United States Office of Publication: EPA 500-F-86-C06 Environmental Protection Solid Waste and Agency Emergency Response June *»EF¥\ Brownfields Pilot - Richmond, CA Office of Outreach and 9psclal Projects (5101) Quick Reference Fact Sheet EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative i3 designed to empower States, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof; that has actual or perceived contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA plans to fund over fifty Brownfields Pilots in 1995 and 1996, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields solutions. ThePilots are intended toprovideEPA,States,Tribes,municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment. OVERVIEW EPA has selected the City of Richmond for a Brownfields Pilot. The proposed project area is the 900-acre North Richmond Shoreline, which contains a variety of brownfields in a relatively compact area. Aging heavy industry, low-income housing, idle and vacant properties, and waste disposal facilities are concentrated in an area that borders a distressed neighborhood and an estuarine ecosystem known to support two endangered species. At least 36 properties (90 percent of the ay's developable area) are contaminated with volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, and metals. The sector has a mix of thriving large businesses and struggling smaller ones. The presence of hazardous materials on the latter's property, combined with their shaky financial condition, has stymied growth in that sector. OBJECTIVES The ultimate goals of Richmond's brownfields effort axe to stimulate economic growth and improve public health and the environmental quality of the Bay. The project will build on intensive planning and cooperative partnerships that have evolved over the last five years. Richmond has included a green componentin theirplanning. This will providepublic recreation, open the shoreline for public vise, and establish zoning standards to limit industrial activ- ities that may endanger human health and the environment. Richmond plans to increase public awareness of contaminated sites and involve the community in remedial planning and marketing activities. ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this pilot include: • Completing preliminary site assessments of two to five siteB within the North Richmond Shoreline; • Developing financing mechanisms specifi- cally to promote the city's brownfields process; • Clarifying jurisdictional authorities to promote coordination among the city, county, and state; • Streamlining the regulatory process through cooperative partnerships of the state and federal authorities; « Implementing community education and outreach programs to promote full stake- holder participation; and ------- The cooperative agreement for this pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. CONTACTS Jim Hanson U.S. EPA - Region 9 (415) 744-2237 Nancy Kaufman Planning Department (510) 620-6706 SERA United States Environmental Protection Agency (5202 G) Washington. DC 20460 Official Susiness Penalty for Private Use $300 ------- |