A brownfield site is best described as which of the following?

• A. Abandoned, idled or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination
• B. Will Not Support an Agricultural Group
• C. Has Little Vegetation Remaining as a Result of Past Environmental Contamination
• D. Is a Former Industrial or Commercial Site, Now Contaminated

Answer: (A)

A brownfield is a previously developed industrial or commercial site where expansion or redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived environmental contamination. The description that highlights both the prior industrial/commercial use and the redevelopment barriers caused by contamination best captures the essence of what brownfields are. It reflects why these sites are candidates for cleanup and reuse despite the contamination concerns.

Other statements miss the defining point: one distracts with an unrelated idea about agricultural use, another focuses on vegetation rather than redevelopment potential, and another describes contamination without tying it to the redevelopment challenges that make a site a brownfield in practice.