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Dam Improvements Increase Fish Population

As part of our "Giving Back Program", Hull assisted the Boy Scouts of America in Toledo, Ohio with an improvement project for Lake Sawyer at Camp Miakonda in Sylvania Township, Ohio. The site is located in a relatively urban area adjacent to the Ottawa River. The area was created by an oxbow lake that was historically used by the camp for recreational purposes.

The work included assistance with a low head dam removal that was funded by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant. The objective in the dam removal was to increase fish movements within the area of the river. Hull's dam removal activities included:

• Sampling the sediment behind the dam;
• Performing a wetland delineation;
• Developing plans to improve wetlands;
• Working with the regulatory agencies to obtain 404 and 401 permits as required as a member of the Properties Committee for Camp Miakonda;
• Performing construction of educational trails and a boardwalk;
• Dredging of the sediment behind the dam to improve ecological and biological habitat;
• Developing construction plans for implementation of the improvements; and
• Being involved with securing grants for the work.

In addition to an increasing population of the fish within the lake, the dam removal has also increased educational opportunities for the camp and the community.

For more information, please contact Doug Evans, PE in our Dublin office at 614.793.8777 or devans@hullinc.com.

Hull Identifies Potential Redevelopment Targets for Growing Logistics Market

New Development at Duke Realty Corporation's Chesapeake Commerce Center in Baltimore, Maryland

Hull is working with Duke Realty Corporation (Duke) to aid in redevelopment of two former GM assembly plants located in Baltimore, MD and Linden, NJ. Duke selected Hull to represent its interests in the assessment of environmental liability and development of remedial strategies and cost estimates associated with these former manufacturing locations.

The Baltimore and Linden facilities housed GM automobile assembly operations for more than 70 years until their recent shut-down. Each facility is located on 100 (+) acre sites with more than 2.5 million square feet of manufacturing space under roof. Hull assisted Duke in identifying these properties as potential redevelopment targets for its growing logistics market. As a part of a cost benefit and acquisition analysis exercise, Hull provided risk evaluation and cost estimating services associated with potential costs that could ultimately be incurred during remediation and redevelopment of the Site. These liability assessment services included, but were not limited to:

• Thorough review of environmental documentation provided by GM;
• Preparation of an environmental and redevelopment constraints map and data gap report;
• Development of a demolition and environmental remediation strategy consistent with Duke's redevelopment plan;
• Performance of a probabilistic cost estimate considering information learned; and
• Assistance in developing an environmental insurance model and cost estimates.

Following Duke's acquisition of the sites, the team's priorities were to manage risk, streamline the cleanup process, demolish the structures quickly, and maintain GM's land use restrictions for the property, while at the same time, ensuring a collaborative approach with state and federal regulatory authorities. Hull provided administrative and management services associated with implementation of the remediation strategies, including administration of a competitive bidding process for hazardous residuals abatement and facilities demolition, and assistance in identification and selection of local technical and service providers. Due in no small part to the successes realized on these two projects, Hull continues to work with Duke in identifying other potential redevelopment opportunities that meet the strategic plan and objectives of the company.

For more information, please contact John Keil in our Toledo office at 419.385.2018 or jkeil@hullinc.com.

A Thriving Wetland Despite Ongoing Pollutant Inputs

Hull partnered with the City of Tiffin to negotiate a responsible site assessment and corrective measures strategy at a pre-1976 closed landfill owned by the City, in response to Clean Water Act violations issued by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The water quality violations included exceedances of surface water chemical criteria in landfill-related discharges to a wetland located off-site, which required a permit under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

Hull negotiated an innovative corrective measures strategy that featured alternative criteria for surface water discharges to wetlands. Under Ohio rules, in lieu of chemical discharge criteria developed specifically for wetlands, the most protective stream water quality standards are applicable to NPDES discharges to wetlands (Outside Mixing Zone Average). However, Ohio rules allow a discharger to propose higher discharge limits to wetlands, based on the well-established fact that wetlands have considerably higher pollutant assimilative capacity than streams.

Hull wrote a work plan for development of alternative wetland criteria for the site which has been incorporated into the Corrective Measures Plan and NPDES permit for the landfill (both pending approval).

When approved, the alternative wetland criteria work plan will be the first such plan approved in Ohio. Ongoing detailed ecological monitoring of the wetland strongly suggests that the wetland is thriving in spite of ongoing pollutant inputs. Assuming that the wetland can be shown not to have been degraded by surface and groundwater discharges from the landfill, the current pollutant concentrations in the discharges will become the site-specific applicable discharge criteria for the off-site wetland. This approach to addressing the water quality violations, if ultimately successful, will preclude the need for pumping and hauling groundwater to a wastewater treatment or construction and maintenance of an on-site treatment facility.

For more information, please contact Hugh Crowell in our Dublin office at 614.793.8777 or hcrowell@hullinc.com.

Duke Realty Corporation Expands Development Opportunities on East Coast

In December 2007, Duke Realty Corporation (Duke) acquired the former General Motors (GM) Linden Assembly Plant in Linden, New Jersey, and is currently working with Hull & Associates, Inc. (Hull) to demolish the facility and remediate the site to make way for future mixed-use retail and industrial development. This is Duke's second major brownfield redevelopment project on the East Coast; the company acquired the former GM Baltimore Assembly Plant in 2006 and is currently in the process of redeveloping the site for commercial and industrial uses.

