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The Palouse Producers property represents an opportunity for the Palouse community to turn a liability into an asset and build new energy for the continued revitalization of all of the downtown area. The City of Palouse (City) received an Integrated Planning Grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to craft a plan that integrates environmental, economic and community perspectives to set the course for cleanup and redevelopment of the property. An ad hoc Brownfield Committee has been established by the City to lead this planning process. The consulting firm of Maul Foster & Alongi, Inc. has been contracted to support the City on the project.
The Palouse Producers property is located at 335 East Main Street in downtown Palouse. The property sits between the new Palouse Health Clinic building (old school gym) and the Bagott Motors car dealership on the bank of the North Fork Palouse River. |
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The historical industrial uses of the property have left a legacy of contaminants in the soil and groundwater of the property. Cleanup actions were conducted on the property in the 1980’s, but recent sampling conducted through a Targeted Brownfield Assessment study (linked below) discovered contaminants remaining in the soil and groundwater that exceed today’s Washington State Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) cleanup standards. Concentrations of petroleum-related chemicals and heavy metals were detected in groundwater near the former gasoline pump station and fuel storage tanks. Subsurface soil samples in these locations contained concentrations of similar chemicals and metals above cleanup minimums.
Cleanup of the property will be required before or simultaneously with redevelopment. The integrated planning process is important for the cleanup effort because the type of future use of the property will drive the methods, extent and design of the cleanup.
Objectives
The integrated planning process for cleanup and reuse of the Palouse Producers property is intended to achieve the following objectives:
- Create a consensus vision for future use of the Palouse Producers property and the continued revitalization of the City.
- Position the Palouse Producers site for cleanup of environmental contamination through redevelopment of the property.
- Position the City to acquire the Palouse Producers property, if they so choose.
- Develop strategies for economic development related to the Palouse Producers property that benefit existing and potential new businesses and the community.
- Develop plans to enhance the Palouse riverfront through improved connectivity with downtown, public access, and habitat restoration.
- Provide logical step-by-step process and tools to achieve the vision.
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Status of the Planning Process
An initial assessment of cleanup and redevelopment of the property has been completed. The Existing Conditions Report describes compiles information related to the property and assesses the challenges and opportunities for cleanup and redevelopment.
Based on the initial assessment, the Brownfield Committee and MFA are moving forward on the following areas:
(1) Developing strategies for redevelopment of the property and continued revitalization of downtown Palouse, (2) Conducting additional sampling to fill data gaps related to hazardous substances on the property, and (3) Assessing natural resource and geotechnical issues with the property. |
As part of a statewide effort to assess the economic impacts of redeveloping brownfield properties, Ecology has also commissioned a financial analysis of this project. View the Economic and Fiscal Impact Model.
Building Partnerships and Community
Several classes at Garfield-Palouse High school will be getting involved in this project as a hands-on learning opportunity. The students will be conducting several projects including:
- Researching the property history to support environmental due diligence
- Monitoring the Palouse River to inform stream bank habitat restoration planning.
- Business planning to support targeting of potential investment opportunities and future use of the property.
- Audio-visual projects to present results of projects and record the Integrated Planning Process.
A 300 level landscape architecture class from Washington State University have also gotten involved in helping the community to plan for ways to improve access to the Palouse river and connections between Main Street, the Shady Lane Trail, and city parks. View the results of their class projects.
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