The Copper Leaf Project
Caption: View of 55-gallon drums and debris on site before cleanup and redevelopment
The Brownfields Land Recycling Program was part of a team led by the Neighborhood Services Department that redeveloped a 103-acre site located at 24th Street and Southern Avenue. The Copper Leaf subdivision is a 750-home, mixed-income community located in the South Mountain Area of Phoenix. The project is the result of a public-private partnership that included the local residents in the area, the city of Phoenix and Trend Homes of Arizona. The project was community-driven. Housing styles range from town homes to single-family floor plans.
Trend Homes was hesitant to risk the possibility of having to assume environmental clean up costs above what is usual and customary. The City agreed to assume all costs over a negotiated dollar amount by using funding from the City's Brownfields Land Recycling Program. This overcame a significant barrier to development and gave the developer the confidence to move forward. In the end, more than 10,700 tons of debris was removed, wells were abandoned, soil contamination was remediated, and more than 30 drums were removed from the site.
Caption: View of new homes constructed on site after cleanup.