Houston announces former incinerator site revitalization

The Houston Land Bank (HLB) and the city of Houston have announced plans to revitalize the former Velasco Incinerator site.

The Velasco Incinerator site is 4.56 acres of vacant land on North Velasco Street in Houston. The city operated the site as a municipal incinerator facility from the 1920s through the late 1960s. All site buildings were removed by 1995, except for several incinerator stacks, a concrete building foundation and a sanitary sewer lift station.

During the 40 years of incinerator operations, ash and fill materials were deposited on the property at a depth of 4 feet to 35 feet below the ground surface. Multiple environmental assessment activities conducted since 2006 have demonstrated that this waste contains elevated levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, dioxins and furans. The site is currently covered in native grasses and trees and is bounded on all sides by chain-link fencing maintained by the city. The site has remained vacant and blighted for decades due to the complexities of cleaning the environmental hazards on the property, the city says.

"The Velasco Incinerator site remediation project seeks to mitigate an historic inequity, which makes it about more than just cleaning up contaminated land,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says. “This strategic partnership gives us the opportunity to revitalize this portion of our city while correcting a wrong and providing opportunities for our residents.”

To allow for beneficial reuse for the community and to apply for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding to clean up the site, HLB entered into a land banking agreement with the city of Houston. The agreement includes a requirement to work with strategic partners, local stakeholders and the 2nd Ward community to create a green space and reuse plan for the site that promises tangible benefits for the local community.

The estimated cleanup costs are $7 million. Cleanup activities include providing a protective covering over contaminated soil and waste material to prevent the spread of pollutants, reduce exposure to harmful substances and promote environmental safety and health, the mayor’s office says.

"This project embodies the core values of the Houston Land Bank, actively transforming our communities for the better," HLB CEO Christa Stoneham says. "We believe in the power of collaboration and need for environmental justice, and by aligning with the City of Houston, we are taking a momentous step towards restoring not only the environmental integrity of the Velasco Incinerator site but also rejuvenating the spirit of our local communities."

HLB and the city of Houston say community engagement, integrity of ethics and transparency and meaningful partnerships with community stakeholders will be paramount to the success of the revitalization project.

Project status updates, reports and other information can be accessed on HLB’s Velasco website.

The first phase of the project includes a public comment period, which began Oct. 23.