The Inventory component of this action requires the municipality to compile a list of brownfield sites obtained through publicly available information and research. Using this data, the municipality must produce an inventory spreadsheet and brief descriptions of how the inventory list was developed and verified. In addition, the municipality can create a list of prioritized sites and description of the criteria used for prioritization. 

Why is it important? 

A Brownfield Inventory is an important land use tool. Once remediated, brownfields can improve the local economy, increase the municipal tax base, address environmental contamination, and provide public green space, effecting positive change to a once blighted and/or underutilized area. Cleaning up and reinvesting in brownfield properties can provide job opportunities, take advantage of underutilized but available infrastructure, and lessen development pressures on greenfields and other undeveloped lands. An EPA-sponsored study by the George Washington University, (Public Policies and Private Decisions Affecting the Redevelopment of Brownfields: An Analysis of Critical Factors, Relative Weights and Area Differentials; 2001) found that for every one acre of brownfields that are redeveloped, 4.5 acres of greenfields are saved from development. An EPA-sponsored study by Duke University School of Economics (Estimating the Impacts of Brownfield Remediation on Housing Property Values; 2012) concluded that when brownfield sites are remediated, local property values adjacent to the remediated property may increase as much as 12.8%. A Brownfield Inventory can highlight potential human health and environmental risks that may require attention prior to site reuse. It can be used for marketing to attract redevelopment and as a tool for municipal land use planning and decisions on how to allocate public resources. A comprehensive Inventory can be used to boost interest in available abandoned or underutilized sites with existing infrastructure and direct development away from open public space or greenfields. 

Conducting a comprehensive Brownfields Inventory can serve the following functions:

• Verify that sites of suspected contamination are brownfield sites in need of clean-up;

• As an indicator of areas suitable for specific types of development;

• As a resource during review of planning or zoning requests;

• As a marketing tool to bring redevelopment to a community;

• As a way to prioritize preparation of shovel-ready sites to promote development;

• As a tool for making decisions about placement of infrastructure, roads, sewers, schools, etc.;

• As a resource in preparation of a Brownfield Element for the municipal Master Plan;

• As an educational tool for residents to learn more about their community and potential threats to their health and the environment.

A Brownfield Inventory includes the names, number and characteristics of potential brownfield sites. It is an important tool used by Environmental Commissions, Planning and Zoning Boards, green teams and municipal staff to track the status of sites, their location, potential contamination, ownership, and redevelopment potential. The Brownfield Inventory must be a dynamic document, updated as additional data becomes available, e.g. when properties are cleaned, redeveloped, sold, or when new properties are identified. Developing a policy to update the list and assigning a responsible person is part of this action’s requirements.

Prioritization is an optional step in this action that follows the Inventory, and offers additional benefits for communities with multiple brownfield sites. This step will help focus municipal attention on problem sites that pose a significant hazard, are blocking needed redevelopment, or hinder achievement of other community goals. Identifying prioritized sites prepares a municipality for the subsequent action of marketing sites or developing Reuse Plans to address the brownfield sites. (See Brownfield Planning Reuse Action or Brownfield Marketing Action).