Tools and Guidance for Implementing Infill Development on Brownfield Sites in Rural Areas and Small Towns

What is Infill Development?

Infill development is defined as the process of developing vacant, underutilized or abandoned areas, including brownfield sites, in older neighborhoods, traditional downtowns, and central business districts or areas that are already largely developed.  Many developers and even economic development organizations (EDOs) prefer greenfields to brownfields as potential sites for development.  This tendency is predicated to a large degree upon the notion that brownfields are publicly undesirable sites and are often too costly for redevelopment.   In most cases, however, infill development is cheaper than building on greenfields, offering sound economic returns to developers, while bringing economic, social, environmental, and public health benefits to a community.

The Advantages of Infill Development on Brownfield Sites

Economic Benefits

• Brownfield sites have the necessary infrastructure already in place.  Roads, water, gas, electric, sewer, and data networks have already been paid for by the public or private sector.   So, infill development makes good fiscal sense from both private investment and public expenditure stand points.  (Attracting Infill Development in Distressed Communities: 30 Strategies (EPA, 2015), p.12)
• Studies show that policies advocating more compact, mixed-use development could help increase property values and generate more property tax revenue per acre than those encouraging development on the periphery.  (Minicozzi, Joe. “Thinking Differently About Development.” Government Finance Review. Government Finance Officers Association. Aug. 2013)
• Deteriorating downtown industrial properties are often regarded as community landmarks of historical and cultural significance and have the potential to become tourist destinations.  (Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning, and Development Codes (EPA,2012), p.1)
• Infill development, especially when it involves the assessment and cleanup of any environmental contamination, not only encourages reinvestment in nearby properties but also contributes to smart growth economic development for small cities and towns.  (Framework for Creating a Smart Growth Economic Development Strategy: A Tool for Small Cities and Towns (EPA, 2016), p.31)
• Infill development helps rural communities maintain their "rural character" while strengthening their economies.  (Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning, and Development Codes (EPA, 2012), p.35)
• Most brownfields are in prime locations endowed with good access to major routes and transit networks, and within a walking distance of local communities.  These features make brownfields appropriate sites for smart growth redevelopment.  (Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning, and Development Codes (EPA, 2012), p.46)
• An EPA-sponsored study by Duke University School of Economics concluded that when brownfield sites are remediated, local property values adjacent to the remediated property may increase as much as 12.8%.  (Estimating the Impacts of Brownfield Remediation on Housing Property Values, 2012) 

Environmental Benefits

• Research shows infill development can reduce driving by bringing housing closer to daily destinations, relieving environmental costs of increased travel and sprawl.  (Ewing, Reid, and Robert Cervero. “Travel and the Built Environment.” Journal of the American Planning Association 76 (3). 2010.)
• Infill development helps small towns and rural communities that are under growth pressure to conserve farm land, natural landscapes, and rural/small town traditions.  (Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities, (ICMA, 2010), p.1)
• An EPA-sponsored study by George Washington University found that for every acre of brownfields that are redeveloped, 4.5 acres of greenfields are saved from development.  (Public Policies and Private Decisions Affecting the Redevelopment of Brownfields: An Analysis of Critical Factors, Relative Weights and Area Differentials, 2001) 

Social Benefits

• Infill development could be a response to America's changing demographics.  While there is still demand for suburban lifestyle, a strong tendency has recently emerged, particularly among the millennials, for living, working, and entertaining in vibrant, walkable neighborhoods in historic downtowns.  (What’s Next? Real Estate in the New Economy, (Urban Land Institution, 2011), p.9)
• Aging Baby-boomers seek smaller homes with less upkeep typically found in infill locations.  [What’s Next? Real Estate in the New Economy, (Urban Land Institution, 2011), p.9]
• Investment in established neighborhoods and downtowns can bring distressed communities back to life.  (Attracting Infill Development in Distressed Communities: 30 Strategies (EPA, 2015), p.6)
• Infill development can alleviate spatial segregation.  It can help achieve mixed-income communities and promote social equity by offering diverse housing options.  (Achieving Mixed Income Communities Through Infill? The Effect of Infill Housing on Neighborhood Income Diversity (Kim, 2015), p.280

​Health Benefits

• Brownfield redevelopment reduces pollution emissions and contaminants in the built environment and helps promote public health and wellness.  [Brownfield Redevelopment: Why Public Investments Can Pay Off (Kotval-K, 2016), p.276]
• Infill Development contributes to the public health of the community not only by promoting walkability but also by offering wide-ranging transportation options, improving air quality, increasing access to health-promotional services, and providing quality affordable housing.  [Infill Development in a Post-Redevelopment World (Domus Development, 2014), p.2; https://www.communitycommons.org/2014/10/benefits-of-infill-development/] 

Sources:

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BenDor, Todd K. & Metcalf, Sara S. “Conceptual Modeling and Dynamic Simulation of Brownfield Redevelopment.”

Brownfields Study Group 2015 Report. Investing in Wisconsin – Reducing Risk, Maximizing Return. (2015).

Chapin, Tomothy S. “Sports Facilities as Urban Redevelopment Catalysts.” Journal of the American Planning Association: Vol. 70 No. 2. (Spring 2004).

Coleman, Jean. “Model Community Agriculture and Forest Protection District – From Policy to Reality.” (2008).

Delta Institute. South Suburban Chicago Brownfield Coalition - Brownfield Prevention Program: Model Ordinance, Resources, and Data. (July 2002).

Domus Development. “Infill Development in a Post-Redevelopment World.” (January 2014).

Estimating the Impacts of Brownfield Remediation on Housing Property Values. (2012).

Ewing, Reid, and Robert Cervero. “Travel and the Built Environment.” Journal of the American Planning Association: 76 3. (2010).

Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Georgia Coastal Comprehensive Plan. (2008, November).

Greenland, Joelle S. “Resurrecting and Icon – Vermont Finds a Way to Clean Up a Really Bad Brownfield Site.” Planning, March 2013.

http://www.sustainablecitiesinstitute.org/topics/land-use-and-planning/urban-infill-and-brownfields-redevelopment

ICMA. Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities. (2010).

Johnson, Mark. “Brownfields are Looking Greener.” Planning, June 2001.

Kim, Jeongseob. “Achieving Mixed Income Communities Through Infill? The Effect of Infill Housing on Neighborhood Income Diversity.” Journal of Urban Affairs, (2015).

Kotval-K, Zeenat. “Brownfields Redevelopment: Why Public Investments Can Pay Off.” Economic Development Quarterly: Vol. 30[3] 275-282 (2016).

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Medda, Francesca R. “Financial Mechanisms for Historic City Core Regeneration and Brownfield Redevelopment.” (2017).

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Public Policies and Private Decisions Affecting the Redevelopment of Brownfields: An Analysis of Critical Factors, Relative Weights and Area Differentials. (2001).

Rhees, Suzanne. Design Standards for Pedestrian-Oriented Districts and Corridors – From Policy to Reality. (2008).

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