Though some brownfields are old industrial sites, others are commercial buildings with little or no environ-mental contamination. Brownfields could be former service stations, former dry cleaners, factories, warehouses, parking lots, hangers, lots where heavy machinery was stored or repaired, abandoned railroads, former railroad switching yards, air strips, bus facilities, landfills, and many more types of facilities. Many of these brownfields could be turned from possible liabilities into successful developments. If you answered yes to both questions, then you might own a brownfield. When brownfields sit idle, everybody loses.
Neighbors face environmental worries and reduced property values.
Cities see roads, sewers, and other infrastructure underused. And brown-field owners must deal with a long list of worries from potential lawsuits to deriving too little income from their property. When developers clean up brownfields and put them to new uses, many people benefit. Cleanups address environmental problems. Redevelopment can bring new jobs and higher tax revenues.