[CPEO-BIF] Affordable housing on Brownfields with residual contamination

[Robert Paterson]

I have mixed feelings on this topic. From a sustainability standpoint, one
wants to increase the supply of affordable housing to provide housing access
for all at a reasonable rate. This is an important social justice service.
However there is also the tension of unfairly making lower income residents
carry disproportionate health risks from "residual contamination." The
stigma devalued sites offer lower land costs for affordable housing
development. But risks may stem from multiple problems --- perhaps in some
cases because the science of safe exposure levels is in flux, or a pathway
is actually worse than thought and modeled for in the risk assessment (ala
vapor intrusion), or because of reliance on engineering and institutional
controls to break the exposure pathways (of course many of these LUCs can
and will fail since we have limited monitoring capacity for the growing
number of closed sites that rely on LUCs (LUCs = ec + ic) and of course Mrs
Murphy's rule reigns supreme).

I suppose my overall feeling is that if affordable housing is allowed in
situations with LUCs (IMO the most likely problem area) then there should be
a reasonable time period where the natural attenuation or on-going treatment
(e.g., for a conditional closure) makes the residual contamination go
completely away (ala residential levels for COCs). This often is not the
case, for example, in Texas, municipal settings designations just eliminate
the entire groundwater clean up question (LUC declares no subterranean
activity that impacts the contaminated groundwater is allowed--ever or until
attenuation is demonstrated).

What that reasonable time frame might be is an interesting question, but I'm
not keen on the use of LUCs where contamination concerns go on for decades
and decades with residential on top of it...the 2005 GAO report made clear
the gaps in LUC integrity that can happen over time and even in the near
term....

Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment (means many things, but this is one key
element) implies both inter and intra generational equity...long term
residual contamination in residential areas is unfair to subsequent
generations that did not create the mess, the existing generations must
mitigate the externality within this generation's lifespan to be fair (IMO)

Since what is a sustainable community or region is actually a social
construction defined by dialogue, this might be a very interesting
discussion for communities considering affordable housing brownfields to
have with the target residents BEFORE they commit to such development....

Another interesting thread....

Bob

Robert G. Paterson
Associate Professor
Co-Director, Center for Sustainable Development
1 University Station B7500
School of Architecture
The University of Texas
Austin TX 78712-1160
512-471-0734
Fax 512-471-0716
rgfp at mail.utexas.edu
 
 
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Whatever we do to the web. 
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-----Original Message-----
From: brownfields-bounces at list.cpeo.org
[mailto:brownfields-bounces at list.cpeo.org] On Behalf Of Lenny Siegel
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 4:10 PM
To: Brownfields Internet Forum
Subject: [CPEO-BIF] Affordable housing on Brownfields (Canada)

[The same practice is common in the U.S., and it poses a dilemma. 
"Affordable" housing is needed, but should brownfields sites, many of 
which end up with residual contamination, be relegated to poor people?]


Press Release
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
October 26, 2006

Affordable housing targeted to brownfield sites

TORONTO, /CNW/ - The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario 
today allocated funding for a minimum of 300 units under the 
Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program to be built specifically on 
cleaned-up brownfield sites.

The announcement of the Affordable Housing Program - Brownfields 
Initiative was made today by the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of 
Human Resources and Social Development Canada, and John Gerretsen, 
Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

"Canada's new government is proud to contribute to the development of 
new affordable housing units at Toronto's brownfield sites that are now 
clean, green and safe," said Minister Finley. "We will be providing 
hundreds of families with secure, affordable housing and a better 
quality of life, and at the same time breathing new neighbourhood life 
into an area that has been dormant."

...

For the entire release, see
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2006/26/c4822.html

-- 
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
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