Phase I Environmental Site Assessment in Scranton, PA

Yes. Resource Renewal supports environmental assessment, investigation, remediation, and redevelopment projects in Scranton and Lackawanna County through RCC and its affiliated company, DSR. Both operate from Resource Renewal’s headquarters at 10 Lippincott Lane in Mount Holly, NJ. Contact the team to discuss project availability, property conditions, and scope.

A Phase I ESA reviews a property’s current and historical uses, nearby properties, regulatory records, and site conditions to identify Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs). Buyers commonly order one before acquiring commercial or industrial property, and lenders may request one as part of financing. A properly completed Phase I ESA can also help a purchaser satisfy federal All Appropriate Inquiries requirements. Whether an assessment is necessary depends on the transaction, property history, and financing requirements.

The timeline depends on the property, availability of historical and regulatory records, and transaction schedule. Many Phase I ESAs can be completed within a few weeks, but properties with extensive industrial histories, multiple structures, complex ownership records, or additional agency-file research may require more time. RCC can establish a project-specific schedule after reviewing the Scranton property and transaction requirements.

A REC does not automatically mean that a property is contaminated. It indicates that additional evaluation may be appropriate. RCC can develop a targeted Phase II Environmental Site Assessment using soil, groundwater, soil gas, or vapor sampling based on the conditions identified during the Phase I. If contamination is confirmed, additional site characterization and remediation planning may be appropriate under Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling Program, commonly known as Act 2.

Yes. Through RCC and affiliated company DSR, Resource Renewal can support environmental investigation, remediation planning, brownfield acquisition, redevelopment, and environmental liability transfer structures where appropriate. The specific structure depends on the property, contamination, transaction, cleanup obligations, and intended reuse. Pennsylvania’s Act 2 program can provide liability relief when applicable cleanup standards and program requirements are successfully satisfied.

Pennsylvania’s Act 2 Land Recycling Program provides a voluntary framework for investigating, remediating, and reusing contaminated commercial and industrial properties. A formal Act 2 cleanup generally begins with a Notice of Intent to Remediate, followed by the investigation and documentation needed to demonstrate attainment of an applicable cleanup standard. Pennsylvania recognizes background, statewide health, and site-specific standards under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 250. When applicable requirements are met and PA DEP approves the required documentation, the remediator may receive liability relief for the contamination addressed through the Act 2 process.

Scranton and Lackawanna County have a long history of mining, manufacturing, mills, rail transportation, and other industrial uses. EPA has specifically identified Scranton as a focus area for brownfield assessment activity in Lackawanna County. A 2024 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant provides funding for up to 20 Phase I and nine Phase II environmental site assessments across the county, with priority properties including a former silk mill, former lumber mill, vacant manufacturing property, and mine-scarred land. These regional conditions do not establish contamination at a particular property, but they make parcel-specific environmental due diligence especially relevant for some transactions and redevelopment projects.

Resource Renewal’s headquarters at 10 Lippincott Lane sits within the Resource Renewal Business Park, a completed brownfield redevelopment project. It provides a working example of the investigation, remediation, and property-reuse approach RCC and DSR can bring to environmentally impaired real estate. The Mount Holly property is not a Scranton project, but the redevelopment experience is relevant to owners and developers evaluating brownfield or impaired properties in Scranton and Lackawanna County.