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City of Trenton, Mercer County
The City of Trenton in Mercer County lost more than half of its manufacturing base between 1950 and 1990, leaving the city with many abandoned industrial buildings, several of which pose an potential environmental threat, not to mention adverse social impact on the surrounding communities. To address an estimated one hundered brownfields sites, Trenton has developed a program to systematically identify and prioritize sites for remediation and reuse.
Trenton's Department of Housing and Economic Development coordinates the City's brownfield program, incorporating their remediation and redevelopment with the overall development strategy for the City. Crucial to the success of the program has been the creation of partnerships, between city departments, the County, with sate and federal agencies, and even with a local nonprofit community development corporation, Isles, Inc. The City has also, through its Advisory Council - Brownfields Environmental Solutions for Trenton (BEST), developed a ranking system to help select sites for remediation. Criteria include marketability (3 tiers - high, medium, low), community interest, and available funding.
The Magic Marker site, formerly Gould Battery, is a good example of Trenton's Brownfield Program in action. Located between Calhoun, Marion, and Dunham Streets, the site was used for 40 years prior to its occupation by Magic Marker Industries by a series of owners who were engaged in the manufacture and storage of lead acid batteries. This earlier use left behind multiple contaminants throughout its 175,000 square foot factory building and the 7.5-acre site on which it sits. The contamination was of special concern because the property is surrounded by a densely populated low-income residential community and stands directly opposite an elementary school.
To address the problems located on the site, as well as the decline evident in the greater Canal Banks neighborhood in which the site is located, the City designated the area in need of redevelopment and adopted the Canal Banks Redevelopment Plan. The successful cleanup and reuse of the Magic Marker property plays a prominent role in several of the City's Plans, including the 1998 HUD Homeownership Zone Plan, the 1999 Land Use Plan, and the 2002 Community-based Schools Master Plan. Each of these plans views the successful reclamation of the Magic Marker site for new residential development and public open space as a catalyst for the revitalization of the neighborhood.
Magic Marker Industries, the manufacturer of the famous felt-tip pens, is not believed to have been a contributor to the contamination of the site. The company filed for bankruptsy in 1989. The City of Trenton currently owns the Magic Marker site and is preparing to complete the cleanup of the site. The first phase of cleanup, which was completed in 1998, involved use of phytoremediation - the innovative use of mustard plants to extract lead and heavy metals from the soil - and the careful demolition and removal of the factory structure. Using funding from the USEPA and from several state sources the City plans to remediate the rest of the site to make it suitable for the planned residential units.
Contact: City of Trenton, Andrew Carten, 609/989-3939