Rural Desert Southwest Brownfield Coalition – Wye Road

BEC Environmental, Inc.

RDSBC – Wye Road

Inyo County, a member of the Rural Desert Southwest Brownfields Coalition, prioritized the Wye Road Property as one of its brownfield sites based on its potential for redevelopment as a consolidated county services facility for Inyo County. The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) noted the property was adjacent to an automotive sales and service facility and down-gradient from a gas station with a reported leaking underground storage tank. A subsequent Phase II ESA confirmed no surface soils or subsurface groundwater contamination was evident on the property. However, the County experienced financing challenges in coming up with the capital costs for facility construction that delayed site development. The property owner decided to subdivide the parcel. One parcel was sold for development as a grocery store outlet, a vital retailer in an isolated rural community, to help alleviate food desert conditions for residents. Total redevelopment costs associated with the grocery store outlet was $3.4 million.  The second parcel was to be developed as the County facility once arrangements to fund the facility were finalized. The County ultimately found a private party to finance construction of the County facility through an innovative public-private partnership arrangement. The building was named Clint G. Quilter Consolidated Office Building in memory of Inyo County’s Chief Administrator, Clint Quilter, who was instrumental in the redevelopment of the site. Total redevelopment costs associated with the Consolidated Office Building is $17.9 million.