Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR)

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Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR)

To date, CCLR has educated nearly 5,000 community stakeholders through our workshops.
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The Center for Creative Land Recycling is a non-profit that offers technical assistance and programs targeted at contaminated or underutilized site redevelopment. Our graduates return to their communities with new tools and resources, ready to tackle redevelopment. Additionally, CCLR provided catalytic policy leadership on two innovative funding programs in California: the Calreuse Lo

an and Grant Program and the Urban Infrastructure Grant Program. Combined, these programs allocated nearly $900 Million for brownfield cleanup and redevelopment with priority funding going to under-resourced communities. Finally, As the brownfield expert in California's land reuse program, CCLR helped communities obtain nearly $73 million in forgivable loans and grants for site assessment and cleanup. Projects receiving these funds will create more than 12,600 new residential units including significant affordable and special-needs housing, 60,000 square feet of retail, 818,000 square feet of commercial, and 1,500 acres of open space. PROGRAMS
• Technical Assistance: CCLR offers pro bono technical assistance to certain nonprofit developers, community-based groups, and municipalities for redevelopment projects. In addition to helping communities revitalize land, the objective of this program is to gain a better understanding of the conditions that lead to underutilized land and the barriers to brownfield redevelopment, particularly in under-served communities. We use these case studies to inform our programs and policy efforts in order to develop and implement solutions that can bring other redevelopment projects to completion. CCLR also offers fee-for-service consulting and technical assistance in support of land recycling and brownfield redevelopment efforts for a diverse range of groups. CCLR serves as a trusted advisor, facilitator, and project manager focusing on the environmental components of brownfield redevelopment.
• Workshops
Recycling land requires specialized knowledge and tools in order to manage complicated environmental issues. CCLR’s practical, interactive workshops provide project managers and stakeholders with the tools, techniques and resources required for remediating and redeveloping environmentally distressed properties. CCLR developed its training program after documenting a clear community need for education regarding the management of the technical, legal, regulatory, and financial hurdles that can impede the successful reuse of brownfields.
• Policy: CCLR draws upon its wealth of experience with redevelopment projects to inform policy research and advocate reforms with the goal to make land recycling an encouraged, economically-feasible pattern of development. CCLR promotes reform of state and local land use and development policies that help level the playing field between brownfields and greenfields, the undeveloped areas at the outskirts of metropolitan regions. CCLR provides leadership on land use initiatives at both the state and federal level that work toward creating a regulatory regime that meets the needs of communities and sensibly weighs risks and rewards. CCLR’s research program provides a scientific foundation to support our progressive policy initiatives.

06/05/2026

Thank you to our wonderful Board members who gathered this week for a planning retreat! Then, the CCLR team and 80 of our closest Bay Area colleagues gathered for our annual ReConnect Happy Hour.

We had a wonderful time sharing success stories, visioning for the future, and networking with inspiring brownfield leaders! Thank you to Cox Castle for hosting, to SCS Engineers for donating the wine, Claire Weston for creating the signature cocktail and Ginger Mills for the amazing catering.

05/28/2026

🌱 Sustainability Showcase: City and County of Honolulu 🌱

This mixed-use transit-oriented project includes an entirely electric rail transit center (Kuwili Station) and over planned 1,500 units of affordable homes.

The project is facilitating reuse of nearly two-dozen brownfields and will create a low-emission, dense, and accessible future for a historically under-invested neighborhood, creating up to 27,000 new homes, shops, and businesses.

The Iwilei Kuwili Station is also an important expansion to existing light rail and bus transit in Honolulu. With more stations and connections, the city hopes to see increased public transit ridership.

CCLR is proud to have supported Honolulu's vision through a Vision to Action workshop series which aligned project stakeholders and catalyzed additional investments.

05/22/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended CCLR, EPA Region 9 and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection's 2026 Nevada Brownfields Workshop in Las Vegas!

We heard expert presentations on topics ranging from Brownfields 101 to community engagement best practices and stacking funding for project success. Plus, got a chance to visit some exemplary sites of brownfield reuse providing opportunities for Las Vegas residents to live, work, and play in healthy, clean environments!

05/15/2026

EPA has announced the FY27 brownfield grant funding amounts. Bottom line: reduced funding will increase competition.

If you plan to apply for a MARC grant this autumn, schedule a meeting with CCLR now to understand these changes and to begin preparing a competitive grant application.

FY27 funding levels: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/marc-grant-application-resources

Schedule a meeting with CCLR: https://calendly.com/cclr-ta/land-reuse-technical-assistance?month=2026-05

This page contains Multipurpose, Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Application Resources.

05/12/2026

One week left to submit a sessions proposal for CALRC 2026!

This year,
💡Imagine the possibilities of brownfield reuse
🔬Innovate solutions to common challenges
🏗 Implement tested practices to keep our project on time and budget

Submit a session and register at calrc.info

05/06/2026

🌱 Sustainability Showcase Tanner Springs Park, Portland, OR 🌱 Brownfield redevelopment provides a unique opportunity for communities to embrace sustainability by: reducing GHGs, protecting/restoring native habitats, utilizing nature-based solutions, increasing neighborhood resiliency, or employing sustainable building methods.

