A Successful Approach to the Remediation
and Restoration of Riverside Mills

Megan Reha

Decades of industrial use have left the site of Riverside Mills complex contaminated, which has led to under-use; vacancy and decay. The site faces foreclosure due to delinquent property taxes and is now little more than a nuisance, attracting illegal dumpers and drug users and creating a dangerous place for local children to play. The stigma of possible contamination has negatively impacted local economies and has impeded the implementation of a major project to create a greenway along the Woonasquatucket River. The rehabilitation of Riverside Mills is one focus of the Brownfields Showcase Communities program.

The ultimate goal of this thesis is to provide The Providence Plan, a nonprofit organization, with advice on how to successfully remediate and restore the former Riverside Mills site. In order to do so, this analysis examines whether or not Riverside Mills is a strong candidate for successful brownfields remediation. The secondary goal of the thesis is to evaluate the EPA Showcase Communities program with respect to Riverside Mills as a potential catalyst for progressive change.

A number of case studies, which show various approaches towards brownfields rehabilitation, are analyzed to determine the institutional characteristics necessary for successful brownfields’ remediation and restoration. From this documentary research emerged a list of "key ingredients" for a successful project. These ingredients fall under four categories: Location, Costs & Finances, Regulatory Framework, and Institutional & Community Involvement. These "key ingredients" for success are used in evaluating Riverside Mills and the adjacent area.

The primary missing ingredient of the Riverside Mills project relates to the scope and length of cleanup, estimated at $1.4 million, resulting in the lack of adequate funding from both the public and private-sector for remediation. Although it lacks the two most critical ingredients for a successful project, Riverside Mills fulfills the remainder of the list, and is therefore a potential candidate for brownfields remediation and restoration. Two issues must be addressed before the City of Providence forecloses on Riverside Mills: remediation of the Underground Storage Tanks (USTs), in particular the acquisition of a clear waiver of liability; and the securing of funds for the clean-up and redevelopment of Riverside Mills. One approach towards attracting outside capital is Tax Increment Financing. Another financing tool meriting further investigation is the funds designated for the clean-up or removal of leaking USTs, specifically the remainder of the $1.3 million bond issued in 1989.

Based on the activities at Riverside Mills thus far, the Brownfields Showcase Communities program exhibits the potential to be a catalyst for change, presenting a myriad of benefits to the community adjacent to brownfields sites. Riverside Mills demonstrates the benefits of being a designated showcase community, while simultaneously exposing the shortcomings of the program.