United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-97-042 May 1997 Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilot Atlanta, GA Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101) 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. Between 1995 and 1996, EPA funded 76 National and Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields solutions. EPAis funding morethan 27 Pilots in 1997. The Pilots 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 Region 4 has selected the City of Atlanta for a Regional Brownfields Pilot. Industrial and residen- tial areas are mixed throughout Atlanta's urban core, with large industries surrounded by small, single- family homes and public housing projects. The City has established their own Empowerment Zone of 30 neighborhoods (population 50,000) and the Atlanta Empowerment Zone Corporation to implement their plans. Atlanta has identified 10 verified and 3 6 poten- tial brownfields in the Empowerment Zone that may be contaminated with a number of toxic pollutants. Several areas contain vacant and abandoned ware- houses that have become dumping grounds for waste and toxic chemicals. Ninety percent of the population is African-American, and most are below the poverty line. One study has shown that 83 percent of the City's contaminated sites are located in African- American neighborhoods. OBJECTIVES Atlanta plans to: 1) inventory brownfields within the Empowerment Zone; 2) develop financing tools to encourage industry involvement in brownfields rede- velopment; 3) provide environmental justice plan- ning to develop sustainable communities; and 4) build a cohesive brownfields redevelopment strategy and project management capacity. PILOT SNAPSHOT Atlanta, Georgia Date of Award: September 1996 Amount: $100,000 Site Profile: The Pilot targets 10 verified and 36 potential brownfields with varied levels of contamination, interspersed throughout the City's Empowerment Zone. Environmental audits will be conducted at up to three of these sites. Contacts: Dan Cohen Atlanta Department of Planning and Development (404) 330-6899 Barbara Dick U.S. EPA-Region 4 (404) 562-8923 dick.barbara@ epamail.epa.gov Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES The Pilot has: • Begun environmental assessments, and will under- take a minimum of three Level I and one Level II environmental audits. The Pilot is: • Building abrownfields inventory database; • Producing a site identification brochure that will be the beginning of an aggressive public communica- tions strategy and demonstration project; • Developing remediation processes and costanalyses; • Creating a central oversight process for reviewing technical elements of site remediation, including legal and insurance liability risks; and • Involving community partners including Clark At- lanta University and neighborhood planning boards in organizing workshops, community meetings, and outreach efforts. LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES Experience with the Atlanta Pilot has been a catalyst for related activities including the following. • The Metro Area Chamber of Commerce formed a Brownfields Issue Work Group. The Work Group' s technical subcommittees have provided support to the City's brownfields efforts. • The Brownfields Issue Work Group has also pro- vided the City with free legal services and financial assistance relating to liability, insurance, and lend- ing concerns. Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilot Atlanta, Georgia May 1997 EPA 500-F-97-042 ------- |