Redevelopment in Lealman Moves Forward;
Community Brownfields Area Approved

On Tuesday, September 20, 2005, the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners (BCC) unanimously passed a resolution designating an area-wide brownfield in Central and East Lealman.  This is Pinellas County’s first area-wide brownfield designation and the resolution follows a public hearing held by the Local Planning Agency of the BCC on August 9, 2005 to address concerns and provide a forum for public input and comments on the proposed designation.

The designation of Central and East Lealman as a Brownfields Area supports several years’ worth of revitalization planning and projects in the Lealman community by the Pinellas County Community Development Department. The Lealman designation will allow the County to implement performance-based redevelopment incentives that encourage companies to invest in revitalization of commercial and industrial properties so that idle properties can again contribute to the tax base. It also opens the door to federally appropriated funds for projects in Brownfields Areas such as affordable housing and creation of greenspace.  As stated by Teri Hasbrouck of Pinellas County Economic Development, “This area-wide designation is one step in fulfilling the commitment that Pinellas County made to the Lealman community in the 2001 Revitalization Plan for the Lealman Community.” 

A Brownfields Area includes a group of parcels that are abandoned, idled or underused industrial and commercial properties on which expansion or redevelopment is complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination.  Designating an area as a Brownfield can spur redevelopment efforts, revitalize a community, improve the environment, fuel job growth, increase property values and standard of living, promote secondary business creation and provide reduced construction costs and financial incentives for local businesses.