South Berwick reviews brownfields study for Zion Mill Road site, considers housing and mixed-use options

South Berwick officials on Sept. 23 heard a brownfields assessment of the former Zion Mill Road factory site and reviewed three potential reuse scenarios — flexible municipal/community use, residential (workforce housing) and mixed commercial-residential — as the town weighs cleanup funding and next steps.

The presentation, led by Raegan Yang of the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC), and Emily Lossmer of TRC Environmental, summarized prior testing that found soil contamination and partially buried drums at the site and outlined options for remediation and redevelopment. Allison Evans of Nich Engineering described three redevelopment footprints that would disturb roughly the same portion of the 1.25-acre developable area but yield different building programs: a single flexible footprint (could be municipal space or stacked housing), a residential plan (about 18 units in mixed townhomes and small apartments), and a mixed-use plan (ground-floor commercial with apartments above, roughly 23,000 square feet gross).

Why it matters: the site sits in the town’s B-1 central commercial district and Shoreland zoning, with nearby public water and sewer on Railroad Avenue. The contamination reported is not described in the available record as an immediate public-health emergency, but it is likely to require excavation, soil management during redevelopment and removal of drums that remain from a mid-20th-century factory fire. Town officials and consultants discussed how brownfields funding could be used to reduce cleanup costs and make redevelopment feasible.

Details of remediation and funding: Lossmer said brownfields funding could cover removal of drums, remediation of soil around the drums, soil management during redevelopment and certain site improvements that act as cap-and-cover (building foundations, hardscape/softscape). SMPDC’s revolving loan fund (RLF) and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development RLF programs can provide subgrants and loans; subgrants are capped at $500,000 through the RLF program and are available only to towns and nonprofits, Lossmer said. EPA cleanup grants are another possible source but are competitive and “uncertain at the moment,” she told the council.

Ownership and development pathways: Paul Schumacher (staff member) summarized ownership approaches discussed: the town could retain ownership and lease or partner with a nonprofit housing developer (which helps eligibility for some grants), or sell with conditions (deed covenants or callbacks), or transfer to a private developer with provisions. Schumacher and SMPDC staff emphasized several options are viable and that the choice will affect which cleanup funds and financing tools are available.

Timing and next steps: presenters and councilors agreed the brownfields assessment is an early, methodical step. Consultants said site cleanup work often occurs in tandem with construction (excavation and soil management can be coordinated with foundation work); removing the drums could be done before redevelopment but much cleanup typically happens as part of the construction process. Several town officials said additional administrative steps will be needed, including an appraisal and inquiries into prior owners (relevant for tax-foreclosed parcels). SMPDC and TRC offered to advise the town as it pursues funding and more testing.

Council concern and safeguards: Councilors asked about risks to abutting properties and the nearby brook. Lossmer and the consultants said Maine DEP has reviewed available information and does not consider immediate action warranted; control measures (worker protective equipment, dust monitoring during construction) and cap-and-cover systems for finished sites would be used to limit exposure. Consultants said groundwater at the site is unlikely to be suitable for drinking and that a water connection from the street into new buildings could be an eligible brownfields expense.

What the council will do next: no binding decision was taken Sept. 23. Staff and SMPDC recommended continuing site assessment, completing required appraisals and ownership research, and coordinating grant applications that align with the town’s preferred reuse scenario.