What do you do with a property that’s been sitting empty for decades—maybe an old gas station, an abandoned mill, or even a drive-in movie theater that no one’s used since the ‘80s?
Joe Schmitt of YCDA recently participated in a panel at the 2025 Washington State Brownfields Conference, held at the Yakima Convention Event Center, where leaders form across the state gathered to talk about how to turn forgotten, underutilized or contaminated sites—called “brownfields”—into something useful that benefits the community.
So, What’s a Brownfield?
A brownfield can be land or a structure that had a prior use, maybe industrial or commercial, but now sits empty because there’s a concern it might be contaminated. These properties can be a challenge, but they’re also full of potential. With the right approach, they can become affordable housing, public parks, food truck hubs, or new business spaces and industrial developments.
An example in Yakima – the former drive-in movie theater off Fruitvale Boulevard
At the conference, Joe shared one of Yakima County’s most recent brownfield wins: the transformation of a long-vacant 10-acre property—the former Yakima Drive-In—into Northwest Harvest’s 200,000 SF food distribution center and free community market.
Today, that site helps provide food to 65 hunger relief programs and 17 schools across all of Washington State.
“It’s not just about cleaning up land,” Joe explained. “It’s about building something better in its place that meets a real need in the community.”
Behind the Scenes of Brownfield Projects
Joe was part of a panel called “Return on Investment Analysis,” where he joined other leaders from the City of Yakima (Gary Ballew, Assistant City Manager), Catholic Charities Housing Services (Bryan Ketcham), and the Department of Ecology (Sandra Treccani). Together, they talked about how different groups—cities, nonprofits, developers—work together to navigate the complexities of brownfield redevelopment and secure the resources needed.
They touched on things like:
- How to identify funding to clean up and rebuild
- How to balance short-term costs with long-term community and economic impact
- What makes a site worth the investment—and when it’s time to walk away
Why it’s important
The Brownfields Conference, co-hosted by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Northwest Environmental Business Council (NEBC), is all about finding new solutions for old problems. By sharing real examples—like Yakima’s drive-in makeover—leaders from across the state get inspired to bring these ideas back to their own communities.
Joe’s presence on the panel showed that Yakima County is strategically turning problematic or underutilized properties into places that can revitalize a community truly serve the people.
YCDA is constantly working behind the scenes to grow Yakima’s economy and improve the livability of Yakima County through Workforce Development, Business Retention, Business Recruitment, and infrastructure; brownfields are just on piece of the puzzle.
