2026 Program
Monday, March 23, 2026
All Grantee Meeting
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Brownfields EPA Grantee Meeting is an opportunity for Brownfield Grantees and Federal Staff from EPA Region 3 alongside their TAB provider to exchange ideas, provide feedback to one another, and encourage closer collaboration for brownfield redevelopment. The session will provide grantees with updates on federal and state programs, grants and other resources, and technical issues grantees face. Special topics include, procurement, quality assurance, and community involvement.
Brownfields 101
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Panelists: Steven Miano, Hangley Aronchick, Philadelphia, PA, Colleen Costello, CCC & Associates, LLC, Chalfont, PA; and Michael Maddigan, PA DEP, Harrisburg, PA
Given the popularity of past Brownfields 101 programs, we have expanded the program to 2 hours and will hold it on Monday afternoon, before the start of the conference. This session will introduce participants to the basics of Pennsylvania’s brownfields program. The session is designed for those who are either new to brownfields redevelopment or for those who want to put the entire brownfields redevelopment process into perspective. The session will cover the basics of Acts 2, 3 and 4, the legal protections provided, federal counterparts, the drivers of the process, managing technical issues, the nuts and bolts of doing the deal, transaction risk management, and long-term stewardship of redevelopment projects including environmental covenants. Speakers will provide both the DEP and private practice perspectives. Given the expanded session timing, we will also briefly touch on some of the requirements for attaining each of the Act 2 remediation standards (vapor intrusion, risk assessment, background basics, ecological evaluations, etc.) PFAS and emerging contaminants, and consideration for developing unique properties into successful brownfields redevelopment sites.
Tours of Bethlehem, Easton and Allentown
TOUR 1: Bethlehem Tour
Time: 3:00-6:00 PM, Stops include:
BethWorks, including No. 2 Machine Shop, 920 E 1st St; Steel General Offices, 701 E 3rd St; and possibly Turn and Grind, 645 E 1st St.
Speakers: John Callahan, Director of Business Development, Peron Development and former CoB Mayor; Sean Ziller, CoB Deputy Director of Economic Development; and possibly Kassie Hilgert, President and CEO, ArtsQuest.
Boyd Theatre, 26-44 W Broad St.
Speaker: Rocco Ayvazov, CEO, Monocacy General Contracting, LLC and Monocacy Builders, LLC.
Laros Mill and Laros Lofts, 601-675 E Broad St.
Speaker: Gretchen Rice, Partner, VM Development Group, LLC and VM Realty Group, LLC.
Eastern Gateway, 1400-1416 E 4th St.
Speakers: Kerry Wroble, President and CEO, Lehigh Valley Industrial Park, Inc. and Sara Statullo, CoB Deputy Director of Community Development.
TOUR 2: Easton Tour
Time: 3:00-6:00 PM, Stops include:
Simon Silk Mill
Construction of the Simon Silk MIll began in 1883 and the mill eventually grew to include 330,000 square feet of space in approximately 20 buildings along the Bushkill Creek in Easton. After acquiring the site 2024, the Easton Redevelopment Authority undertook a decade-long redevelopment project that included leveraging a dozen different federal, state and local grants and loans totaling more than $9.3M. The resulting $100M+ award-winning redevelopment project was completed by VM Development Group and the site now houses 35 businesses employing approximately 100 people and 162 residential units (simonsilkmill.com).
Easton Iron & Metal
The Easton Iron & Metal site (EIM) is a former scrapyard that has been acquired by the City of Easton for the purpose of creating a dynamic mixed-use redevelopment whose design and functionality reflects the artistic and environmental sensibilities of the adjacent Karl Stirner Arts Trail and Bushkill Creek. The City has leveraged ~$2.3 million in grant funding toward environmental cleanup and pedestrian connectivity improvements and is now working with VM Development Group through a public-private partnership to develop “The Foundry”, a $50M+ mixed-use community with ~20,000 square feet of commercial space and parking on the buildings’ first floors, 200+ residential units on the upper floors, and unique architecture focused on environmental sustainability, nature and art.
Dixie Cup
Redevelopment is a 405-apartment mixed-use complex, improvements to the Wilson Bike path area, and the former factory’s boiler house will become a dog-friendly cafe and lounge. Redevelopment project cost roughly $155 million. In July 2025, the environmental remediation was completed, included the removal of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and toxic chemicals such as lead-based paint and asbestos.
