Neville Island is becoming more and more two-faced -- one brown and one green.

That's the way Deb Lang, executive director at Western Pennsylvania Brownfields Center at Carnegie Mellon University, along with a panel of experts, sees the future of the township.

As Neville officials continue to look for ways to develop and improve the island's brownfield sites, they also are seeing more and more environmentally friendly companies coming to the township.

A brownfield site is property, of which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

In 2003, an extensive workshop was held with six or seven brownfield experts from across the country who stayed three or four days in Neville, Lang said.

They spoke with property owners and community groups to collect information to come up with a recommendation on how to proceed with development strategies.

Recommendations were presented, and last year the experts came back to Neville. They were impressed with the future hotel and Kings Restaurant, which are consistent with recommendations made several years ago.

"The township has a lot of assets, and there is lots of interest in the island." Lang said.

"They need a strategy so that land use is appropriate with their vision."

Bill Easton, Neville commissioner, said the township soon will be hiring a consultant to help develop a subdivision ordinance to give officials more authority concerning land use.

"We don't want companies like the Marriott Fairfield Inn and Kings Restaurant coming in and investing millions of dollars into the township, and then have someone else come in and put up a shack next to it," Easton said.

Lang also pointed out brownfield challenges exist not only in Neville, but in surrounding communities, all of which have riverfront and under-utilized properties.

"There needs to be a single go-to person, a single point of contact, to handle brownfield development in all of those communities. There may be strength in numbers here. There are lots of similarities in those communities."

The brownfield center held a preliminary meeting late last month to discuss such a plan with representatives from McKees Rocks, Stowe, Neville, Cornell School District and Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce.

"There was a good amount of interest in finding resources to fund a bigger workshop and getting that single point of contact," Lang said.

Sally Haas, chamber president, said her organization might be willing to get involved.

"We're in the preliminary phase of looking at this," Haas said. "The chamber is trying to be as supportive as we can in taking this to the next level. Advancing this multi-community initiative is something we're looking forward to working on."

Easton said the township already has developed and is continuing to look for more ways to develop some of its brownfields.

The hotel and King's are being constructed on property that used to house a light metals plant and was considered a brownfield site, Easton said.

The site was evaluated, but no contaminants were found there, as in most cases of the brownfield sites assessed in the township, he said.

Another brownfield site now houses PenaPlas, a distributor of industrial plastics and pipe systems, along Neville Road.

In Neville's case, Lang said, the experts have also agreed that while the township is working to develop its brownfields, officials also should market the "green" concept.

Easton said he believes green industry for the township could be and is already is becoming an reality, as the township is trying to attract environmentally friendly companies.

He points to Lindy Paving as one example.

The company, which recently built a new asphalt plant on the island, has begun a more than $200,000 landscaping and fencing project along Neville Road.

Even the PennDOT facility under the bridge is trying to be more environmentally friendly. The company is willing to relocate if Neville officials can find a property suitable, which Easton said they are working on now.

Lang said there also is a new recycling facility in the township, and it is possible that a new bio-diesel alternative fuel plant could be located in Neville in the near future.