The Leader - March/April 2009 - (Page 24) FAIRLANE GREEN: A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BY FORD LAND processing virtually all raw materials and building automobiles. Landfill operations were terminated at the site in the mid 1990s and the landfill cells were closed and capped. Development Opportunity The site is ideally located in a high density, historic, inner ring community surrounding Detroit. More than 150,000 vehicles pass the site daily via bordering freeways Interstate 94 and Michigan 39 and the 330,000 people living with 5 miles (8 kilometers) of the site earn an average annual household income of $57,000. Ford Land determined retail would be the highest and best use for the property as it would provide jobs, a strong tax base and meet an underserved retail demand in the community. City leaders, interested in spurring economic development, embraced the project. est landfill redevelopment in the state. MDEQ-approved landfill closure and development plans addressed protection of the landfill cap, monitoring and inspections, construction of utilities, load requirements and a soil buffer above the cap. As closure and redevelopment activities happened concurrently, communication and coordination with the city, county and state officials was critical. Financial Because of the additional costs required to develop the brownfield site, the viability of the project hinged on Ford Land's ability to receive tax incentives from the city and state under Michigan's brownfield pro- process, Ford Land obtained letters of intent from tenants to demonstrate the marketability of the project. Through the support of the city and state, Ford Land received a $30 million TIF (tax increment financing). It was, at the time, the largest ever awarded by the state of Michigan. It covers brownfieldrelated development costs including those required to protect the cap, accommodate utilities and reinforce side slopes. The TIF provided the business case to move the project forward. Legal In order for Ford Land to sell the surface development while retaining responsibility for the long-term care of the landfill, an innovative legal definition was utilized. A condominium ownership structure created new condo units above the landfill on “clean” property. In order to legally define and describe the condo units over the uneven sloping landfill surface, a matrix of survey points became the basis for what is believed to be the first variable threedimensional legal description in Michigan and possibly the country. This solution allowed Ford to sell surface development parcels to developers and tenants while retaining the underlying landfill and any associated liability. Challenges and Innovative Solutions There were a number of key challenges associated with this project, any of which could have halted the project had innovative solutions not been developed by the project team. ‡ Regulatory: How to gain approval to construct the largest retail center ever proposed over a landfill ‡ Financial: How to obtain brownfield tax credits to make the project financially viable ‡ Legal: How to separate the landfill from the surface in order to sell the property ‡ Engineering: How to construct over a hazardous waste landfill ‡ Sustainability: How to design and build an environmentally responsible development Fairlane Green returns a brownfield property to productive re-use, provides thousands of jobs, a strong tax base, and demonstrates responsible use of land and building resources. Engineering grams. Without them, development would not be economically feasible and the site would have sat dormant offering no value to the company or community. Ford Land examined other possible uses for the site, including a municipal golf course, but the financial return would have been minimal and the community was not enthusiastic. Recognizing the site's retail potential, Ford Land developed a conceptual site plan, obtained city approval for rezoning of the property, and helped the city establish a Brownfield Authority. During the rezoning Demographics and local market conditions attracted first class tenants, but they required assurance that the landfill could support their operations. To safely build on the landfill, innovative geotechnical engineering solutions were required to reduce post-construction settlement, manage methane gas, ensure slope stability and limit cap intrusions. The soil buffer required above the cap posed a challenge as the weight of the fill material was too much for the landfill to support. Instead, extremely lightweight, yet strong, geofoam blocks were used to create Regulatory Fairlane Green was made possible through extensive cooperation and support by public agencies. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality was instrumental in providing the regulatory approval needed to build Fairlane Green, the larg- 2 0 0 9 THE LE ADE R 24 MARCH / APRIL
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