Brownfields Help Small Towns Retain History

by Kelly Novak, Research Manager

Most people dread driving hundreds of miles across the tranquil, rural countryside to vacation or retire in an environment that’s sprawling into a mundane, non-distinctive metropolis. People rave about towns like Beaufort, South Carolina and Sedona, Arizona because of their distinct character, history, charm, natural beauty and diversity.  Their small town persona, essentially, is the draw.

Indeed, as the U.S. population edges toward a projected 400 million by 2050, many communities are struggling to keep their small town persona as they inevitably grow.  Rather than digging into fresh greenfields and sprawling out, they are turning to the redevelopment of land already built, yet idled, abandoned and/or stigmatized by contamination– commonly known as brownfields.

The rural-urban continuum community of Selma, Alabama (pop. 20,512) is one of those small cities using brownfields redevelopment to sustain their small-town persona, preserve heritage and improve the environment.

Selma is 45-miles west of Montgomery and 80 miles south of Birmingham.  The town has views overlooking the Alabama River and is a hotbed for history. Selma was founded in 1820 by locals, and the future 13th U.S. Vice President, William Rufus King.  Several historic landmarks are weaved amongst brownfields, including the Brown Chapel A.M.E. church which was the headquarters for the 1965 Voting Rights marches lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Edmund Pettus Bridge where the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march “Bloody Sunday” attacks occurred.  Selma also houses Alabama’s largest historical district, the National Voting Rights Museum and numerous Civil War era antebellum homes.

Mayor James Perkins, Jr., twice elected and Selma’s first black Mayor commented, “A heritage as rich as ours ought to be preserved.  Redeveloping brownfields allows us the luxury to do just that.”  Mayor Perkins explained the idea is to clean up brownfields near the historic district and landmarks, which simultaneously discourages sprawl and reinforces Selma’s identity.

Selma’s community leaders have steered the small-town-preservation charge down both environmental and economic paths.  Environmentally, they have used funding from a 2001 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) brownfields program grant to redevelop a 50-acre manufacturing facility and assess other sites. A 2002 EPA Leaking Underground Storage Tank grant was used to reclaim three gas stations.  All sites are geographically relevant to the historic district and landmarks. 

Economically, the South Central Alabama Development Commission and Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission have been working with Selma on the extension of I-85.  Mayor Perkins said the connection will improve transportation infrastructure, and make redevelopment more desirable and marketable.  Selma also offers financial redevelopment enticements by means of industrial revenue bonds, and aggressive commercial lending sources through the Alabama-Tombigbee Regional Commission, which serves Selma.

In short, Selma’s brownfields redevelopment approach preserves its historic assets, charm, natural beauty and diversity, which makes it worth the drive and infinitely inviting.

For more information contact Mayor James Perkins Jr. at 334.874.2100 or sjamescity@earthlink.net or visit the EPA brownfields program Web site at www.epa.gov/brownfields. 

This article is funded under an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency.