Brownfield Characterization (Environmental Site Assessments - Phase II)

The City of Plessisville wants to characterize six brownfield sites with a view to increasing its population; it must build on rare underdeveloped properties that were previously industrial sites or were contaminated by adjacent factories. Renewal and a zoning change would increase population density on land that is already fully serviced and would contribute to the municipality’s economic revitalization while reducing urban sprawl encroachment on farmland. With this project, the City of Plessisville wants to achieve the following objectives: • Increase population density • Increase economic development • Enhance the natural environment • Restore economic productivity to the brownfield in compliance with provincial soil quality standards • Increase the financial viability of local commerce • Increase the use of active transportation • Optimize occupancy of urban space by promoting diversity, mixed use and accessibility. Most of the lots concerned are near a cement factory. The City of Plessisville has developed a strategy of purchasing properties bordering the company and is negotiating a relocation agreement with the cement factory. The town will study the contamination level on these lots with Phase II environmental site assessments (ESAs) and will develop remediation plans. The Phase II ESAs will describe current soil and groundwater contamination with boreholes, observation wells and sample analysis. The City of Plessisville hopes to remediate and develop the six properties in different ways. The lot bordering a woodland and river will be developed into a nature park. For the other lots, the town will adopt an overall development plan to change the lots’ zoning to residential. The City of Plessisville also has a sustainable neighbourhood project where future developers will be required to build urban-style condominiums to increase the population density. The knowledge value lies in the town acting as prime contractor for this remediation and redevelopment project. The lessons to be learned by small municipalities facing the same challenge of redeveloping former industrial lots involve brownfield redevelopment, zoning changes from industrial to residential or commercial and negotiation of a relocation and industrial-property-purchase agreement. (Project description from original funding application)