According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a brownfield is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In simple terms, a brownfield is property that is vacant or underused because it is contaminated, or people think it might be contaminated.  

Brownfields may make you think of dirty, blighted, abandoned industrial property, but that image is too narrow. Though some brownfields are old industrial sites, others are commercial buildings with little or no obvious signs of contamination. Brownfields could be former service stations, warehouses, dry cleaners, abandoned rail rights-of-way or residential properties with underground storage tanks. 

Some brownfield sites are actively being used while pollutants remain in the soil or groundwater. Such contamination can become an issue when property owners want to expand their business, pursue redevelopment, or sell their land.

The Hillsboro Brownfields Initiative can provide technical and financial assistance to private businesses and landowners, prospective buyers, community members, and/or community-based and nonprofit organizations.  

If contamination is interfering with the property’s reuse, an environmental site assessment can provide information about its history and current condition to help you make an informed investment decision.

A full environmental assessment can take up to several months. However, it is well worth the investment of your time compared to the risk of buying a site with unknown contamination or locating contamination on your property after construction has started.