The Senior Residence at Iwilei: Retirement community residential complex built after cleaning up former Oahu Railway Depot land in Honolulu

Example Phase II ESA sampling work

John A. Burns School of Medicine: UH medical school built after cleaning up a former warehouse site and animal quarantine facility in Kakaako

Kroc Center of Hawaii: Community center built after cleaning up a former sugar plantation and nearby remediated pesticide mixing area in East Kapolei

The City is planning for future development and redevelopment within the 20-mile rail system corridor. Many of the 21 rail station areas provide opportunities for TOD, which concentrates higher density and mixed uses near the rail stations.

Redeveloping properties sometimes requires addressing issues from previous uses that may have caused soil contamination from petroleum or other hazardous materials. Contaminated sites are commonly referred to as “brownfields,” and they can be effectively cleaned up and reused, such as for housing, retail stores, or parks.

Project Funding

Honolulu has received two grants, totaling $700,000, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help identify brownfields in the TOD neighborhoods. The City is seeking interested property owners to help them determine if their site requires cleanup for redevelopment to occur. Participation is voluntary and free. If you are interested in taking advantage of this funding opportunity, please fill out a property information sheet and/or contact us.

Benefits to Land Owners and Property Developers

Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) are generally required for redeveloping or selling sites where there is reasonable cause to suspect potential contamination from previous usage. Owners and developers of such sites can have these ESAs prepared at no cost if their sites meet certain criteria. Nationally, about 30 percent of sites assessed through this grant funding are found to have no significant brownfield issues, thus reducing redevelopment uncertainty and increasing values.

Benefits to the Community

TOD along the rail corridor offers unique and unprecedented opportunities to improve the urban communities of Oahu. The ability to address brownfield issues on selected sites will stimulate and accelerate overall redevelopment activities and help realize the benefits of more livable, walkable, and transit-accessible neighborhoods for current and future generations.

What Will the Project Fund?

The EPA grants have funded the development of an inventory of potential brownfield sites, from which Phase I and Phase II ESAs, as well as Cleanup Plans, are being conducted through voluntary participation. In conjunction with the grants, the City is providing continual public outreach and education about brownfields.

1. A Phase I ESA is a review of information about current and previous uses of a site to determine if further analysis of potential contamination is needed.
2. A Phase II ESA includes on-site testing, soil sampling, and laboratory analysis to determine the type and extent of contamination so that appropriate clean-up planning can be done.
3. A Cleanup Plan documents the recommended clean-up approach with associated engineering cost estimates.

How Will Sites Be Selected for Brownfield Assessment Funding?

A number of prescreened properties were mailed a brownfields information packet, although all properties along the rail corridor can fill out a property information sheet to be considered for brownfields assistance.

Properties within TOD areas that have potential brownfield issues will be evaluated according to criteria that reflect their readiness for redevelopment, how closely their plans align with TOD development priorities, their ability to leverage other funds for remediation and redevelopment, and additional factors that indicate their ability to be a timely and effective catalyst for other TOD redevelopment in the neighborhood.

Public Forum

Hawaii Brownfields Forum #7: Supporting Development and Land Reuse near Honolulu’s Rail Stations. The presentation videos from the September 2015 forum are available online by presentation topic. The agenda was designed particularly for property owners and developers of areas surrounding the future rail stations. Special emphasis was placed on how to redevelop property that is known or suspected to be contaminated (aka “brownfields”).

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Project Fact Sheet – September 2021

Frequently Asked Questions Sheet – September 2021

Property Information Sheet/Interest Form 

Brownfields Information Packet – March 2019

Title VI Notice and Form – August 2018