United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-99-008
March 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
PA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Fort Worth, TX
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 Fort Worth for a
Brownfields Pilot. Established in 1849, Fort Worth
has grown from an army outpostto a 308-square-mile
business center with a population of approximately
484,500. Fort Worth is a diverse community with a
43 percent minority population. Approximately 17
percent of the city's population lives below the poverty
level.
Fort Worth has historically been known for its cattle
industry. During its more recent past, however,
manufacturing, distribution, and technology activities
have become a major part of the city's economy. As
businesses have come and gone, urban industrial
lands have been abandoned in favor of property
outside the inner city. Fort Worth does not have
extensive large brownfields; rather, much of the
abandoned properties were formerly small-to-medium
manufacturing operations and illegal dumping sites.
The Pilot will focus on the most industrialized parts
of the city, with specific emphasis placed on Council
Districts 2, 5, and 8, primarily in the eastern portions
of the city. The minority populations in these
communities (currently 69 percent, 65 percent, and
76 percent, respectively) have borne the brunt of the
city's brownfields. Virtually all forms of commerce,
except for convenience stores and gas stations, have
vacated the area. These islands of small- to medium-
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Fort Worth, Texas
Date of Announcement:
March 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
small- to medium-sized
brownfields in the most
industrialized areas throughout
the eastern portions of the city.
Contacts:
Fort Worth Department of
Environmental Management
(817)561-3799
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 6
(214)665-6736
Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.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/
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sized abandoned properties have contributed to the
deterioration of the neighborhood because of fewer
job opportunities, potential increased health and
safety hazards, and increased neighborhood crime.
OBJECTIVES
With the aid of the Pilot, the city plans to create a
strong and multi-disciplinary network to undertake
brownfields assessment, cleanup and redevelopment.
Although the city currently has no formal brownfields
program, the Pilot efforts will combine with other
city efforts to emphasize code compliance, property
redevelopment, and sustainability issues. Fort Worth
has already taken several steps to create incentives
for redevelopment within or adjacent to the targeted
areas (e.g., designated federal enterprise zone, tax
increment financing districts, tax abatement program).
Initial Pilot efforts will focus on organizing the
community to assist with site identification and
assessment. The Pilot will also create ageographical
information system (GIS) database where
environmental information is available in a real-time
manner.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Identifying brownfield sites in conjunction with a
network of government, private, and community
stakeholders;
• Conducting at least ten Phase 1 assessments and
three Phase II assessments;
• Preparing site cleanup design plans;
• Involving the public in site selection, assessment,
and cleanup planning activities; and
• Developing a brownfields database to aid in long-
term tracking of cleanup and end use 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 Fort Worth, Texas
March 1999 EPA 500-F-99-008
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