Single Family
3. Site Improvements
3.1 Environmental Remediation
Mandatory
Conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and any additional assessments required to determine whether any hazardous materials are present on site. Provide on of the following: ASTM Transaction Screen, Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, or Phase II abatement plan, if required.
Green Communities Recommended Resources
More information about the ASTM Transaction Screen.
More information about Phase I Environmental Site Assessments Plans.
More information about Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Plans.
Green Communities and the Green Communities Criteria are a national initiative of Enterprise Community Partners to transform the affordable housing sector. For more information go to www.greencommunitiesonline.org
Minnesota Overlay
The national Green Communities Criteria are modified as follows:
Conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment for sites with five or more units where there has been a change in land use from industrial, commercial, institutional, or agricultural to residential; or for each individual residence where the unit is not connected to a city water supply.
Developments of five or more new units on previous residential land uses connected to a city water supply are exempt from this Phase I requirement.
Coordinate this requirement with 2.1a: Smart Site Location, Proximity to Existing Development.
Important Considerations
The ASTM transaction screen, Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) differ both in intent and scope.
The ASTM transaction screen is a method of site assessment involving interviews of owners and occupants of the property and a site inspection. The transaction screen can be completed by the owner or other party attempting to assess the environmental property risk. It is important to note that completion of the transaction screen does not shield owners from certain liabilities for cleanup under federal law.
A Phase I ESA is a more in-depth inspection of a site including a review of pertinent records, a site visit, interviews with past and present owners, occupiers and operators of a property, and interviews with local government officials. Many parts of the Phase I and Phase II ESAs can only be completed by a qualified professional.
A Phase II ESA is a more in depth study undertaken when a site is deemed to pose an environmental risk. It typically involves testing the site for contaminants. A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment can either be triggered by a Phase I ESA or a Transaction Screen. The primary purpose of a Phase II ESA is to determine the level of contamination identified in either the Phase I assessment or the Transaction Screen.
Innocent Landowners: Public Law 107-118, Section 223 clarifies what action landowners must take to satisfy the "all appropriate inquiries" requirement of the defense. After May 31, 1999: ASTM "Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessment: Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Process"
Codes and Regulations
Check with local municipalities for local requirements for Environmental Site Assessments and impact statements.
Specifications
00 31 24 (00340) Environmental Assessment Information 00 31 24 13 Soil Contamination Report 00 31 24 23 Environmental Study Impact Report 00 31 24 26 Environmental Impact Report Evaluation 00 31 24 29 Record of Environmental Impact Decision 00 31 24 33 Environmental Impact Mitigation Report
The information above refers to the Construction Specification Institute's (CSI) MasterFormat. The numbers listed above refer to some of the most relevant but not all of the possible MasterFormat sections related to this strategy. The 6-digit numbers refer to the newer 2004 MasterFormat edition. Numbers in parenthesis refer to the older 1995 edition.
Other Resources
Publications and Links
"Choosing an Environmentally 'Safe' Site." Office of Community Planning and Development., U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 2006.
This document provides a good background on possible site contaminants, liability protection under federal law, and an overview of assessment and mediation measures available.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has numerous resources regarding environmental site assessment and remediation. www.pca.state.mn.us
CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act)
A regulatory framework exists to qualify for CERCLA protections of liability. See www.epa.gov/brownfields.
See full list of recommended resources and links in our library.
Related Strategies
| S3: | Landscape to protect and restore native soils, ecology, and biodiversity |
