Warner Avenue Brownfield
Project Overview: 825 Warner Avenue SW
Trees Atlanta submitted a Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (BRLF) subgrant application to the City of Atlanta and Invest Atlanta for the remediation of 825 Warner Avenue SW prior to the redevelopment of the site for their headquarters. This 2.9 acre parcel is located in the Murphy Crossing area of the Oakland City neighborhood of Neighborhood Planning Unit S and in Atlanta Council District 12. The City of Atlanta Brownfield Program is funded with grants from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The property is currently developed with a one-story warehouse building. In the 1930s, F.E. Golian Company which manufactured structural and ornamental steel operated from the site. C.L. Fain Company, a whole sale produce company, operated at this location in the 1950s. In the early 1960s-1970s, Armour & Company operated a wholesale meat company on the property. Moms Bakery operated a commercial bakery on the property from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s. The artists’ studio known as “the Bakery” operated on the site for the past several years. Trees Atlanta purchased the site in 2019.
Remediation Plan
As part of the due diligence prior to purchasing the site, Trees Atlanta conducted a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment which included the collection and analysis of soil samples from the site. This analysis identified lead contamination in the soils above Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s (EPD) Risk Reduction standards. Trees Atlanta entered the property into the Georgia Brownfield Program prior to the purchase of the property and has an EPD approved Correction Action Plan (CAP) for the site.
Based on the ESA investigations and the Corrective Action Plan, a cleanup action has been developed to include delineation of lead impacted soils, soil removal, site restoration, development of a compliance report and project close-up. The site remediation is estimated to take about 2 months. Upon delineation, impacted soil will be excavated horizontally and vertically to where no impacts are detected above the approved Georgia EPD Type 4 Risk Reduction Standards. According to estimates, approximately 563 cubic yards (CY) or 810 tons soil will be excavated and removed. If additional impacts are encountered, then additional soil excavation may be required to achieve unconditional closure status. A waste profile will be developed for disposal of the impacted soil in a Subtitle D Landfill.
Trees Atlanta Headquarters
Trees Atlanta, a nonprofit community group that protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating has nearly tripled is staff size over the past decade. To have its growing staff in one location, Trees Atlanta will be building its headquarters on this site.
The new Trees Atlanta state of the art 20,000 square‐foot headquarters building will allow it to reach new, diverse audiences, expand youth and adult education, its green job training initiative ‐ Youth Tree Team, and community volunteer programming. The site will be reforested with an educational meadow, walking trails spurring from the BeltLine, and multiple outdoor education and gathering spaces. Indoor amenities include offices for Trees Atlanta staff, multiple classrooms, a rentable event space, operations and storage facilities, and a tenant space to be leased to an environmental nonprofit. Trees Atlanta submitted a BRLF subgrant application to the City of Atlanta and Invest Atlanta for the remediation of 825 Warner Avenue SW prior to the redevelopment of the site.
Cleanup Documents
As part of Brownfield Revolving Loan process, Trees Atlanta Environmental Consultant and the City of Atlanta’s Qualified Environmental Professional, Cardno, prepared several documents required by EPA. These are:
The Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) includes a review the site’s history, exposure analysis, cleanup objectives and cleanup alternatives (No action, Implementation of institutional controls such as capping and barring access to contaminated soil and Excavation and removal of contaminated soil). The most effective cleanup option is the removal of contaminated materials from the parcel to limit the impacts to human health and the environment
The Site-Specific Quality Assurance Project Plan (SSQAPP) outlines the participants involved and their roles in the cleanup, cleanup activities to be conducted, data quality objectives, sampling design, analytical sampling methodologies, and quality control/quality assurance (QA/QC) requirements.
Cleanup Costs
A subgrant of up to $150,000 will pay 80% of the remediation costs and Trees Atlanta will pay 20% of the costs
Community Involvement
Community involvement is a key component of the brownfield program. A virtual community meeting will be held on October 26, 2020 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Comments and questions regarding the Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) and Site-Specific Quality Assurance Project Plan (SSQAPP) as well as general questions can be sent to Jessica Lavandier at jlavandier@atlantaga.gov.
For additional information please click the links below.