Real estate developers, environmentalists, and other public and private sector professional were honored at an awards ceremony during Brownfields 2013 in Atlanta, GA, May 16, 2013. The Phoenix Awards Institute, Inc. hosted the event to celebrate the 2011 and 2012 winners, including the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM).
The PWPM, located at 6700 Essington Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the largest fully-refrigerated wholesale produce market in the world. Situated on a 48.6-acre brownfield site that was formerly used as an auto salvage, tire disposal facility, scrap yard, and historical waste dump, this state of the art 700,000 sq. ft. facility now provides high quality, fresh produce to customers within a 500-mile radius. Environmental Standards, Inc. worked closely with project stakeholders for this brownfields redevelopment project.
These 20 Phoenix Awards sites are now used for LEED-certified green buildings, corporate headquarters, government buildings, college/university campuses, urban housing, major waterfront redevelopment projects, wetlands restoration, job creation and retention with “next-generation” manufacturing projects, and job training and community centers.
Two years of awardees were honored because the national brownfields conference is now on an 18-month cycle. The winning projects were selected by a panel of environmental professionals and business and government leaders based on 5 criteria:
- Magnitude of the problems and project
- Use of innovative techniques
- Cooperative efforts of multiple parties to undertake the project, including financing solutions
- Positive impact on the environment (e.g., green buildings, greenways, energy use)
- Project’s general and long-term impacts on the environment and community.
The 2011 winners are:
- Region 1: Commonwealth Dairy Facility, Brattleboro, Vermont
- Region 2: The Former Maxwell House Plant Redevelopment Project, Hoboken, New Jersey
- Region 3: Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market Project, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Region 4: Former Gautier Oil Company Site Restoration Project, Gautier, Mississippi
- Region 5: Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center Project, Chicago, Illinois
- Region 6: Oklahoma County – Tinker Aerospace Complex, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Region 7: The Rose of Des Moines / Iowa USTfield Project, Des Moines, Iowa
- Region 8: Denver Central Platte Campus Project, Denver, Colorado
- Region 9: Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life Project, Palo Alto, California
- Region 10: Port of Newport International Terminal Redevelopment Project, Newport, Oregon
The 2012 winners are:
- Region 1: Modern Electroplating Facility Redevelopment Project, Boston, Massachusetts
- Region 2: Revitalizing Hunts Point Project, Bronx, New York
- Region 3: Ranson / Charles Town Commerce Corridor Project, Ranson / Charles Town, West Virginia
- Region 4: Jackson Federal Courthouse Project, Jackson, Mississippi
- Region 5: Accident Fund Holdings, Inc. New National Headquarters / Ottawa Street Power Station Redevelopment Project, Lansing, Michigan
- Region 6: Devon Energy Center Development Project, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Region 7: emPowerU Campus Project, St. Joseph, Missouri
- Region 8: River Point at Sheridan Project, Sheridan, Colorado
- Region 9: Ohlone College Network Center Project, Newark, California
- Region 10: June Key Delta Community Center Project, Portland, Oregon
Created in 1997, this prestigious award honors individuals and groups working to solve critical environmental or social challenges, transforming blighted and contaminated areas into productive new uses and sustainable development projects. The Phoenix Awards are widely recognized as the outstanding award for achievement of excellence in Brownfield redevelopment. The Phoenix Award winners represent outstanding brownfield or environmental projects from each of the 10 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regions.
The Phoenix Awards were created and are coordinated by Denise Chamberlain, a brownfields expert, and are affiliated with the Phoenix Awards Institute, Inc., an environmental nonprofit located in Mechanicsburg, PA (Harrisburg area). The Executive Committee members are: Denise Chamberlain, ARCADIS; Linda Garczynski, MDB, Inc.; Charlie Bartsch, US EPA; Gail Cooper, US EPA; Lloyd Kirk, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality; Jill Gaito, Gaito & Associates; and Jim Snyder, ARCADIS.