The Ontario Municipal Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox™
was developed as a guide and resource for Ontario municipalities to
assist them with urban renewal, redevelopment and revitalization.
Redevelopment is the re-use of languishing assets on idle sites and
embraces the concept of Sustainable Development and ‘Smart Growth’.
It focuses on the redeployment of ‘used’ land, often referred
to as Brownfields and effectively utilizes our current land inventory
and community infrastructure. Development on the other hand, applies
to ‘new’ undeveloped land or Greenfields and is a contributor
to further urban sprawl. When examining the rejuvenation of idle sites
(which may or may not have environmental concerns), developers re-employ
capital that has already been spent on the existing infrastructure for
hard and soft costs (roads, power grids, sewers, transit, police, proximity
to labour sources, proximity to central city core and amenities, etc.).
Alternately, when undertaking development on ‘green’ sites,
the developers and planners create an immediate necessity for the community
to commit additional funds to make these new sites development-ready.
Toolbox Components
1.) The 10 Key Elements
of a Redevelopment Strategy presents the basic elements of the
Brownfields Toolbox. Municipalities should consider all elements when
creating a vision for community improvement and brownfields redevelopment.
2.)
The Brownfields Decision Tree outlines
the Five Steps to Redevelopment in the Brownfields Toolbox through a flow
chart. The Decision Tree displays the stages and “thought process” that
a municipality should follow for brownfields redevelopment.
3.) The 5 Steps to Redevelopment is the basis of
the Ontario Municipal Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox. Municipalities
can access each step that identifies common obstacles, issues, mandatory
requirements, resources, tools and solutions to assist in successful redevelopment.
Note: The Ontario Municipal Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox is
an evolving tool and process that assist municipalities with
community improvement and brownfields redevelopment. Each municipality
can use and adapt components of the Toolbox to address
their needs.
Brownfields are abandoned, idle or underutilized industrial
or commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated
by real or perceived environmental contamination, building deterioration/obsolescence
and/or inadequate infrastructure. Brownfields are further defined
in the section: Defining
Brownfields.
It is the process of developing properties that have the potential
for redevelopment. These sites, typically in urban settings, pose
significant barriers for redevelopment, but with the right strategies,
incentives and actions there is the opportunity to transform them
into a municipal asset as part of a sustainable community.
The Ontario Municipal Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox has
been developed as a guide and resource for Ontario municipalities
to assist them with urban renewal, redevelopment and revitalization.
The toolbox has been designed to address common issues encountered
by an Ontario municipality during the creation and implementation
of a Brownfields Redevelopment Strategy. The toolbox provides common
scenarios, examples, resources, presentations and links to relevant
information. Training workshops are available through BLOOM.
The Brownfields Toolbox has been designed to be an evolving
online feature on the aboutREMEDIATION website. The Brownfields
Toolbox has not be put into publication.
The toolbox was written by BLOOM with assistance from the Ontario
Toolbox Development Team. The toolbox has been reviewed and edited
by the Toolbox Partners. Funding support for the creation of the
toolbox and brownfield knowledge workshops was provided in part
by the Ontario Toolbox Funding Organizations
At this moment, funding support has only been received for the
creation of an Ontario Brownfields Toolbox and Knowledge Workshops,
with a focus on the municipal perspective. Additional funding support
and development partners are required to expand the toolbox to other
provinces and territories.
1.) The 10 Key Elements
of a Redevelopment Strategy presents the basic elements of the
Brownfields Toolbox. Municipalities should consider all elements when
creating a vision for community improvement and brownfields redevelopment.
2.)
The Brownfields Decision Tree outlines
the Five Steps to Redevelopment in the Brownfields Toolbox through a flow
chart. The Decision Tree displays the stages and “thought process” that
a municipality should follow for brownfields redevelopment.
