Civil Engineering and Community Development

A brownfield is a plot of land or property that presents some type of disadvantage for redevelopment. There are multiple reasons a property may be considered a brownfield, including contamination, blighted buildings, or other issues that could pose problems if someone tries to redevelop the land.

F&V is proud to support local property development for renewed use. The brownfield remediation services for which we provide support most often include:

• Soil removal and remediation
• Building demolition
• Asbestos abatement
• Vapor intrusion mitigation
• And more

Our environmental property assessments are another essential part of our engineering and sustainable community development services. Environmental property assessments—also called environmental site assessments—come in multiple phases and are designed to help property owners limit their liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, and state regulations in Michigan and Indiana.

We work with property owners and buyers to provide environmental property assessments in the following phases:

• Phase I: A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment researches the historic and current use of a property and nearby properties and identifies environmental risks, called recognized environmental conditions (RECs).
• Phase II: Phase II Environmental Site Assessments include soil, groundwater, or vapor testing to identify contamination. Some sites may require more than one type of test.
• Due care: Also known as “continuing obligations,” this typically refers to the process of addressing contamination to allow for continued use while protecting the property’s users. This can include remediation or other controls that limit exposure to contaminants.

Sometimes, communities that don’t have large budget windfalls will turn to F&V for help acquiring funding and financing for their projects. As part of our efforts with civil engineering and sustainable development, we are in constant contact with grant and loan agencies to help them generate the funds they need.

We work alongside public and private clients to find the best funding solutions for their unique situations. Not only do we find opportunities, but we also help these organizations complete all the paperwork that the application and submission process requires.

F&V has years of experience managing demolition projects and urban clearing. These services help transform blighted or abandoned buildings back into productive assets for our communities.

Detailed planning and management are the keys to our approach to these transformations. We work closely with stakeholders to control costs and minimize liability while making sure their needs and goals are met. Whether you’re aiming to redevelop the site or just clean up an area that’s been an eyesore, we’re here to help you transform liabilities into beautiful community spaces.

For years, F&V has helped municipalities across our service areas develop actionable community visioning plans. Our civil engineers can help communities create long-term visioning plans to offer fun, attractive amenities to their residents, in addition to helping them find the funding they need and understand how to make those long-term dreams a reality.

Cities depend on their water and wastewater systems to stay running. While they may not be the flashiest projects, they’re some of the most impactful. We’re proud to work with city water and sewage departments to keep their networks running smoothly with routine water and wastewater system analyses.

At F&V, we help communities analyze and maintain their water and wastewater systems. This helps them stay running for years, minimizing potential problems. In turn, this also keeps minor issues from eventually turning into serious problems that disrupt daily life for residents.

F&V works with both public and private entities to develop housing systems that ensure everyone in Michigan has a safe place to live. Whether a community is seeking to build affordable housing on underutilized land or private developers are trying to create new luxury places to live, our engineering services make it possible to help people have everything they need to feel like they belong in a community.

Communities with underused resources can turn to F&V to turn their blighted or otherwise unsightly areas and turn them into valuable industrial sites. Whether they want to create a new industrial park for small businesses or invite larger companies to create campuses in their city limits, we’re able to help municipalities and counties develop the land for commercial users. In turn, we help them create more jobs that help their communities grow and thrive.

Downtown development authorities (DDA) frequently work with F&V to provide a whole host of services that help urban areas improve their economic output and garner positive growth. Whether your focus areas are on helping small businesses survive and thrive in your business district or you need additional support with your town’s five-year Master Plan, we can help. We’ve helped communities by providing plans for:

• Economic development
• Downtown revitalization
• Community landscape architecture and design
• Pedestrian and vehicular safety
• Traffic management
• Wastewater treatment
• And much more