Determination of the Best Candidate for the Proposed Brownfield Project - Assignment Example

Determination of the Best Candi for the Proposed Brownfield Project of the Institution Affiliated Abstract In almost all the communities in America, former fueling and gas stations, auto repair and servicing shops are a threat to the environment and pose a potential danger to human and animal health in the neighborhood due to oil, gas and other chemical compound contaminations. Besides, they deter economic development within these communities. These old sites commonly known as the Brownfield sites are abandoned owing to the expenses of processing, cleaning up, and redevelopment. As a way of saving some and developing them into a reliable course, the paper will review three proposed candidates to determine the best candidate through a SWOT analysis, suitable for the proposed project. The Brownfield project has been proposed to be redeveloped into a football field, to accommodate the rising track of soccer games in the City of Philadelphia. This paper will use the SWOT analysis to analyze the potentiality of the proposed three candidates, and iron out the best candidate from the results. Keywords: Brownfield project, SWOT analysis, Philadelphia, Candidate Determination of the Best Candidate for the Proposed Brownfield Project The three identified Brownfield sites placed as candidates for this project include the 4400 G Street, Philadelphia, PA 19120 which is 1.30 acres located in the Juniata Park section of Philadelphia, which has completed Phase I and Phase II assessments, by December 2008. This site needs reassessment from Phase I. The second candidate location is the Delaware and Lewis Streets, 4085 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 which is a 1.72 acres located in the Port Richmond/Bridesburg section of Philadelphia. This property has only the Phase I assessment completed, in October 10th, 2008. The last candidate property is the 4851-65 Stenton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144 is 1.50 acres located in the Nicetown-Tioga section of Philadelphia. This property completed Phase I and Phase II assessments in September 18th, 2008. So far no alteration or progress has been made. The decision is pending on the SWOT analysis, to determine the best candidate for this particular project. Later the project will seek permission from the Federal government, the local government and the general community. The community will be educated regarding the whole project and the possible risks. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is an assessment technique that identifies the positive and negatives in the inside of a project and the outside in the external environment. It generally generates insights about internal and external factors that can influence the direction of a strategic planning of a project. It will give a complete awareness of the three candidates and consequently provide a strategic plan and help in the final decision (David & Fred, 1993). In this context, the SWOT analysis will focus on: a) Formulating solutions for any problems b) Make decisions on the best candidates in the picture as well as identify chances of succeeding in cases of possible threats. It will give directions and choices. c) Identify the strengths and weaknesses SWOT Analysis of the 1st Candidate The first candidate is the 4400 G Street, Philadelphia, PA 19120 which is 1.30 acres located in the Juniata Park section of Philadelphia   STRENGTHS 1. Land is smaller, needs less time and capital to clean up 2. Within a residential area, including golf course 3. Completed Phase I 4. Completed Phase II 5. The area is vacant WEAKNESSES 1. Used as parking 2. Abandoned for 10 years-Needs more time to cleanup 3. The Cleanup not started 5. Aerial Photo was taken in 2010 6. Covers 1.30 acres, enough for soccer field and spectators. 7. Petroleum contaminants identified OPPORTUNITIES 1. Has a high population (13,617) 3. Police station nearby 4. Racial balance- 59.6% Hispanic, 18.1% White, 14.5% Black, and 7.7% Asian 5. Has a firehouse nearby in case of fire outbreak Opportunity-Strength (OS) 1. Use the population to create human labor to supplement machinery 2. Use the police to guard the materials during and after redevelopment 3. No conflicts are expected due to racial balance. 4. The firehouse nearby indicates quick response to emergency issues during and after redevelopment Opportunity-Weakness (OW) Strategies 1. Take the latest pictures of the site 2. Reassessment is required from Phase I 3 Cleanup petroleum contaminants THREATS 1. Project relies on only EAP for Information Threat-Strength (TS) 1. Create a new body that investigates and analyses the contamination degree Threat-Weakness (TW) Strategies SWOT Analysis of 2nd candidate The 2nd proposed candidate is the in Delaware and Lewis Streets, 4085 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 is a 1.72 acres located in the Port Richmond/Bridesburg section of Philadelphia   STRENGTHS 1. Enough land for soccer field, 1.72 acres 3. No contaminations have been identified WEAKNESSES 1. Only Phase I completed 2. Last aerial picture taken in 2007 3. No cleanup has started 4.Needs assessment for Phase II OPPORTUNITIES 1. Philadelphia Recreation center 2. Availability of a steam plant for electricity supply 3. Has a fairly high population Enough water supply due to the Delaware River 4. Neighborhood fights the changes of time and culture to stay safe A recreation center is nearby The location is well patrolled by police Opportunity-Strength (OS) 1. The land can hold a good number of the population. Opportunity-Weakness (OW) Strategies 1. Use human labor for most of the cleanup 2. Use the people for labor to supply water for cleanup 3. Use the water from the river for various cleanup processes. Use electricity to supply water to reinforce human labor THREATS 1. Unequal distribution of races 2. The surrounding is deteriorating 3. The field does not accommodate the large crowd of spectators 4. Threat-Strength (TS) 1. Utilize some of the funds that could have been used to remove contaminations to uplift the deteriorating surrounding 3. Expansion of the field to accommodate all spectators Threat-Weakness (TW) Strategies 1. Improve the features of the surrounding. 2. Enlarge the field to accommodate the people 3 .Equal distribution of man power from all races SWORT Analysis for 3rd Candidate The 3rd candidate property proposed is the 4851-65 Stenton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144 is 1.50 acres located in the Nicetown-Tioga section of Philadelphia.   