United States
                   Environmental
                   Protection Agency
                   Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
 EPA 500-F-99-016
 March 1999
 www.epa.gov/brownfields/
          PA   Brownfields  Assessment
                   Demonstration   Pilot
                                                                    /Waco/7, GA
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 Macon for a Brownfields
Pilot.  Macon (population 106,640) is located in the
middle of Georgia at the crossroads of Interstates 75,
475,and 16. The Pilottargets the Downtown Industrial
District (DID), which is bordered by the Ocmulgee
River to the north and Central  City Park to the
northeast. Large floodplains are located at both the
eastern and southern borders.  The DID is
characterized by a combination of commercial, office,
public/institutional, and residential structures.  The
minority population in the DID is 57 percent while
the unemployment rate is 10.4 percent; 46.6 percent
of residents in the DID live below the poverty line,
compared to 20.8 percent for the city as a whole.

The DID isthe only areain Macon that has experienced
extensive abandonment by business, leaving unused
and potentially contaminated properties throughout
the target area. Within the 1,700-acre district, more
than 500 acres of land currently are vacant. The city
plans to identify a brownfields property suitable for
the construction of a 25,000-seat sports  stadium.

OBJECTIVES

Macon's objective  is to  encourage reinvestment,
promote  economic  growth and environmental
protection, and create jobs in the DID. Pilot activities
are directed toward site assessment, cleanup planning,
 PILOT SNAPSHOT
     Macon, Georgia
                     Date of Announcement:
                     March 1999

                     Amount: $200,000

                     Profile: The Pilot targets the
                     1,700-acre Downtown Industrial
                     District for redevelopment
                     efforts. The city will identify a
                     property in this area suitable for
                     the construction of a 25,000-
                     seat sports stadium.
 Contacts:

 Macon-Bibb County Planning
 and Zoning Commission
 (912)751-7460
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 4
(404) 562-8661
       Visit the EPA Region 4 Brownfields web site at:
   http://www.epa.gov/region4/wastepgs/brownfpgs/bf.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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and redevelopment planning for the target area. It is
hoped that successful redevelopment in the DID will
serve as a catalyst for future economic development
projects as stakeholders follow the lessons learned
from Pilot activities.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Conducting environmental assessments in the DID
 to  help  identify potential  sites  suitable for the
 construction of a 25,000-seat sports stadium;

• Developing a consortium made up of brownfields
 stakeholders,  including representatives  of
 neighborhoods in and around the target area; and

• Developing a citizen participation program to keep
 local residents affected by Pilot activities informed
 of the project's progress.
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                                                   Macon, Georgia
March 1999                                                                           EPA 500-F-99-016

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