Anti-Displacement Measures for Brownfield Developments

Smart Growth America (SGA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization recently created a set of anti-displacement fact sheets.

The fact sheets “highlight strategies communities can use to help mitigate displacement in the context of brownfields redevelopment,” according to an article by Jared Klukas. “Although there are many approaches to mitigating displacement during and after the completion of a brownfield redevelopment process, many communities may be unfamiliar with specific tools or how they can be implemented.”

The list of fact sheets reveals some of the tools explored as options for anti-displacement measures connected to brownfield mitigation and development. Titles include “Community Benefit Agreements,” “Community Land Trusts,” “Inclusionary Zoning,” “Small Business Preservation,” and “Tax Abatement.”

The fact sheet for inclusionary zoning (IZ), always a hot topic in planning debates, lists the benefit of the tool as the maintenance of affordable housing and housing affordable for a range of incomes in context of rising housing prices. “Research shows that inclusionary zoning programs are most effective when they are mandatory and coupled with incentives that encourage development. Incentives used to attract and encourage IZ programs for developers include density bonuses, fee waivers, parking reductions, and more streamlined and expeditious permit approval processes,” reads the fact sheet.

To create the fact sheets, the organizations conducted interviews with community groups and municipal leaders from across the country for insight into what works and what doesn’t.