Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant

Weston & Sampson was selected by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to manage and administer their Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Coalition Brownfields Grant with the cities of Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts.  Weston & Sampson assisted MAPC and the two cities to:

• Identify potential Brownfields sites
• Develop an inventory and GIS-based mapping
• Prioritize sites for assessment
• Engage the community
• Comply with the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP)
• Provide Licensed Site Professional (LSP) services
• Conduct reuse planning and visioning
• Coordinate with other contractors

The project’s primary focus is the corridor between Peabody Center and the North River in Salem. This is an area of extensive flooding, and the Brownfields assessments are intended to focus on properties that will be impacted by a major flood mitigation project that the cities are conducting to alleviate periodic flooding in the area. By assessing properties prior to construction, it is anticipated that environmental issues that can affect the flood mitigation project can be identified and the planning for construction can include those elements.

Weston & Sampson conducted a number of community outreach and public information meetings to present the program. Weston & Sampson, working with MAPC, EPA, and the planning departments of the cities of Peabody and Salem, prioritized sites and allocated resources to assess the various parcels.

Weston & Sampson assessed a number of sites, including two tannery sites and a former recycling facility, which the latter project leveraged additional funds from MassDevelopment and a service response action from EPA impacted by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Weston & Sampson prepared a conceptual design for a riverwalk that links together the cities of Salem and Peabody, and Brownfields sites along the corridor, and was honored by the American Planning Association’s Massachusetts Chapter for the design.

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