Workshop:
Preparing and Financing Prime Redevelopment Sites
September 18, 2003
Overview
On September 18, 2003, East-West Gateway hosted a workshop entitled 
“Preparing and
Financing Prime Redevelopment Sites: Revitalizing Brownfields and Protecting Open Space.” The workshop was developed as a way of introducing attendants to: the process of site preparation using examples from the
St. Louis region; the financial tools for brownfields redevelopment; and networking with representatives of federal, state and county agencies that provide these tools.
The morning session was conducted by Kevin McGrew of St. Louis Development Corporation who highlighted several brownfields redevelopment projects underway or recently completed in the St. Louis region. The attendants were divided into focus groups. Each focus group reviewed maps and data related to a property that has redevelopment potential. Facilitators led each group through a discussion of the steps involved in a brownfield redevelopment project.
The focus groups included:
the Hill Behan Site in Pagedale, MO, facilitated by David
Wilson of East-West Gateway
Redeveloping industrial sites in
Washington Park, IL, and strengthening the metro east area served by Touchette Regional Hospital, facilitated by Laura Zacher, St. Louis LCRA
Former Club and Riverfront Property in Brooklyn, IL, facilitated by
Kevin McGrew of SLDC
Topics that were addressed were: site and
parcel information; land use preliminary planning; site environmental conditions; land assembly; cleanup options - the risk-based approach; and financing.
The afternoon session discussed financial tools for revitalization. There were two breakout groups - one for Missouri and one for Illinois. Each group had a panel discussion on the financial tools available for that state.
The panelists for the Missouri group were:
- St. Louis County Economic Council – Mark Brady
- Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources – Christine O’Keefe, Jim Gilstrap
- Missouri Dept. of Economic Development – Ann Perry
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Kerry Herndon
- U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development – Dee Anne Ducote
- U.S. Economic Development Administration – Shirley Marshall
The Illinois group panelists included:
- St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants Dept. – Joan Scharf
- Illinois Environmental Protection Agency – Tom Miller
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Keary Cragan
- U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development – Dee Anne Ducote
- U.S. Economic Development Administration – Shirley Marshall
The closing session began with Cathy Nicholson of Stifel, Nicolaus, and Company, Inc. who presented a slideshow that discussed bonds, tax increment financing, and other tools used to finance redevelopment and showed example redevelopment projects in the metro-east. The final discussion was conducted by Larry Levin who used a slideshow, Trust For Public Land, to demonstrate the economic value of greenspace and incorporating greenspace into site re-use.