Black Diamond Redevelopment
A former stainless steel manufacturing plant that was blighted for more than 30 years, The Mill at Easton is a model project for revitalizing urban industrial sites. Beginning in 2018, this 8-year redevelopment project is now complete. Consisting of 55 affordable apartments, a Dollar General + and a Federally Qualified Health Center, this transformative project has helped to address both a food and health care desert that exists on the City’s south side, while also addressing the region’s affordable housing problem at the same time.
Highline project
A former NFS rail bridge that connects Phillipburg and Easton that will be transformed into a walking path over the Delaware River.
TOUR 3: Allentown Tour
Time: 3:00-6:00 PM, Stops include:
Eastern Exterior Wall Systems property (also known as the Allentown Metal Works), 606 S. 10th Street.
Traylor Engineering was established in 1902 by a young mining engineer, Sam Traylor. Initially, the plant made heavy-duty steel equipment for the mining, construction, and concrete industry. Some went to American industries, but most products were sent for export to Europe and other overseas buyers. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the French and British contracted Traylor for manufacturing munitions (shells and naval mines). When the US entered the war in 1917, the company made marine engines and boilers along with other essential parts for ships. While going back to the mining industry during the 1920s and 1930s, World War II turned the company back to being a vital defense contractor. In 1959, Traylor Engineering was sold to the Fuller Company. In 1990, FLSmidth bought the Fuller Company and continued manufacturing cement processing equipment (kilns) until the early 2000s. Mack Truck plants were situated next to Traylor Engineering after Jack and Gus Mack moved their motor car plant to Allentown from Brooklyn, NY in 1905; taking over the foundries of the former Weaver-Hirsh company on South 10th Street.
This site was known as Allentown Metal Works, which closed in 2011 and was taken over by AEDC. In October 2022, the site was sold to Marcon Properties who conducted a redevelopment in 2024 including construction of two plants which opened in January 2025 and are currently used to produce prefabricated exterior wall panels. Eastern Exterior Wall Systems, Inc. was born from the need to provide high-quality, single-source, efficient exterior EIFS enclosures to a growing construction industry, specifically the rise of the casino development in Atlantic City, NJ. Throughout EEWS’s four decades of existence, we have continuously improved on our original product. We have grown through many technological advances, additional cladding options, and enhanced enclosure performance, designing our panels to suit the ever-evolving world of construction. This means listening to our customers providing them with solutions that not only look great but outperform every expectation. Most recently, this has included developing our gasketed panel-to-panel weather joint which extends the available range of EEWS’s high-performance prefabricated solutions. From its inception over 40 years ago, EEWS has been proud partners on projects that have changed the skylines of major metropolitan areas and contributed to the growth of communities in the Northeast region of the United States and beyond.
The Waterfront, 615 Waterfront Drive.
Since acquiring the former Lehigh Structural Steel site in 2012, The Waterfront Development Company (a division of Jaindl Enterprises) has transformed a once-dormant 29-acre industrial property into a vibrant, mixed-use riverfront destination. Through a decade-long commitment to remediation and revitalization, the team has completed extensive environmental work under Pennsylvania’s Act 2 Land Recycling Program, achieving PADEP-approved cleanup standards and securing the site’s readiness for safe residential, commercial, and recreational use. The redevelopment’s remediation strategy successfully addressed minimal soil and groundwater impacts through targeted excavation, capping, and institutional controls, ensuring that The Waterfront is positioned as a model for sustainable brownfield reuse.
With sitewide infrastructure completed and vertical development underway, The Waterfront now showcases its first Class-A office building (615 Waterfront Drive) and is advancing construction on River House, a 201-unit luxury apartment building slated to open in 2026.
In 2025, The Waterfront Development Co. partnered with Urban Design Associates to reimagine the campus master plan, reflecting a forward-looking approach to urban living and economic growth along the Lehigh River. The project stands as a benchmark for collaborative remediation, adaptive planning, and market-driven placemaking—redefining what’s possible for brownfield transformation in Pennsylvania.
Drive by Coca Cola Park (Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) if time permits.
Welcome Reception
Location: Twisted Tees in the Casino Shopping Area
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM