&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-232
July 1998
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
West Hollywood, CA
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 the City of West Hollywood for a
Brownfields Pilot. Through redevelopment designation
andotherinitiatives,the City (population 36,859) has
focused revitalization efforts on the 338-acre East
Side area (population 10,548). Since the 1970s the
City's East Side has become a home to Russian
immigrants. During the 1980s, still more Russian
immigrants moved into the area—mostly elderly
persons with low to very low incomes and limited
English language capabilities. More than 31 % of the
East Side households earn incomes belowthe poverty
level and approximately 5 3 % of the area's population
is minority.
The East Side is home to several industrial sites that
date back to the turn of the century. Some are still in
operation, some have been converted to commercial
uses, and others are abandoned. The City has begun
to identify East Side area brownfields sites. One
priority site is the 7-acre Gateway area that contains
six contiguous properties. Industrial uses in this area
have included automotive repair, metal plating, utilities,
and manufacturing that may have resulted in
contamination at certain sites. This suspected
contamination has hindered the East Side' s economic
development and continues to pose possible public
health risks.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
July 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
the 7-acre Gateway area
located on the City's East
Side.
West Hollywood, California
Contacts:
City of West Hollywood
(213)848-6448
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 9
(415)744-2237
Visit the EPA Region 9 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/index.html
Forfurtherinformation, 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/
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OBJECTIVES
With the help of the Pilot and other City initiatives,
West Hollywood plans to encourage cleanup and
redevelopment within the East Side area. The City
has already undertaken several steps to improve the
quality of life for the East Side's predominantly low-
and moderate-income residents, including the
designation of the East Side as a City Redevelopment
Area, and preparation of a redevelopment plan. The
Pilotwill aid in the City's overall objective of stimulating
economic development and protecting human health
and the environment by conducting environmental
assessments and community outreach in the East
Side's Gateway area. The Pilot will also assist with
a comprehensive inventory of all city brownfields.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Creating a comprehensive brownfields inventory for
the City, and identifying brownfields sites with the
greatest potential for redevelopment;
• Conducting environmental assessments on selected
sites, and developing cleanup and redevelopment
plans for those sites;
• Conducting community outreach activities; and
• Identifying alternative sources of funding and
developing mechanisms to streamline the regulatory
process to facilitate brownfields revitalization.
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 West Hollywood, California
July 1998 EPA 500-F-98-232
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