9:05 AM: Melissa Wittstruck is a city planner with the City of Spokane, and she is struck by the complexity of brownfield development, financial and legal. She has worked with both the environmental and development communities. We want more than just cleaned up land, but reuse as well. We try to work realistically together. Developer community assistance is necessary.

This blog continues with A Developer's Perspective