u
o
Brownfields
Assessment
Village of Lincoln Heights, OH
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the Village of Lincoln Heights for a
Brownfields Assessment Pilot. Lincoln Heights (population
4,5 00) is a small, historically African-American community
located 12 miles north of downtown Cincinnati in
southwestern Ohio. When the village was established in
the 1920s, it was one of the few areas in Hamilton County
outside of Cincinnati where African Americans were
allowed to purchase property and to work in nearby
industrial plants along 1-70. When it was chartered as an
independent municipality in 1945, the village was left with
only 0.8 of a square mile of land. The village's economic
base historically has revolved around industry, but its
limited industrial and commercial land base has been
insufficient to support the needs of village residents.
Today, Lincoln Heights continues to have one of the
highest population densities, lowest income levels, and
highest poverty rates in Hamilton County.
As part of the Lincoln Heights Revitalization Strategy and
Urban Renewal Plan, the village has identified
approximately 35 acres of potential brownfields for
assessment and redevelopment. Areas specifically targeted
for the Pilot include the 17-acre Job Corp site that was an
industrial manufacturing junkyard and asphalt plant; the 1 -
acre Coactive Expansion site that has had undocumented
commercial, industrial, and residential uses; the 2-acre
Wayne Avenue corridor that contains old manufacturing
facilities; and the 6-acre Steffens Avenue corridor that
contains a former warehouse, auto salvage yard, and
vacant residences. These sites are typical of the
uncontrolled land use and undocumented industrial and
commercial development that lies adjacent to residential
areas and inhibits investment in the community. Village
residents are 99 percent African American, have a per
capita income of $6,655, a poverty rate of 39percent, and
an unemployment rate of 11 percent.
PI LOT SNAPSHOT
Village of Lincoln Heights,
Ohio
Date of Announcement:
May 2002
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Village ofLincoln
Heights will targetfourbrownfield
sites within its limited land base
and return them to productive
use, as part of a strategy to
enhance the village's small
economic base by intensifying
and expanding commercial land
uses.
Contacts:
Village of Lincoln Heights Regional Brownfields Team
(513)733-5900 U.S. EPA Region 5
(312)353-0123
Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
For further information, including specificPilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/brownfields
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Pilot is to conduct environmental
assessments at four targeted sites, which will help return
them to productive use. Pilot funds will be used for Phase
I and II environmental assessments, including quality
assurance, sampling and analysis, health and safety, and
cleanup planning; and for public outreach activities, such
as quarterly meetings, materials, and mailings.
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Performing Phase I and Phase II environmental site
assessments on four target sites; and
• Continuing community outreach activities to include
residents and the business community in the project.
The cooperative agreement forthis Pilot has notyetbeen negotiated; therefore,
activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Solid Waste EPA 500-F-02-069
and Emergency May 2002
Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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