Phase I Environmental Site Assessment in Akron, OH
Akron anchors one of the most active environmental and redevelopment markets in Northeast Ohio, sitting at the summit of the Ohio & Erie Canal where I-76, I-77, State Route 8, US 224, and State Route 59 converge about 40 miles south of Cleveland. Property owners, developers, contractors, municipalities, and counsel working across Summit County rely on focused, locally informed environmental due diligence. Resource Renewal supports these projects through RCC's ASTM E1527-21 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment scope, layered with Ohio EPA-compliant Phase II investigation, VAP closure, and remediation services tailored to Akron's rubber, tire, and polymer manufacturing heritage.
Resource Renewal connects three service tracks under one platform: ASTM E1527-21 Phase I ESAs and NJDEP Preliminary Assessments delivered by RCC; Phase II Site Investigations and Remedial Investigations when Recognized Environmental Conditions are identified; and full remediation and brownfield redevelopment delivered with our affiliated platform DSR. Project teams coordinate with the NJDEP Site Remediation Program and pursue site closure under LSRP oversight toward a Response Action Outcome (RAO).
Phase I Environmental Site Assessments in Akron, OH
Akron's environmental due diligence demands are shaped by a deep industrial legacy — B.F. Goodrich, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Firestone Tire & Rubber, General Tire & Rubber, Diamond Rubber, Goodyear-Zeppelin and the Airdock, Ferdinand Schumacher's oat mills, and generations of stoneware, sewer pipe, and machine shops that made this the Rubber Capital of the World. The Cuyahoga River, Little Cuyahoga River, Ohio & Erie Canal, and Summit Lake corridors, along with the South Main Street, East Market Street, Goodyear Heights, and Firestone Park industrial blocks, are layered with historic dry cleaners, automotive service properties, foundries, plating shops, and aging mixed-use commercial buildings. Canal Place in the former B.F. Goodrich complex, Goodyear's East End and Innovation Way campus, the Bridgestone Americas Technical Center, the Bowery District and Lock 3 downtown, the Akron Innerbelt corridor, and Summit Lake carry deep historic underground storage tank and fill history. Buyers, lenders, and Ohio EPA-regulated parties working in Akron need a Phase I ESA that recognizes canal-era cinder and slag fill, rubber-era solvent and carbon black impacts, coal tar and manufactured gas residues, PCB legacies of the kind documented at the Summit Equipment & Supplies Superfund site on Ivor Avenue, and Cuyahoga River floodplain sediments — not a generic suburban template. RCC's Mount Holly HQ team delivers Akron Phase I assessments built around these realities, with field staff who understand how Summit County land use and the Ohio EPA Northeast District Office shape every transaction.
- ASTM E1527-21 Phase I ESA
- NJDEP Preliminary Assessment overlay
- Phase II Site Investigation
- Soil & groundwater investigation
- LSRP-led NJDEP closure pursuit
- Brownfield redevelopment via DSR
- Active project work in 5 states
- 30+ years of NJ project history
Why Akron Property Owners and Developers Choose Resource Renewal
Industrial and Commercial Heritage
Akron real estate and commercial transactions move through lender, investor, and counsel review cycles that expect ASTM E1527-21 conformance and Ohio EPA-aware authorship. RCC delivers AAI-compliant Phase I ESAs on standard and expedited timelines, with explicit attention to rubber-era, canal-corridor, and polymer R&D legacy industrial parcels and VAP redevelopment sites across Summit County and Northeast Ohio.
Current Environmental Profile
When an Akron Phase I identifies Recognized Environmental Conditions — historic USTs, canal-era cinder and slag fill, chlorinated solvent vapor risk, rubber-era and plating impacts, PCBs, or Cuyahoga River corridor sediments — RCC's team designs and executes Phase II subsurface investigations calibrated to Ohio EPA expectations and VAP Generic Numerical and Property-Specific Standards.
