u o Brownfields Supplemental Assistance City of Newport News, VA BACKGROUND EPA awarded the City of Newport News supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. NewportNews (population 182,000)is a linear city located in southeastern Virginia where the James River meets the Chesapeake Bay. It served as the eastern terminus of the first transcontinental railway. It is still home to many shipyards and the point of departure for thousands of American soldiers. The Victory Arch, built to commemorate the city's role in soldier deployment during both World Wars, is located in what is now the oldest section of Newport News. As the city expanded northward, investment in the older downtown decreased leaving the Victory Arch surrounded by old abandoned factories and shipyards. The neighborhood currently contains the highest proportions of racial minorities and low-income residents in the city. The city's goal is to recycle the underused and abandoned commercial and industrial properties that represent the small amount of land available for Newport News' economic growth. The original Pilot enabled the city to conduct environmental site assessments on seven properties in the Southeast Community and downtown. In addition, the original Pilot established the framework for the city' s brownfields program, compiled an inventory of brownfields in the southern portion of the city, and involved citizens and businesses in the brownfields redevelopment process. Supplemental assistance is needed to continue the process of revitalizing the Victory Arch Brownfields Initiative Target Zone. OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES Newport News will use the supplemental assistance to select a minimum of three sites in the Victory Arch Brownfields Initiative Target Zone that offer the best opportunity for sustainable success and conduct site assessments at those sites. The Pilot will focus on the PILOT SNAPSHOT City of Newport News, Virginia Date of Announcement: May 2002 Amount: $150,000 Profile: This Pilot targets at least three sites in the Victory Arch Brownfields Initiative Target Zonefor assessment and reuse planning. Contacts: Newport News Department of Planning and Development (757)926-3805 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA Region 3 (215)814-3129 Visit the E PA Region 3 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.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: www.epa.gov/brownfields downtown, Chase B ag/Seafood Industrial Park, and the CSX Rail Corridor areas of the target zone. Supplemental funds also will be used to update its inventory of brownfields and involve the community through public forums and meetings. ------- Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Selecting at least three properties in the Target Zone for assessment and characterization; • Updating the city's inventory of brownfields; and • Continuing community involvement programs. ThecooperativeagreementforthisPilothasnotyetbeennegotiated;therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Solid Waste EPA 500-F-02-087 and Emergency May 2002 Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- |