Help for Broken Real Estate

Brownfield Assessment, Investigation, and Cleanup

Are you looking for help for broken real estate? Vacant office buildings. Underutilized industrial sites. Empty commercial strip centers. Cities and owners alike struggle with the burden broken real estate leaves. We bring real expertise – and free services – to help recycle and repair urban properties, building recreational centers, neighborhood commercial districts, affordable housing, and jobs. We believe real estate should work for everyone and our tools are applicable to most every property, from industrial sites to historic high-rises. Together, let’s solve your broken real estate challenge.

  • Phase I Environmental Site Assessment
  • Phase II Environmental Site Assessments
  • What is Environmental Cleanup?
  • Funding for Environmental Cleanup
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment
What is a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment?

A Phase I, or Phase I ESA, is a report which identifies potential or existing environmental contamination. It addresses not only pollutants that may be located in the structures of a property but also any contaminants in the soil and groundwater under a property. It includes a review of both current and historic operations as well as environmental issues. If environmental concerns are identified, they will be called out as “Recognized Environmental Conditions” or RECs.

Typically, a Phase I ESA will cost $2,500+ depending on property size and complexity. A Phase I ESA is an important part of pre-acquisition site due diligence to assess business risk from a property purchase. A Phase I ESA is required as part of an application to obtain federal funding for site cleanup as well. Free Phase I ESA services can be obtained without charge through PartnerTulsa, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Corporation Commission, and US EPA for eligible applicants.

Phase II Environmental Site Assessments
What is a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment?

If Recognized Environmental Conditions, or RECs, are identified in a Phase I ESA, a Phase II ESA may be recommended. A Phase II ESA may involve sampling of suspect building materials, soil, groundwater, air, or vapor to confirm whether an environmental issue is present and to define the extent of the concern. A Phase II ESA typically costs $10,000 – $25,000, or more, depending on the size of the site and the extent of environmental concerns. This step is also an important part of pre-acquisition due diligence and can help a prospective purchaser understand what steps may be needed to make the site ready for reuse. Conversely, a Phase II ESA may also confirm that the suspected risks are not present and redevelopment can proceed without further action.

Free Phase II ESA services, as well as cleanup planning, can be obtained without charge through the PartnerTulsa, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Corporation Commission, and US EPA to eligible applicants.

What is Environmental Cleanup?
What is Environmental Cleanup?

Environmental Cleanup, also known as abatement or remediation, refers to actions taken to clean up environmental contamination. These actions may be conducted to address issues in soil and groundwater or on inside physical structures. Some examples include removal of buried fuel storage tanks or excavation of contaminated soil, abatement of asbestos or removal of lead-based paint from a building.

Depending upon the type of material to be remediated, a State agency will be involved in providing oversight of cleanup activities. Asbestos abatement is overseen in the State of Oklahoma by the Department of Labor. Fuel and oil cleanup is managed by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Soil and groundwater cleanup is overseen by the Department of Environmental Quality. These agencies can provide additional information on cleanup objectives for property reuse.

 

Funding for Environmental Cleanup

Finding Funding for Environmental Cleanup

Once due diligence has been completed that identifies an environmental concern, many owners and prospective purchasers will begin looking for resources to support site cleanup and redevelopment. In Oklahoma, several funding sources are available to support site cleanup including:

  • In the city of Tulsa, low interest environmental cleanup bridge loans and subgrants are available to for-profit entities and non-profit groups, respectively, through PartnerTulsa and the city’s  Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (BRLF). In 2023, an additional $900,000 was made available locally. You can review the city’s BRLF process online as well as prepare your application.
  • The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) provides funding for former gas station cleanup, through the OCC Brownfield RLF.  The OCC also administers a Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Indemnity Fund, created by the Legislature in 1989 to assist the owners of former gas stations with the legacy of leaking tanks.
  • The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Brownfield RLF provides cleanup loans to for-profit entities and subgrants to municipalities and non-profit groups.
  • Owners of abandoned oil and natural gas well sites can obtain cleanup services from the Oklahoma Energy Resource Board. Since that program began, over 19,000 oilfield properties have been cleaned up across the state – free of charge to the landowner.

Contact Us

Michelle Barnett
Svp, Economic & Workforce Development michelle@partnertulsa.org (918) 805-0292

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