brownfields

Project Background:

Located in an area where poverty and unemployment rates are among the county’s highest, this 45-acre property along the 

Delaware River has a history of industrial uses. It was originally a ship building facility in the early 1900s. In 1940 it was used for 

storage of salt products, and in 1943 the federal government acquired the property for aluminum refining and cryolite production. 

Beginning in 1950, the property was used for blending chemicals for cleaning and lubricating agents, as well as the repackaging of 

bulk materials including refrigerants and hydrochloric acid. In 1989, the property was sold to Atochem and used for the repackaging 

and warehousing of Forane, a refrigerant. The property was vacant from 1997 until 2000, when it was acquired by Bensalem 

Redevelopment, LP. Prior to 2003, environmental assessments were completed on portions of the property. In order to combat the 

blight and vacancies affecting the community, in 2003, using a $200,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and

Economic Development and a match of $100,000 from Bensalem Township, Penn Environmental and Remediation, Inc. conducted 

an assessment of the property and prepared a work plan for cleanup. In 2005, the Redevelopment Authority (RDA) of Bucks County 

was awarded a $200,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant and a $975,000 EPA RLF grant. The RDA used its RLF grant to loan to the 

property developer, Mignatti Companies, to assist with cleanup.

key accomPlishments:

•	Leveraged $5.3 million in loan funds for the cleanup from PENNVEST

•	Reduced threats to human health and the environment caused by nearly 100 years of

various industry waste

•	Redeveloping the site as a mixed-use area to create jobs, increase revenue, and serve as a

catalyst to revitalize nearby brownfields

outcome:

Brownfields funding was used to clean up hazardous substances, including volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic 

compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides and arsenic at the Riverfront South Bensalem site.		Grant funds will also be used

for public health monitoring at the site, and community notification and outreach. This public health initiative is particularly important, 

as nearly 60,000 people live in the target area around the Riverfront South Bensalem cleanup site. Cleanup of the site has reduced

threats to human health and the environment caused by nearly 100 years of waste release from various industries. The RDA of Bucks 

County, in partnership with Mignatti Companies, has begun to develop the site as a mixed-use area that will include housing, office

and retail space, restaurants, and greenspace.		This redevelopment will create jobs, increase tax revenues, and serve as a catalyst

to return other brownfields in the area to productive use. In addition, this project has created new opportunities for homes and

recreation along the Delaware River riverfront. A community site plan has been developed for a new neighborhood on the site that 

will be adjacent to a public park and remediated wetland along the riverfront.

Area With an Industrial Legacy Becomes a Community Asset

at-a-glance

RiveRfRont South

Bensalem, PA

Cleanup and Revolving Loan Fund Grants

EPA-560-F-10-227

July 2010

For additional data and geographic information for this and 

other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA’s Cleanups in 

My Community: http://iaspub.epa.gov/Cleanups/

address: 2375 State Road, Bensalem, PA 19020

ProPerty size: 45 acres

Former uses: Salt refining storage; aluminum refining and 	cryolite

production plant; chemical blending and bulk repackaging

facility; Forane repackaging and warehousing

current use: Mixed-use area, including housing, office and retail space,

restaurants, and greenspace

ePa grant reciPient:

The Redevelopment Authority of Bucks 

County received a $200,000 EPA Brownfields 

Cleanup grant and a $975,000 Brownfields 

Revolving Loan Fund grant in 2005

Project Partners:

Pennsylvania Department of Community and 

Economic Development, Bensalem Township, 

Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment 

Authority (PENNVEST), Mignatti Companies

foR MoRe infoRMAtion: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 3 at (215) 814-5000 

The Riverfront South area during cleanup.