The Farm Fresh Rhode Island project is a transformative initiative aimed at enhancing food security by building relationships with local farmers and addressing food deserts in urban areas. This project involved the redevelopment of a brownfield site into a vibrant community space that expands access to fresh, locally grown food to underserved communities.

The Farm Fresh Rhode Island Food and Agriculture Campus focuses on building relationships with local farmers and addressing food deserts in urban areas. The project involved transforming a vacant industrial site into their new headquarters, which included obtaining grants to define the nature and extent of contamination and to remediate the property. The project consisted of:

• Brownfield remediation
• Implementing innovative stormwater management systems
• Raising the site grade for flood resilience
• Incorporating green energy solutions
• Creating a vibrant community space with job opportunities

Verdantas played a crucial role in the Farm Fresh Rhode Island Food and Agriculture Campus project by providing comprehensive civil and environmental engineering services. Their contributions included:

• Securing several Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) Brownfield grants to further define the nature and extent of contamination followed by the remediation of the property
• Supporting the process of obtaining a green stormwater infrastructure grant and a climate resiliency grant
• Site design, stormwater management, flood resiliency, permitting, and construction oversight
• Site grading, ADA compliant sidewalks, loading docks, lighting, parking layout along with sewer and water utilities
• Stormwater design, including a combination of green rain gardens along with subsurface infiltration chambers to promote groundwater recharge

The project involved selecting a distressed site in a difficult urban area, which required thorough due diligence and environmental assessments. Securing funding for the project was crucial, and managing cleanup costs was a significant challenge because the site had contamination issues that needed to be addressed prior to development. Additionally, the site grade was raised to address floodplain issues and ensure the site was resilient to natural hazards. Materials at the site, such as brick and concrete, were recycled and utilized as clean fill during construction. The brick and concrete were crushed on-site and used to raise the site grade, contributing to the project's sustainability.

About Farm Fresh Rhode Island: 

Founded in 2004, Farm Fresh RI food and agriculture campus delivers innovative programs that strengthen the farm-to-table movement and build a strong local and regional food infrastructure. They offer farmers markets and transparent enterprise systems that help New England farmers, fishers, and food producers reach more customers and reduce waste. In addition, they work with the community through outreach, incentives, education, and hunger relief programs to increase the accessibility and affordability of nutritious local foods. In redeveloping the 3.2-acre site, they incorporated exceptional stewardship practices. Most significant is the half-acre set aside for beautifully landscaped, publicly accessible space. Every effort was made to use local cultivars that support the native ecology. This project included the remediation of a brownfield site that helped jumpstart the Woonasquatucket River corridor revitalization while expanding access to fresh, locally grown food by underserved communities.