United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-159
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Lynwood, 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. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models;job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs 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 Lynwood for a
Brownfields Pilot. Lynwood's population of 66,343 is
largely minority—its residents are 79.5 percent
Hispanic and 19.9 percent African American. The
median family income in the city is approximately
$26,400—significantly less than the rest of Los Angeles
County at $46,900—and the unemployment rate is 14
percent. The city has the lowest level of taxable retail
sales in the county and has been decimated by the
construction of a maj or freeway. Lynwood is part of
the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Supplemental Empowerment Zone established for
Los Angeles County.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the city was virtually
sliced in half by the construction of the Glenn Anderson
1-105 Freeway. Approximately 1,100 homes were
demolished to make way for the freeway, driving
residents and businesses from the city. Additionally,
the city is almost completely built-out, making
redevelopment of existing blighted areas vital. These
two factors make housing and retail space of great
need in the community. The Pilot will target four
brownfields, totaling more than 50 acres. The sites
have suspected environmental contamination and
have been sources of neighbor complaints due to their
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Lynwood, California
Contacts:
Community Development
City of Lynwood
(310) 603-0220
Date of Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: ThePilottargetsSO
acres adjacent to the 1-105
freeway that divides the city.
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
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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blighted conditions (e.g., trash and debris accumulation,
graffiti, vermin, potential health hazards). Three of
the sites are vacant with former industrial, light
industrial, and dumping uses; the fourth site is partially
occupied by low-income housing.
OBJECTIVES
The city will use the Pilot to initiate its brownfields
program. Central to this is establishment of a
Brownfields Task Force that will oversee the Pilot
activities. The Task Force will provide guidance to
the city throughout the brownfields process, from site
identification and assessment through cleanup and
redevelopment. It will also provide a forum for
facilitating the longer-term city objectives of improving
property values, increasing housing units and retail
shopping within the city, and rebuilding a sense of
community that was lost when the construction of the
freeway divided the city.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of the Pilot include:
• Performing Phase I assessments at the four targeted
sites;
• Performing Phase II and III assessments and
preparing cleanup plans at two of the priority sites;
• Establishing a Brownfields Task Force comprising
community members and city officials; and
• Conducting community outreach that will include
meetings, informational materials, and a summary
report.
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 Lynwood, California
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-159
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