The Town of Hampton
The Town of Hampton has a population of over 2,800 citizens whom would benefit from the redevelopment of these properties. The Town has access to municipal utilities, rail lines, and is located only 20 miles from Interstate 95, 70 miles to Charleston, and 55 miles to Savannah, Georgia.  Location and multi-modal access make Hampton attractive to prospective developers and businesses.

The Town’s Grant
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Town of Hampton a $200,000 Hazardous Substance Assessment Grant in the Spring of 2007. The Town’s Brownfield Grant funds are being used to evaluate environmental conditions at the former Safety Disposal System (SDS) Medical Waste Incinerator and adjacent SDS-owned properties. In addition, the funds will be used to promote redevelopment and private investments at these properties.

Work on the Brownfield program has already begun, however there is much more to do. The grant was awarded due the diligent efforts of Town staff. After soliciting qualifications from a group of environmental consultants, the Town hired environmental consultant Hart & Hickman, PC to execute the grant work. In another example of the efforts of Town staff, the Town of Hampton was awarded a Community Development Block Grant for the demolition of the SDS buildings. In addition, the Town is currently attempting to take control of the properties through eminent domain.

Overview of the EPA and State Brownfield Programs
The Brownfield Program provides incentives to prospective developers to develop potentially contaminated, underutilized properties, referred to as Brownfield properties.. Under the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, EPA provides financial assistance to qualifying towns, cities, counties, and government agencies through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. The assessment grant awarded to the Town of Hampton provides funds to conduct sampling and analysis of soil and water samples, evaluate potential health effects associated with the properties, evaluate appropriate future property uses, develop cleanup and redevelopment plans, and prepare materials to promote the properties to prospective developers and businesses.

The current EPA grant does not provide money for cleanup of the properties, but the Town may elect to submit a proposal to EPA for a cleanup grant if cleanup is necessary. Alternately, a private developer or business interested in the property could chose to pay for the cleanup. In such an instance, it is often advantageous to that private party to consider the State of South Carolina’s Brownfield program, referred to as the Voluntary Cleanup Program. This program affords prospective purchasers who agree to conduct the necessary cleanup with liability protection and tax credits to encourage redevelopment at Brownfield properties. The State and the prospective purchaser enter into a Voluntary Cleanup Contract which specifies the action to be taken by the prospective purchaser to make the property safe for re-use. More information about the State’s Brownfield program can be found below.

The Town’s Brownfield Focus
The Town of Hampton’s overall Brownfield effort is focused on the former SDS Medical Waste Incinerator and adjacent SDS-owned properties. Recently, the former SDS structures were demolished utilizing the Town’s Community Development Block Grant funding. Although a great improvement, the sites remain vacant and underutilized. The ultimate goal of Hampton’s Brownfield Program is to address potential environmental concerns at the former SDS properties, and to put these underutilized properties back into service, enhance quality of life for the community, generate jobs, and increase private investment within the Town.

The Town’s Brownfield Assessment Program requires a working partnership between the Town of Hampton’s staff; the Hampton County Economic Development Commission; local residents, businesses, property owners, and developers; EPA and State of South Carolina environmental regulators; and Hart & Hickman’s environmental scientists and engineers. We encourage you to review the Community Outreach portion of this website to learn more about how you can become involved in the Town’s Brownfield efforts.