The City Council last week moved to appropriate funds to address needs at the Uniroyal site.
Mayor’s order one allocated $350,000 for the ongoing coordination and technical support between the City and Michelin North America, the former owner of the property. This will provide greater certainty for both parties and expedite remediation and redevelopment of the former Uniroyal site.
Mayor’s order two designated $300,000 to complete the demolition of buildings 8 and 14 including the removal of asbestos and demolition debris, when costs in excess of grants were realized.
Mayor’s order three appropriates $75,000 for environmental cleanup of the Baskin Building site and the relocation and reuse of construction soils. This 11,000 square foot facility has the potential for retail and could produce a moderate level of revenue once the site is sold through a Request for Proposal (RFP).
Mayor’s order four uses $25,000 to prepare the former Facemate building lot for the request for proposal process (RFP). This lot has the potential to be a significant revenue generator for the City.
Totaling 3.85 acres, an RFP will soon be issued to have this property back on the market and returned to the tax rolls. Potential redevelopment includes a mixed-use concept focused on new housing.
Mayor’s order five provides $80,000 to backfill the lower tier of the Uniroyal site with urban earth such as asphalt, brick, concrete, and other excess construction soils. In order to level off the property from the dike to the middle tier, the City can take in excess construction soils and other materials. Coordination and approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is required for this activity to be approved. Design plans that evaluate loads to be imposed on the existing dike by fill material, plan for abandonment of flood control system, testing, receiving and compaction, protocalls for backfill evaluation of existing and required drainage systems along with design of that work will be included.
Mayor’s order six uses $30,000 for redevelopment of the Uniroyal administration building and building 27. These will be two (2) of the three (3) remaining buildings that the City will be attempting to repurpose as part of this redevelopment. An RFP will soon be issued for these buildings. This redevelopment project is expected to eventually generate tax revenue. In December 2014, the City allocated $185,000 for the stabilization and preservation of the former Administration Building (Building #26). Additional asbestos abatement needs to be addressed on the top 2 floors and elevator shaft which will make the entire building asbestos free. Potential redevelopment could include housing.
In a letter to Mayor Kos requesting the appropriation, Community Development Director Michael Vedovelli wrote “We are at a critical stage with the redevelopment of the former Uniroyal site as we continue to negotiate with Michelin North America on response actions and strive to identify revenue generating activities to help offset redevelopment costs.”
To date the City has used various city, state and federal sources to fund demolition and site preparation up to this point. The next round of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants which will not be available until 2016 and will only allow us to apply for up to these grants at $200,000 each which require a 20% match.
“This is an important redevelopment opportunity for the City and will continue to receive my administration’s focus and attention,” said Mayor Kos.