United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-117
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
\>EPA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Pulaski County, AR
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is 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 is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, 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.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected Pulaski County for a Brownfields
Pilot. Pulaski County was also selected to receive
additional funding for assessments at Brownfields
properties to be used for greenspace purposes. This
Pilot is targeting areas in two cities located in Pulaski
County—Little Rock and North Little Rock. Little
Rock and its sister city, North Little Rock, were
settled in the early 1800s on opposite banks of the
Arkansas River. Transportation, commerce, and
industry began on and grew inland from the
riverbanks. Like most American cities after World
War II, central Arkansas sprawled into suburban
greenfields and began the abandonment of its
historical urban core. The cities face several
obstacles in redeveloping the urban core. Both Little
Rock and North Little Rock are currently undergoing
downtown/river area redevelopment, the extent of
which has not yet been fully realized. The unknown
nature of brownfields locations and liabilities is a
major deterrent to urban core redevelopment.
OBJECTIVES
The Pilot plans to use funding to survey the target area
in order to provide private developers and public
agencies with a complete data set on development
PILOT SNAPSHOT Date of Announcement:
May 2000
Amount: $200,000
Greenspace: $50,000
Profile: The Pilot plans to use
funding to identify sites, perform
environmental assessments, and
develop appropriate cleanup and
redevelopment plansforthe targeted
areas of Pulaski County. The Pilot
also plansto use additional greenspace
funding to developan integrated park/
recreational system along the
riverfront of the Arkansas River.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 6
(214)665-6736
Pulaski County, AR
Contacts:
Metroplan
Little Rock, Arkansas
(501)340-8305
Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.htm
Forfurther information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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sites. The Pilot also plans to coordinate long-term
municipal redevelopment plans with the brownfields
data. The number of sites to be formally assessed will
be narrowed based on current and historic uses of the
property and restrictions on redevelopment. Once
the sites are narrowed, environmental assessments
will be conducted.
The additional greenspace funding will assist in plans
for an integrated park/recreational system that
connects both city centers to the library. The selected
greenspace "focus area" falls approximately in the
center of the targeted Urban Core Redevelopment
area. Conceptual development plans include a
botanical garden, esplanades and overlooks along
both sides of the Arkansas River, a marina, a boat
launch, a proposed Central Arkansas Aquarium and
entertainment center, and further development of the
existing Riverfront Parks on either side of the river.
The two city parks will be joined by the abandoned
Rock Island Rail bridge, which will be converted into
a pedestrian pathway.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Identifying and inventorying potential brownfields
properties within the primary target area;
• Conducting assessments on the Old Veterans
Administration Hospital, the Library Redevelopment
Area, Vestal Property, and 13th Street Park sites;
• Involving the community in brownfield assessment,
cleanup, and redevelopment planning efforts;
• Maintaining a brownfields database for the target
area; and
• Incorporating redevelopment plans into land use,
zoning, and parks master plans for the target area
and remote sites.
The cooperative agreementforthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subjectto change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Pulaski County, AR
May2000 EPA 500-F-OO-117
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