Rainier Court Brownfield Development

From site acquisition and cleanup through construction, GeoEngineers helped Southeast Effective Development (SEED) redevelop a contaminated in-city property. The site had been contaminated from years of misuse and illegal dumping, and the redevelopment effort culminated in 18,000 square feet of retail space and 386 housing units.

The project won the 2005 the EPA’s National Phoenix Award for Brownfields Redevelopment for EPA Region 10. The Phoenix Award acknowledges “…groups that implement innovative yet practical programs that remediated environmental contamination at brownfield sites and simultaneously stimulated economic development…” When the award was presented to SEED and GeoEngineers, it was only the second award in EPA Region 10 since the award’s inception in 1997.

Approach

• Engaged community support from King County, the City of Seattle and many others
• Received grant funding, including Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund loan, EPA UST Fields Grant and an EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant
• Helped our client secure more than $950,000 in federal grants, loans and EPA-targeted brownfields assessments
• Made maximum use of past data using the power of GIS
• Employed a creative combination of excavation, isolation, capping and institutional controls to contain the site’s pollutants and protect future residents

Results

• A safe and clean environment replaces contaminated property left dormant for more than 35 years
• Created 208 units for senior housing, 178 units for family housing, and 18,000 square feet of retail space
• Conducted cleanup action within 4 weeks for each phase–structures were occupied within 18 months after the start of planning
• One of the first residential projects in Washington state that consisted of an isolation and capping remedy
• The selected remedy saved the client about $1 million construction costs.