The 104-acre Linden site is located at 1016 West Edgar Road in a mostly industrial area of the city and in close proximity to Port Newark and the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal, the second largest container port in the United States. With more than 2.7 million square feet of buildings onsite, Hull assisted Duke in developing bid specifications for clearing the site and is currently serving as the onsite representative providing oversight of demolition activities. Testa Corporation began demolition in February 2008 and is expected to complete all demolition activities in early 2009.

Hull is also coordinating environmental activities at the site as part of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) Site Remediation Program (SRP) and the Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA), and in conjunction with RCRA Corrective Action activities as administered by U.S. EPA Region 2. Hull is designing the assessment activities and ultimate remedial approach to incorporate redevelopment tools such as engineering controls to cost-effectively remediate the site while maintaining protection of human health and the environment.

The site was home to GM automobile assembly operations from 1937 to 2005, with workers producing nearly 9 million vehicles during its 68-year history, including Buicks, Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, the Chevrolet Blazer and the GMC Jimmy. During World War II, the plant was re-engineered to produce Grumman Wildcat fighter planes before automobile production resumed in 1946. During this time, the plant employed large numbers of local women who fondly became known as "Rosie the Riveters."

Based on anticipated schedules, it is expected that portions of the property will be ready for mixed-use retail and some industrial development in fall of 2008, with the balance of the industrial redevelopment ready for construction in late fall 2009.

For more information regarding Linden Assemby Plant, please contact Bill Dennis or Tim Acri in our Mason office at (513) 459-9677 or bdennis@hullinc.com or tacri@hullinc.com.

Harvard University Completes Case Study of Lakeview Bluffs Redevelopment

Lakeview Bluffs. It's one of the most creative brownfield redevelopment projects in the country underway today and it has been more than 30 years in the making. After nearly 10 years of negotiations, careful planning, risk assessment, and remediation, this 1,100-acre former home of the Diamond Shamrock Painesville Works located on Lake Erie is beginning to bear fruit - literally.

Contractors place armor stone to protect the Lake Erie shoreline from erosion.

It was during a tour of the 1-acre test vineyard in April 2007 with visiting scholars from Harvard University that the foundation for a formal case study of this dynamic redevelopment project really gained momentum. Building upon a guest lecturing opportunity at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design during the Brownfields 2006 Conference in Boston, Hull CEO Craig A. Kasper and Todd Davis, CEO of Hemisphere Development LLC, agreed to meet with professors and doctoral candidates from Harvard to provide the extensive background needed to complete the study.

"The Harvard University Graduate School of Design is world-renowned and extremely well-respected for its technical, social and political research associated with design and development projects," said Kasper. "To forge an educational and research relationship with Harvard, particularly for this project, is an incredible opportunity and we are extremely proud to have been selected for this study."

Doctor of Design candidate Andreas Georgoulias completed the case study in October 2007 under the supervision of School of Design professor Spiro N. Pollalis. The study itself has not only become a basis for class discussion at Harvard, it is drawing national attention from across the brownfield industry.

"The Lakeview Bluffs project was important for us in creating a case study aiming at the understanding of the intricate and complex processes of assessing, sharing, and managing risk," said Georgoulias. "Issues such as new identity creation and constraint-based design, together with the innovative collaboration of the engineering firm Hull and the developer Hemisphere, are some of the important lessons we learn from this case."

The 39-page study provides a comprehensive look at the historic operations on the property, the "mothballed" and underutilized condition of the site following the cessation of operations in 1976, the emergence of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980 and the 20 years of environmental litigation that followed, the redevelopment proposal for the site and the creative deal structure it took to make it happen, partnering with IMG to formulate the master development concept plan for the project, and the years of environmental assessment and remediation required to make Lakeview Bluffs a reality.

Stream restoration work is improving the Grand River Corridor.

Today, remedial and construction work is well underway at Lakeview Bluffs, including the construction of more than 1.2 miles of shoreline revetment along Lake Erie as part of the creation of a lakefront beach and park; the construction of an 18-hole golf course, golf academy and clubhouse; and the restoration of extensive streambank area along the Grand River. Upcoming construction projects include expansion of the vineyard; the development of The Bluffs golf residential community, winery and trout club facilities; the Lakefront Town Center and Lakeview Bluffs Resort Village, hotel and sports academy complex; and additional residential communities south of the Grand River.

Harvard is currently preparing to conduct an additional case study of Lakeview Bluffs specifically focused on risk communication. Work on this study is expected to begin in early 2008. Click here to view a copy of the recently-released study.

"We were very satisfied with our collaboration with all the firms involved in this project and we look forward in future case studies that address critical educational and industry issues," said Georgoulias.

Hull continues to participate in guest lecturing opportunities with the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, including a recent presentation in November 2007. Using Lakeview Bluffs as a case in point, this specific presentation focused on the technical, financial, and reputation risks that various stakeholders take in redevelopment projects and featured presentations by Kasper, Georgoulias and John Beauchamp, a senior vice president with XL Insurance.

For more information on the Harvard case study, contact Craig A. Kasper at 614.793.8777 or ckasper@hullinc.com, or Bill Rish at 614.793.8777 or wrish@hullinc.com. For more information on Hull's Urban Revitalization Practice and value added strategies for redevelopment projects, contact Practice Leader Eric Wilburn at 440.519.2555 or ewilburn@hullinc.com.