Brisbane leaders show lack of understanding about cleaning up brownfields
Regarding “No easy solutions for housing” (Letters, Jan. 12): With respect to the Brisbane Baylands, the city of Brisbane recently claimed that Universal Paragon Corp. hasn’t committed to fully cleaning up the site and further reinforced this at a Jan. 16 council meeting by indicating that the cleanup at the nearby Schlage site is insufficient. These statements by city leaders and staff demonstrate a lack of understanding of the remediation process, and contradict the engineering, technology and science behind these well-established and accepted remediation techniques.
Engineering and institutional controls are important tools that ensure the safety of those who live, work and play on redeveloped brownfield sites. This is what we see in communities across the country, including Bay Street in Emeryville and the Mission Bay neighborhood in San Francisco. Consideration of the Baylands after 13 years shouldn’t culminate in a decision-making process driven by fear and misinformation; worse than in- action is action that ignores facts. I have attended several council hearings and consistently provided Center for Creative Land Recycling’s no-cost technical assistance services as a resource. I am hopeful that Brisbane will reach out to us or other wellrespected experts in our industry for guidance and assistance. Redeveloped brownfields are a core component of thriving cities and are safely redeveloped every day.
Sarah Sieloff, executive director, Center for Creative Land Recycling, Oakland