[CPEO-BIF] Portland, Oregon

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

The greening of brownfields
As buildable sites dwindle, developers turn to contaminated land

LAURA OPPENHEIMER
The Oregonian
June 08, 2006

Portland's hot real estate market has devoured vacant property and 
inflated prices on the remaining scraps of land.

Now, pressure is on to reclaim former industrial sites where 
contamination has stalled development.

Several local governments are studying these abandoned properties -- 
known as brownfields -- and trying to help transform them into 
productive businesses. If they succeed, today's ghost of a gas station 
could become condominiums or a neighborhood pub.

But the cost of cleansing contaminated land far outstrips the money 
available from a handful of government programs. Specialists say it's up 
to the private sector to take risks when the payoff is worth it -- which 
is more likely in today's frenzied market.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/114973534131820.xml&coll=7

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org

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