Conference to Showcase Brownfields Redevelopment in Arizona

The Phoenix Brownfields University 2005 program will feature sessions on acquiring, cleaning up and redeveloping properties that are being passed over for development because of the presence or stigma of environmental contamination.

The conference, hosted by the Phoenix Brownfields Land Recycling Program, will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at Phoenix Civic Plaza, Yuma rooms 21-32, Third and Jefferson streets.

The event includes more than 20 sessions taught by professionals from across the country, highlighting the tools and resources available for brownfields and how to apply them.

The opening session will be presented by Charles Bartsch, a senior policy analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute, Washington D.C. Bartsch specializes in economic development issues and often testifies before congressional committees on issues of economic development recovery.

The luncheon keynote speaker, Elliott D. Pollack, noted economist, is recognized for his expertise in discerning the relationship between real estate trends and land value, and usage and timing for improvements and development. Pollack will review the economic outlook nationally and for the greater Phoenix area.

The cleanup and redevelopment of environmentally contaminated property known as brownfields have paid big dividends since Phoenix's Brownfields Land Recycling Program began seven years ago. Funding from the brownfields capital improvement bond program has provided assistance to several projects involving the restoration for historic buildings, art museums and parks, and the creation of residential development.

Private investment in brownfields redevelopment in the city has increased in conjunction with major Phoenix initiatives, such as downtown development, the light rail project and the Rio Salado project. The city obtained a $400,000 brownfields grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the light rail project.

Numerous redevelopment opportunities exist within the core of the city and the brownfields program helps businesses and developers turn these blighted properties into commercially viable projects.

Registration is $80 for private sector, $65 for government and nonprofit sector, and $25 for students and neighborhood leaders. For more information or to register for the conference, call 602-256-5669 or visit phoenix.gov/ENVPGM/brownfld.html.