United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-97-048 May 1997 Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilot Cincinnati,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. EPA is funding more than 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 5 selected the City of Cincinnati for a Regional Brownfields Pilot. The City's project centers on 500 acres of vacant property, affecting apopulation of about 106,000 within the Mill Creek Valley watershed. Declining employment, poverty rates up to 67 percent in some areas, and environmental blight characterize the Valley community. One area of the watershed is a State Enterprise Zone. In excess of 30 sites are threatening water quality. Some companies have expressed an interest in locating within the Enterprise Zone but are reluctant due to contain ination concerns. The Vine Street Dump is a 10.5 acre property that directly abuts the Mill Creek. The site is drastically underutilized (vacant on weekdays and a flea market on weekends) and an eyesore to the community. The site is on Ohio EPA's Master Site List as a medium priority. It is located on a major thoroughfare, with nearby highway access, and is expected to be highly developable. OBJECTIVES Cincinnati's brownfields objectives are to revitalize the existing Port Authority as a brownfields redevelopment authority, develop a Brownfields Community Advisory Committee (BCAC), and plan for the cleanup of two brownfields sites in the Mill Creek Valley watershed. Working with the Port PILOT SNAPSHOT Date of Award: September 1996 Amount: $100,000 Site Profile: The Pilot targets the Vine Street Dump and other sites within the Mill Creek Valley watershed. Cincinnati, Ohio Contacts: Antoinette Selvey-Maddox Dept. of Economic Development (513)352-3784 Ted Smith U.S. EPA-Region 5 (312)353-6571 smith, edwin@epamail. epa.gov Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- Authority, the BCAC will help develop criteria for targeting brownfields. Following site selection, public meetings in conjunction with neighborhood councils and workshops will be held to help develop plans for the two selected sites. AND The Pilot has: * Selected Vine Street Dump as Pilot project site. The Pilot is: * Conducting site assessments and other implementation planning at Vine Street Dump and one other site in Hamilton County; * Developing a public participation process; * Conducting an environmental impact prc-and post- development study; and * Creating an economic redevelopment model. Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilot Cincinnati, Ohio May 1997 EPA 500-F-97-048 ------- |