BRS Projects

Magic Marker Site

BRS, Inc. helped redevelop a contaminated former industrial property in Trenton into mixed income housing units.

History

The seven-acre Magic Marker site in Trenton, NJ, was once used for commercial battery and magic marker manufacturing. By 1989, the site was abandoned, leaving behind empty buildings and soil that was contaminated with lead and other chemicals.

Local property owners decided to redevelop the site, since it was in the heart of a residential area and causing distress to the neighborhood. There were many challenges associated with redeveloping this contaminated industrial property. The greatest was obtaining the funding necessary to address the contamination left at the site. Other challenges included negotiations with the potential responsible parties, land acquisition, redevelopment planning, regulatory compliance, and construction issues.

With BRS’s help, the former Magic Marker site was redeveloped into mixed income housing units, while an adjacent contaminated drainage swale was restored and redeveloped into public open space. By 2009, after more than a decade of investigation and cleanup, over $11 million was leveraged in redeveloping this contaminated industrial property into 42 homes and associated infrastructure improvements.

BRS’s role:

• Obtained and managed a cleanup grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) a loan from the USEPA’s revolving loan fund, and several grants from the NJ Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF), along with capital funds provided by the City of Trenton;
• Served as the owner’s representative for the management of the restoration and redevelopment of the adjacent drainage swale into public open space;
• Served as a liaison between the client and regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with all regulations and ensure an efficient process; and
• Coordinated the public involvement process, including preparing a community outreach plan, facilitating public meetings, and addressing resident concerns.

Learn more about our Brownfields and Funding services.