Located in Portland's Pear District, Tanner Springs Park is a one-acre park that captures and cleans urban run off, and provides space for native species and humans alike to enjoy a piece of nature in the middle of the city.

This area of Portland was once home to vast mashlands and rich biodiversity. As the city grew, the wetlands were drained to make room for a railyard, industrial facilities and warehouses. Times changed once again and the once bustling industrial area declined, making space for redevelopment and recreation of some of the lost wetland environment.

GreenWorks, PC and Atelier Dreiseitl worked with the City of Portland Parks & Recreation Dept to daylight Tanner Springs and develop a new park on this brownfield site. Contaminated soil was capped and biological filtration added atop to clean runoff before it enters the Willamette River.

From mashland to railyard to sponge park, Tanner Springs Park shows how brownfield reuse is restoring natural systems and increasing community resiliency.

04/30/2026

Community land trusts are emerging as an important tool for turning brownfields into long-term community benefits.

If you’re a planner, policymaker, or advocate interested in learning how community land trust models can support brownfield redevelopment, join CCLR and Smart Growth American on Wednesday, May 6, at 2 pm ET.

During the webinar, a panel of six practitioners will share real-world case studies, practical lessons, and highlight resources to help you transform these sites into lasting community assets.

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gh-e2UiD

04/29/2026

CCLR, EPA Region 9 and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection are hosting the inaugural Nevada Brownfield Conference in Las Vegas, May 6-7!
Read more and register:
https://www.cclr.org/events/upcoming/nevada-brownfields-conference

Meet the expert speakers presenting next week:

Mobile Tours
(left to right)
- Scott Carter, Redevelopment Specialist, City of North Las Vegas
- Kurt Goebel, Senior Vice President, Converse Consultants

Redevelopment/Reuse Pathways
- David Friedman, Environmental Scientist, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
- Sean Robertson, Redevelopment Project Manager, City of Henderson
- Leonard Farr. Principal, Environmental Services, Stantec

Brownfield Redevelopment Partnerships
- Justin Rauzon, Project Director, SCS Engineers
- Laura Sida, Regional Planner, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
- Tatjana Vukovic, Deputy Director, Northern Nevada Development Authority
- Jess Rosner, Program Evaluation Manager, NyE Communities Coalition
- Scott Carter, Redevelopment Specialist, City of North Las Vegas

04/27/2026

CCLR, EPA Region 9 and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection are hosting the inaugural Nevada Brownfield Conference in Las Vegas, May 6-7!
Read more and register:
https://www.cclr.org/events/upcoming/nevada-brownfields-conference

Meet the expert speakers presenting next week:

Brownfield Principles Workshop
(left to right)
- Stephanie Steinbrecher, Brownfields Project Manager, EPA Region 9
- Megan Husic, NV Certified Environmental Manager & Project Manager, SCS Engineers
- Elizabeth Richardson, Environmental Scientist, Center for Creative Land Recycling
- Ignacio Dayrit, Technical Assistance Lead, Center for Creative Land Recycling
- Sheryl Gonzales, Senior Brownfield Consultant, Center for Creative Land Recycling
- Eric Williams, Project Director, SCS Engineers
- Sean Robertson, Redevelopment Project Manager, City of Henderson
- Leonard Farr, Principal, Environmental Services, Stantec
- David Friedman, Environmental Scientist, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection

Community Engagement & Outreach
- Jim Ritchie, Vice President, SCS Environmental, Services Group for Northern California
- Stephanie Steinbrecher, Brownfields Project Manager, EPA Region 9
- Ignacio Dayrit, Technical Assistance Lead, Center for Creative Land Recycling

Stack and Sequence
- Eric Williams, Project Director, SCS Engineers

04/24/2026

U.S. EPA Region 9, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and CCLR are excited to present our 2026 Arizona Brownfields Conference speakers!

See you in Tucson next week!

The State of Brownfield Remediation:
(left to right)
- Ian Olness, Environmental Services Industry Lead, SCS
- Travis Barnum, Brownfields Coordinator, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
- Jennifer Tung, Life Scientist, Brownfields Division, EPA Region 9
- Scott Green, Manager - Brownfields & Voluntary Remediation Program Unit, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

Stack and Sequence:
- Sheryl Gonzales, Senior Brownfield Consultant, Center for Creative Land Recycling
- Eric Williams, Project Director, SCS Engineers

Redevelopment/Reuse Pathways:
- Kimberly Baeza, Permit and Regulatory Compliance Officer, Pima County
- Dave Laney, Principal, Environmental Services, Stantec
- Melissa Hartman, Senior Planner, City of Bisbee

Mobile Tours:
- Freda Marshall, Executive Director, Dunbar Pavilion
- Rolanda Mazeika, Environmental Project Coordinator, City of Tucson
- Johanna Hernandez, Deputy Director of Housing and Community Development, City of Tucson
- Lauren Kaye, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Children’s Museum Tucson
- Ursula Ginster, Environmental Scientist, City of Tucson

Address

2342 Shattuck Avenue #506
Berkeley, CA
94704

Website

http://www.cclr.org/

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