Real Estate and Development Market
Akron redevelopment projects routinely require remediation work tied to VAP closure, vapor mitigation, soil management, and groundwater treatment. RCC scopes remediation around realistic Akron end uses — Canal Place in the former B.F. Goodrich complex, Goodyear's East End and Innovation Way campus, the Bridgestone Americas Technical Center, the Bowery District and Lock 3 downtown, the Akron Innerbelt corridor, and Summit Lake — and No Further Action letter and Covenant Not to Sue closure under the VAP.
Local Regulators, Authorities, and Stakeholders
Akron's industrial inventory and its rubber, tire, and polymer manufacturing footprint include numerous VAP brownfield candidates. RCC supports municipalities, redevelopers, and private owners through the VAP Phase I Property Assessment, VAP release-of-liability strategy, Ohio EPA coordination, and No Further Action letter submittal aligned with Akron and Summit County redevelopment goals.
Why This Local Context Matters for Your Project
Industrial, commercial, and institutional operators in Akron face Ohio EPA, US EPA, and Northeast Ohio regional compliance obligations spanning air, water, waste, SPCC, stormwater, and VAP closure. RCC provides compliance audits, permitting support, and ongoing environmental management for Akron facilities and Summit County operators.
Environmental Services Resource Renewal Delivers in Akron, OH
Service availability spans two connected tracks: Investigation & Compliance, including transactions, financing, and regulatory closure documentation, and Remediation & Redevelopment, including physical cleanup, environmental liability transfer, and conversion of impaired real estate. RCC and DSR jointly cover the full project lifecycle from pre-acquisition due diligence through final regulatory closure and redevelopment.
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment
ASTM E1527-21 site assessment with NJDEP Preliminary Assessment overlay for Mount Holly and Burlington County properties.
Phase II Environmental Site Assessment
Subsurface sampling and certified laboratory analysis when RECs are identified during Phase I.
Site Investigation
Comprehensive site characterization, soil sampling, groundwater investigation, soil vapor assessment.
Environmental Remediation
In-situ and ex-situ soil and groundwater remediation, OM&M, and pursuit of regulatory closure.
Regulatory Compliance
Permitting, audits, hazardous waste management, SPCC plans, NJDEP agency liaison.
Brownfield Redevelopment
Acquisition, remediation, and redevelopment of impaired NJ real estate through DSR.
Environmental Liability Transfer
DSR-led liability transfer for owners seeking to exit impaired sites.
Landfill Closure
Closure, post-closure care, and EPA LMOP-aligned beneficial reuse options through DSR's TB2G™ model.
Akron, OH Environmental Regulatory Context
Investigation & Compliance (RCC Track)
Akron environmental projects operate under the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) framework, with Summit County activity coordinated through the Ohio EPA Northeast District Office in Twinsburg. The Voluntary Action Program — ORC 3746 and OAC 3745-300 — defines the closure pathways most relevant to Akron's redevelopment: Generic Numerical Standards and Property-Specific Standards. The VAP Phase I Property Assessment, the No Further Action letter, and the Covenant Not to Sue are central deliverables, with a Certified Professional (CP) directing the work. Canal-era cinder and slag fill, rubber-era solvent and carbon black impacts, PCBs, dense downtown USTs, and Cuyahoga River floodplain sediments layer in vapor intrusion screening, soil management planning, and VAP numeric standards review.
Remediation & Redevelopment (DSR-Affiliated Track)
Resource Renewal's Akron Phase I and Phase II work aligns with ASTM E1527-21 All Appropriate Inquiries, Ohio EPA guidance, and the VAP's No Further Action letter and Covenant Not to Sue structure. Our Mount Holly HQ team has executed Phase I ESAs, Phase II investigations, and VAP closure work across Northeast Ohio — including former rubber and tire plant parcels, plating and foundry sites, and canal-corridor industrial properties. Akron clients get reports that anticipate Ohio EPA Northeast District Office reviewer questions, support VAP Generic Numerical and Property-Specific Standards closure, and integrate cleanly with lender, counsel, and municipal redevelopment workflows — including review by the Akron Planning Commission, the Development Finance Authority of Summit County, and the Summit County Land Bank.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Mount Holly is Resource Renewal's headquarters city. The Resource Renewal Business Park at 10 Lippincott Lane is a completed brownfield redevelopment project and the home base for RCC and DSR field crews working across Burlington County. Surrounding municipalities served from this HQ include Burlington, Westampton, Lumberton, Eastampton, Hainesport, Pemberton, Cinnaminson, Maple Shade, Moorestown, Cherry Hill, Marlton, and Medford.
