United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-97-011
May 1997
National Brownfields
Assessment Pilot
Cleveland, OH
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 selected the Cuyahoga County Planning
Commission (CPC) as its first Brownfields Pilot in
September 1993. To date, the CPC brownfields
project has leveraged an additional $3.2 million to
support environmental cleanup and property
improvements at the Pilot site. Payroll tax base
improvements alone have netted over $ 1 million
for the local government, and more than 170 new
jobs have been created.
OBJECTIVES
The CPC's objective has been to focus cleanup
decisions on future reuse of the site and ensure that
decisions about cleanup and redevelopment are
consistent with the needs and expectations of the
community. The CPC has garnered input and
assistance from lending institutions, developers,
regulatory agencies, and the community to ensure
a holistic, coordinated approach. CPC's strategy
involves all parties that have a stake in the
redevelopment and provides each of them with an
opportunity to communicate their concerns and
help develop solutions. This includes ensuring
that minorities and economically disadvantaged
people actively participate in the brownfields
efforts.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Cleveland, Ohio
Contacts:
Virginia Aveni
CPC
(216)443-3716
Sandy Crawford
Tri-C
(216)987-4327
Date of Award:
September 1993
Amount: $200,000
Site Profile: The Pilot
targets regulatory,
economic, and community
organization efforts at
three contaminated sites.
Joe Dufficy
U.S. EPA-Region 5
(312)886-1960
dufficy.joe@epamail.
epa.gov
Don lannone
CSU
(216)687-4590
Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at:
http://www.epa.govbrownfields
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The Pilot has:
• Selected three sites for redevelopment: the Sunar
Hauserman site; the Mid-Town Corridor site; and
the Collinwood Railyard site;
• Performed three site assessments; and
• Worked with the Cuyahoga Community College
(Tri-C), a community/business task force, to insure
broad participation and input in the brownfields
effort. This task force will be a key link to ensure
that Cleveland has the trained workforce needed to
assess, clean up, and redevelop contaminated
properties.
The Pilot is:
• Performing a final review of the draft community
manual preparedby the Community Strategies Team;
and
• Developing a GIS system to support brownfields
redevelopment decision-making. This tool will
provide organizations and individuals with up-to-
date information which many communities across
the country already provide for economic
development and marketing for local properties.
LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES
Experience with the Cleveland Pilot has been a
catalyst for related activities including the following.
• Underthe auspices of the Cleveland Pilot, the Sunar
Hauserman property has become a successful
demonstration site .$4.2 million has been leveraged
for environmental cleanup and property
improvements after the bankruptcy of the original
site owners. The site is now home to several new
businesses which provide 181 jobs, income and
revenue generation of more than $ 1 million per year,
and approximately $1 million dollars in property
improvements. The property has changed ownership
and the new owner has begun cleanup activities
which will consist primarily of soil vapor extraction
and groundwater remediation. A "comfort letter"
from EPA Region 5 provided the assurance to make
this activity possible.
Working with the Cleveland State University (CSU),
which received a two-year grant to support the
creation of a Brownfields Redevelopment Finance
Center which will develop models and strategies for
resolving brownfields issues in EPA Region 5.
The Cuyahoga County Council developed a
revolving loan fund for site assessments. The fund
will generate money for the redevelopment of
brownfields within Cuyahoga County and possibly
be used as a model throughout the State of Ohio.
Tri-C is developing programs to provide trained and
capable workers to support the redevelopment of
brownfields. Efforts are underway to recruit local
minority residents into these programs.
Tri-C held a forum to discuss the risks posed by
brownfields as part of its outreach efforts.
The City is assisting the Tri-C in developing a high
school curriculum on environmental issues to
encourage interest and awareness among students.
The City and Tri-C are conducting outreach activities
to recruit minorities and other citizens to provide
information to environmental justice neighborhoods.
The Mid-Town corridor site has been expanded and
now covers an area which includes over 200 parcels.
Future uses of the area include food processing,
light and heavy manufacturing, and service sector
businesses. Phase I audits have been completed at
over 150 parcels done in large part by Ohio EPA
with EPA Site Assessment financial support. Phase
II field work is scheduled for summer/fall 1997.
The Collinwood Railyard site is a joint County/City
effort that will transform an idle Conrail property
into a commercial/retail center on Cleveland's
northeast side. Ohio EPA is again providing technical
assistance through the Region's Site Assessment
mechanism.
In August 1996, CSU released survey results of
municipal industrial land capacity within various
cities in the Region that could be developed as
brownfields. The survey results were reported at
a symposium organized by the University.
National Brownfields Assessment Pilot
May 1997
Cleveland, Ohio
EPA500-F-97-011
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National Brownfields Assessment Pilot Cleveland, Ohio
May 1997 EPA 500-F-97-011
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