Chris Fleming knew he had everything a successful hotel development required: a suitable site with high demand and a stable future. But, he learned, the area had a history of industrial uses.

"We thought, 'Oh great, this is going to be a contaminated site,'" said Fleming, an experienced local developer.

With plans for a full-service Embassy Suites hotel serving Oklahoma City's health sciences district west of downtown, Fleming teamed up with the Planning Department for a brownfields study to see if the site was viable for a hotel.

The Planning Department's Phase 1 ESA study revealed historical garages and filling stations that could affect the site. Using federal grant funds, the department conducted a Phase II study that revealed no contamination that would require remediation before the hotel project could move forward.

"And even if it did find something, we knew there would be a mechanism in place in case there was any potential remediation," Fleming said of the advantages of partnering with the Planning Department. "We would have never gotten to that point of this program didn't exist. We would have just looked at a different site. But this was our favorite."

Fleming recommends consulting with the Planning Department before considering abandoning a project plan because of potential contamination issues.

"The City has the resources, staff and consultants to help determine the viability and deal with the contamination," he said.