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A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is a documented review of a property's current and historical use, performed under ASTM E1527-21, that identifies Recognized Environmental Conditions and Areas of Concern. Typical triggers include commercial real estate transactions, lender requirements, attorney due diligence, pre-redevelopment review, and refinancing. RCC pairs the ASTM Phase I ESA with an NJDEP-compliant Preliminary Assessment to provide combined federal CERCLA and NJ ISRA innocent purchaser protections. In Mount Holly and Burlington County, the property types most likely to trigger Phase I work are industrial, automotive, agricultural, fuel storage, and dry cleaning sites.
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A typical Phase I ESA runs two to three weeks from authorization to draft delivery, depending on environmental database turnaround, depth of historical research, agency file review timing, and site access. RCC can accelerate timelines for time-sensitive transactions when scope and access permit. Layered NJDEP Preliminary Assessment work is coordinated within the same engagement. Under ASTM E1527-21, a Phase I ESA is valid for 180 days, with extensions of up to one year possible if specific components are refreshed.
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When Recognized Environmental Conditions are identified, the natural next step is a Phase II Site Investigation: a defined sampling plan, certified laboratory analysis, and data evaluation against NJDEP standards. If contamination is confirmed, RCC develops a Remedial Investigation and a Remedial Action Workplan, pursuing a Response Action Outcome under LSRP oversight. For owners who prefer to exit the property rather than carry it through closure, DSR brownfield acquisition and environmental liability transfer are available as an alternative path.
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DSR is Resource Renewal's brownfield redevelopment company, with experience across more than 100 brownfield sites in NJ, NY, PA, MA, and OH. DSR services include site evaluation, environmental liability transfer, and full redevelopment. DSR is a member of the EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program and the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast, and applies its Turn Brown to Green™ (TB2G™) model for landfill closure and beneficial reuse. EPA Brownfields Program grants and incentives may apply to qualifying Mount Holly and Burlington County sites.
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Under the NJ Site Remediation Reform Act of 2009, contaminated sites are remediated under Licensed Site Remediation Professional oversight rather than direct NJDEP case management. The LSRP defines the technical approach, files key submissions, and issues a Response Action Outcome when site conditions meet applicable remediation standards. Typical sequencing is Preliminary Assessment, Site Investigation, Remedial Investigation, Remedial Action, and final RAO issuance. The RAO confirms regulatory closure and supports transactions, financing, and redevelopment.
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Burlington County is New Jersey's largest county by land area and one of the most active warehouse and distribution development markets in the Northeast. The I-295 / NJ Turnpike Exit 5 / Route 38 corridor and proximity to the Port of Philadelphia have driven sustained conversion of agricultural and former industrial parcels into large-format warehouse, fulfillment, and last-mile distribution facilities. Each of those transactions typically triggers a Phase I ESA from lenders or institutional buyers. Volume has been particularly visible in Mount Holly, Westampton, Burlington Township, Florence, and Mansfield.
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The Resource Renewal Business Park at 10 Lippincott Lane is itself a brownfield redevelopment project that moved through the same investigation, remediation, regulatory closure, and reuse process RCC and DSR deliver for clients. It is a working demonstration that contaminated parcels can move from environmental liability to productive operating real estate when investigation, remediation, regulatory strategy, and redevelopment are executed by an integrated team. Prospective clients are welcome to walk the site as part of project scoping.
Visit Our Mount Holly, NJ HQ or Find Us Near You
The Resource Renewal Business Park
10 Lippincott Lane, Unit 1
Mount Holly, NJ 08060
To discuss an Akron Phase I ESA, Phase II investigation, VAP closure, or remediation project, contact RCC’s Mount Holly HQ team at (856) 273-1009 or through our contact page. We respond quickly with scope, fee, and schedule tailored to your Akron property and Northeast Ohio project context.