The Redevelopment Rodeo – Meet the Wranglers

Site: 

Five Corners, Amsterdam  

Presenter:

• Amanda Bearcroft, Director of Community & Economic Development and Executive Director of the Amsterdam IDA, City of Amsterdam, NY 12010

Site Description:

The Five Corners site received its name for being located at the intersection of five highly utilized city streets and just north of a very busy local gas station. This now vacant plaza was once an asset to the City of Amsterdam and surrounding community, offering a variety of retailers and services. The site is comprised of two lots totaling over 3 acres in size and the remaining structure is just over 32,000 sq. ft. The property is owned by the City of Amsterdam through a foreclosure and TIO, directly abuts the Chuctanunda Creek and is highly visible on one of Amsterdam’s main thoroughfares, Forest Avenue. Potential contamination on the site consists of petroleum and other hazardous materials associated with the historic fill and illicit dumping. This site has been identified as having great catalytic redevelopment potential via the city’s Northern Neighborhood Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) study.

Pitch:

Can this bull be ridden? See how the Rodeo Wranglers put the spurs to this high visibility 3.4 acre brownfield, located in the small City of Amsterdam, and provide insight on how they can best strategize and navigate the numerous brownfield pre-development activities, particularly the costs associated with remediation and demolition, and how to integrate those factors into a viable marketing strategy.

Site:

Jack’s Auto

Presenter:

• Mike Reid, Economic Development Director, City of Olympia
• Joel Heckler, Senior Scientist/Geologist, PIONEER Technologies Corporation

 Site Description:

Jack’s Auto is a former auto repair service station located on a flat corner lot in the heart of a designated Neighborhood Center across from an elementary school. The abandoned site is .19 acres with a 946 s.f. single-story service station building with an attached 420 s.f. canopy and has had auto-centric uses dating back to 1946. The City is very interested in purchasing the property and envisions converting the Site (and possibly the adjacent property; so it’s the entire block) into a vibrant neighborhood node/center with a ground-floor grocery and/or restaurant and upper floor residential units.  Site remedial investigation work in 2021 confirmed subsurface soil and groundwater contamination related to gasoline associated with the former UST basin in the southwest portion of the property. The site is widely known in the Olympia community due to its high visibility, heavy community involvement/interest and ability to be a catalytic property that would anchor the future neighborhood center.  

Pitch:

Can this brownfield site come out of the chute and be a winner? See how the Rodeo Wranglers bulldog this catalytic site to the ground and pave the way for a robust neighborhood center by evaluating all the potential opportunities surrounding this site, including possible land assemblage, mixed-use development, and offering approaches to navigating ownership and liability issues.

Site:

Former JC Penney Building

 Presenters:

• Jessie Thompson, Executive Director, Community Action Agency of OKC & OK/CN Counties, Inc.
• Amanda Alewine, Brownfields Planner, Oklahoma City Brownfields Program

Site Description:

The Former JC Penney Building is an abandoned property in the Capitol Hill district of Oklahoma City.  Environmental assessments identified asbestos-containing material (ACM) in this 3-story, 29,600 ft2 building.  Although some abatement has been performed, additional ACM removal is anticipated.  A recent Building Assessment identified additional concerns related to building systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC).

The Former JC Penney Building is owned by the Community Action Agency of OKC & OK/CN Counties, Inc. (CAA), whose mission is to promote the self-sufficiency of the socially, economically, and culturally disadvantaged citizens of Oklahoma and Canadian counties.  CAA’s vision for this site is to be a catalyst for revitalization of the disadvantaged Capitol Hill district, through a mixed-use redevelopment including location for small business pop-up shops, training space for small businesses, and a financial empowerment center.

Pitch:

The Community Action Agency needs help identifying funding in conjunction with refining the reuse plan for successful redevelopment of the Former JC Penney Building.  Can the Rodeo Wranglers “steer” CAA toward the needed financial resources?  Come be a part of this session and hear expert advice on how to “mooove” this project forward.