Bartram’s Mile

The Master Plan for the Lower Schuylkill River District is a blueprint for sustainable redevelopment of the industrial corridor along the east and west banks of the Lower Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. This public-private initiative was led by the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce, with funding from the William Penn Foundation, the City of Philadelphia, and EPA Brownfield Grants.

“Bartram’s Mile,” a keystone of the Master Plan, is one mile of river frontage along the western banks of the Tidal Schuylkill between Grays Ferry Avenue and 58th Street. This portion of the Schuylkill River was cut off from public access for decades, thus representing an opportunity to not only link to Bartram’s Garden, the Schuylkill River Trail, and the 58th Street Greenway, but also add two new parks to be community assets for years to come.

Verdantas was the lead environmental consultant to the PIDC and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation in support of the Master Plan; specifically, the remedial design and cleanup oversight of two targeted Brownfield properties that flank Bartram’s Gardens to the north and south. These EPA Brownfield sites, Bartram North and Bartram South, are former bulk oil terminals that received product by barge and rail and stored millions of gallons of oil on-site. Soils and groundwater at these sites were significantly impacted by petroleum. With Verdantas' oversight, both sites have since received Act 2 liability protection for environmental conditions. In addition to environmental consulting services, Verdantas provided geotechnical, structural, and civil engineering services in connection with stormwater management, the assessment of the structural stability of an on-site dock, construction of a shade structure at Bartram South, and a FEMA floodplain analysis. Bartram’s Mile opened in April 2017 providing the community a space for walking, biking, running and bird watching.

Client

Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce,t

Location

Philadelphia, PA

Capability

Environmental Assessment & Remediation
Civil Infrastructure

Services

Site Assessment
Remediation
Site Engineering
Structural Design
Coastal Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering

Related Projects

{id=61564327449, createdAt=1639081110830, updatedAt=1641420382307, path='rittman-paperboard-site', name='Caraustar-Rittman Paperboard Brownfield Site', 1='{type=string, value=Caraustar-Rittman Paperboard Brownfield Site}', 33='{type=number, value=0}', 34='{type=list, value=[{id=6, name='Environmental Assessment & Remediation', order=0}]}', 35='{type=string, value=City of Rittman}', 4='{type=string, value=Site assessment and remediation, brownfield redevelopment of former paperboard facility}', 36='{type=string, value=Wayne County, OH}', 37='{type=list, value=[{id=49, name='Site Assessment', order=0}, {id=51, name='Remediation', order=2}]}', 8='{type=string, value=

When the former Caraustar-Rittman Paperboard facility was operating at its peak, the plant was home to more than 1,200 local employees. Its closing in 2006 resulted in the loss of these jobs and left behind 300-acres of vacant real estate in the industrial core of Rittman, Ohio.

The City of Rittman (Wayne County, Ohio) now has 80 acres of prime industrial property ready for a new end user and a new 205-acre public park that will be open to visitors next year. The redevelopment of the former Caraustar-Rittman Paperboard manufacturing facility is a monumental accomplishment achieved through an ambitious public-private partnership and state funding.

This large and complicated project involved close coordination with the City of Rittman, Wayne County, JobsOhio, Team NEO, Ohio EPA, Ohio Public Works Commission, Wayne County Health Department, and the Ohio Department of Transportation. Funding assistance, a critical factor to this project’s success, was provided through a $2 million JobsOhio Revitalization Program grant and a $2.5 million Clean Ohio Conservation Fund grant.

Redevelopment and revitalization of the former Caraustar-Rittman Paperboard facility is a classic example of how a public-private partnership can provide a solution for a civic problem. Preparing this property for new industrial and commercial development is needed for the economic viability of the community. Preparing the remaining property considered less desirable from a development perspective into public open space will preserve important habitat while offering health, wellness, and educational benefits for local residents and visitors for generations to come.

}', 25='{type=number, value=0}', 27='{type=number, value=0}', 13='{type=image, value=Image{width=1920, height=808, url='https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/hubfs/20952198/IMAGES/PROJECTS/Caraustar-Rittman.jpg'}}', 29='{type=number, value=99999}'}