Brownfields Study Planning Grant
The State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (H&CD) issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for its Downtown Rebound Planning Grants program. A subsequent City Council motion (Pacheco-Walters) instructed the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD), Community Redevelopment Agency, City Planning Department, and Department of Building & Safety to apply for funds under this program. The purpose of the grant was to facilitate the development of infill, mixed-use, and adaptive reuse housing. To achieve this goal, a work plan was prepared calling for several infrastructure studies, including assessments of potential Brownfields.
UltraSystems provided a specific work plan related to the Brownfields component, which included: (1) a list of brownfield sites within the study area that were likely to be suitable for redevelopment into housing or mixed-use developments; (2) examples from other California cities that have encouraged adaptive reuse of brownfields along with summary information of such programs; and (3) results of a survey regarding the advantages and disadvantages of Brownfields development for-profit and non-profit developers within the study area.
UltraSystems created a geographic database, utilizing ESRI software, to provide a rectified aerial image of the study area, a Thomas Guide street layer for the study area, and City of Los Angeles Zoning Designations. The aerial image identified contaminated sites within the study area that were potential candidates for Brownfield redevelopment. UltraSystems provided a Final Brownfields Report to the City.
