Have We Got a Brownfield for You!
A brownfield is a contaminated commercial or industrial property that has redevelopment potential once it has been cleaned up by experts, but can not be redeveloped as is. There are plenty of examples of brownfield sites all around the globe, but we don't have to burn any gasoline to find one--the power plant in Salem is low-hanging fruit from a redevelopment perspective. After nearly sixty years of polluting land and water, our local lead-belcher is the perfect candidate for brownfield redevelopment. There are plenty of redevelopment companies who would be happy to help transform a poorly-sited, unsafe power plant into a world-class, dynamic, revenue-generating, job-creating, clean, green waterfront. Wouldn't it be a joy to use Salem and boardwalk in the same sentence?
The EPA is big on brownfield redevelopment. Good news for Salem.
Here's an example of a power plant redevelopment project in Austin, TX.
Note: Projected revenue for this project is two million dollars for a 7.8-acre site. Imagine the revenue potential for over sixty acres in Salem?
Here's another example of a power plant replacement project in Webster, TX.
Here is a smallish, but not insignificant project in Niagara Falls, NY.
Perhaps we should have a few people from Baltimore, MD visit.
Consider all the accomplishments of the late James Rouse, the man who created Faneuil Hall.