&EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-98-177 July 1998 Assessment Demonstration Pilot Hudson County, NJ 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. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields solutions. 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 has selected Hudson County for a Brownfields Pilot. The County (pop. 550,789) is located in northeast New Jersey across the Hudson River from New York City. Hudson County is a densely populated area with sensitive wetlands in its northern and western portions. As the national economy has shifted away from manufacturing, the relocation and downsizing of many manufacturing companies has resulted in a 47% decrease in jobs. This trend also has resulted in a proliferation of abandoned buildings that are obsolete for current manufacturing, warehousing, or office operations. There are almost 650 sites with known contamination in the County, an average of 14 sites per square mile. Due to space constraints and high population density, the only economic expansion and revitalization option available to the County is the redevelopment of brownfields. Many of the smaller municipalities in the County do not have the expertise or resources to support brownfields redevelopment. Through the Brownfields Pilot, Hudson County will assist the municipalities of Harrison, Hoboken, Kearny and North Bergen to establish brownfields redevelopment programs. These municipalities contain approximately one-third of the County's contaminated sites. The County will work with these municipalities to identify PILOT SNAPSHOT Hudson County, New Jersey Date of Announcement: July 1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot, in conjunction with Hudson County, will assist the municipalities of Harrison, Hoboken, Kearney, and North Bergen in their brownfields redevelopment programs. Contacts: Division of Housing and Community Development Hudson County (201)795-6186 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA-Region 2 (212)637-4314 Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/r02earth/superfnd/brownfld/bfmainpg.htm For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- brownfields with high redevelopment potential, conduct site assessments at priority sites, and improve outreach to the public. OBJECTIVES Hudson County plans to assist smaller municipalities in identifying, obtaining, leveraging, and coordinating resources and funds for site cleanup and redevelopment. The County will establish a Project Working Group consisting of local government, business, and neighborhood representatives to guide Pilot activities. Pilot funds will be used to identify and prioritize brownfields, conduct site assessments, and enhance public outreach. These activities will culminate in the development of Revitalization Conceptual Plans by each of the four partnering municipalities. The Pilot will be coordinated with the County's Overall Economic Development Plan, which enables the County to receive redevelopment planning funds from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Identifying brownfields with high redevelopment potential; • Conducting assessments at selected high priority sites; • Creating cleanup and redevelopment plans; and • Conducting community involvement activities. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Hudson County, New Jersey July 1998 EPA500-F-98-177 ------- |