STRENGTHS 1. The location is large enough, 1.50 acre 2. The property has completed Phase I and Phase II 3. Located in a good position. WEAKNESSES 1. The site was used for a number of activities 2. Aerial photos was taken in 2010 3. The site needs deep investigations 4. Not cleaned up 4. An acute reconnaissance is needed 5. Needs reassessment from Phase I 6. Contains a number of contaminations OPPORTUNITIES 1. Surrounded by residential 2.University Nearby 3. Commuter road track available 4. A commuter railway is nearby Opportunity-Strength (OS) 1. Use the University facilities for research. The commuter roads and railway offer transport for both players and funs Opportunity-Weakness (OW) Strategies 1. Encourage university participation Use the residential population for cleanup Use the University materials and professionals for investigations THREATS 1. The site is dominated by African American people 2. Loan is required to carter for the expenses of various chemical compound contaminations so far identified 3. The recreation center is far from here, hence not easily accessible from there Threat-Strength (TS) Strategies 1. Create balance in labor distribution to avoid bias Construction of a recreation center after the project is done Threat-Weakness (TW) Strategies 1. Avoid much of labor creation from the blacks 2. Use loans for cleanup and reassessments plans Appropriate Candidate Suitable for the Proposed Project From the above SWOT analysis of the three candidates, the 2nd candidate is the most appropriate for this task. This decision is determined by a number of considerations for a Brownfield project. Internal Factors They are basically Strengths and Weaknesses. This proposed candidate is the in Delaware and Lewis Streets, 4085 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 is a 1.72 acres located in the Port Richmond/Bridesburg section of Philadelphia. As a requirement, the standard soccer field should be 1.70 acres. This site has 1.72 acres which meets the first requirement. Unlike the 1st candidate and the 3rd candidates, this candidate has no contamination. This means that, the capital needed for cleanup is less as compared to the 1st and 3rd candidates. The absence of contaminations will also fasten the redevelopment as and reduce labor requirements. Contaminations pose a potential risk to the environment, and harm to human health, and in this case no risks are standing. Though this candidate has weaknesses, most of the solutions are provided in the Opportunity-Weakness and Threat-Weakness in the SWOT analysis quadrants. In this case, the opportunities have been used to overcome the weaknesses. To start with, as cleanup for this candidate has not been undertaken, there is enough supply of water from the river to use for most of the cleanup processes. The high population of this site will be utilized to provide labor during the cleanup process. External Factors These include the opportunities and Threats. The number of opportunities outnumbers that of Threats. These include: The presence of the recreation center, making it easy for the children to access the field Availability of steam plant for electricity supply. Electricity will be used in a number of ways, including pumping of water from River Delaware. The population is high; hence human labor supply is adequate to supplement machinery. Some tasks will utterly require human labor and not machinery. There is a balance of culture, hence the site is safe. This site and its environs are well patrolled by the police. Chances of facilities being stolen by thugs are minimal. The presence of police patrols also indicates adequate security on this site and the immediate surroundings. Visitors will always feel more secure here. The threats which have been ironed out in the SWOT analyze are neutralized in the Threat-Strength quadrant. For instance, there is uneven distribution of races. This will not be a problem as the labor will be balanced in all races. In order to minimize threats, strengths have been used in the quadrants to formulate solutions. This includes Utilize some of the funds that could have been used to remove contaminations to uplift the deteriorating surrounding, and expansion of the field to accommodate the large population, as land can be expanded by the help of the local government which usually supports soccer fields. Owing to the large population of various racial backgrounds from the demographic analysis, this project will be an open opportunity for jobs. From the information provided, this community has a great passion for soccer games. This will benefit them in a number of ways, including nurturing the talents of the young to build their careers in soccer, besides economic improvements in the community and the City. This will come into effect as investors will be attracted to start business along the site. A number of beautiful gardens and resting places and swimming pools are likely to be built. So the previous features of the community that looked old and deteriorating will be improved. The Proposed Brownfield Redevelopment Project The proposed project is community based as it is meant to improve the status of the community and the people living in Philadelphia. The public will make good use of this opportunity by setting up small scale businesses for their own good. To make this project a success, the Federal government will be issued with the proposal document and issue an okay. The project will rely on the Federal government for loans and grants that will be used for the Phase I and Phase II assessments and cleanup. Non-governmental organizations will also be notified about the project and these will attract more investors into the community, as well as support during redevelopment. These will usher in business and turn the community as a center of business, in the later time. In the process of any Brownfield redeveloping, the community may be exposed to some potential risks, especially the concentration of chemicals, exposure to terrestrial surface radiations, inhalation or ingestion of hazard radiations. The community will be educated on the dos and dos during the process of redeveloping. This includes updates and alerts in cases of a suspected contamination. This way, the environment and the people will be safe from the risks. References David, Fred, R. (1993). Strategic Management, 4th Ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company Greenstein, R., & Sungu-Eryilmaz, Y. (2004). Recycling the city: The use and reuse of urban land. Cambridge, Mass: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Jones, Bernie. (1990). Neighborhood Planning: A Guide for Citizens and Planners. Chicago and Washington D.C: Planners Press Russ, T. H. (2000). Redeveloping Brownsfields. New York: McGraw-Hill. Read More