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Indian Colony Transforms
Idle Property into a
Community Benefit
T
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Reno, Nevada
. he Reno-Sparks Indian Colony (RSIC) is a federally recognized
Indian Tribe composed of more than 1,000 members throughout its
2,000 acres of Tribal land in and within proximity to Reno, Nevada.
The Colony seeks to both preserve its culture and expand its economic
development in an ever demanding world. In order to meet this need, it
has developed more than 80 acres in Reno and Washoe County that it
now leases to commercial tenants and on which the Colony's Economic
Development Department constructed a $20 million Tribal Health
Center, which services more than 9,000 Native Americans in the Washoe
County area.
Looking to increase its revenue base and improve the quality of life in
the neighborhood, the RSIC began assembling a dozen under-utilized
industrial parcels in 1992 with the goal of creating more compatible land
uses and economic development by leasing the combined property to a
big-box retailer. Most of the previous landowners were not willing to
sell at the same time. While most of the parcels were acquired between
1994 and 1995, the final parcels were not acquired until 2000. Taking
ownership of these parcels allowed the RSIC to clean up its surrounding
neighborhood by removing the associated industrial blight. In order to
address contamination on the 22-acre property, the Colony applied for a
loan through the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP).
In November 2007, the NDEP loaned $950,000 to the RSIC to assist
with cleanup costs at the property. This loan was made possible through
a $2,000,000 EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant
awarded to the NDEP in 2001. This is the first Brownfields loan made to
an Indian community in the western states and the first loan made in the
State of Nevada.
Located in Reno, Nevada, the property is bordered by an interstate
highway, the Truckee River, and the largest casino-resort in northern
Nevada. Phase I environmental site assessments highlighted the
property's former uses including an automotive repair shop, plant
nursery and other industrial facilities. While not all of the individual
Phase I assessments expressed concern with any recognized
environmental conditions, the Phase I for a former radiator repair
property indicated further investigation was needed. A Phase II
assessment revealed pesticide, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH),
metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, and nitrogen
compounds present in the soil. The RSIC used funds loaned from the
.
1
Soil remediation underway.
JUST THE FACTS:
• The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony
partnered with local, state, and
federal governments to complete
the remediation of this property for
redevelopment.
• Part of the property cleanup was
funded by a $950,000 loan from the
Nevada Division of Environment
Protection's EPA Brownfields
Revolving Loan Fund grant.
• The property will be redeveloped
as a Wal-Mart Super Center; a
portion of tax revenues from the
retailer will be granted to the Nevada
Department of Corrections and the
Washoe County School District.
This is the first
EPA Brownfields loan made
to an Indian community in the
western states and the
first loan made in the
State of Nevada.
continued
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NDEP's EPA Brownfields RLF grant to address the petroleum and lead issues, completing the final
phase of cleanup. Left behind from the former radiator repair shop, approximately 1,000 tons of lead-
contaminated soil were removed. Since soil TPH levels were low or non-existent on another area of
the site, the majority of the property that would be redeveloped
as the parking lot was not remediated. Where soil would be
disturbed for construction of the building or underground utilities,
the contaminated soil was removed. This allowed the RSIC to
pursue a risk-based closure through the NDEP EPA Region
9's Underground Storage Tank Program assisted the RSIC in
addressing the site's petroleum contamination. At a cost of $1.2
million to complete the remediation of the site, EPA, NDEP
and Washoe County District Health Department issued No
Further Action/Closure letters in October 2007. A final Report of
Completion was prepared by Kleinfelder cleanup contractors in
November 2007 Tribal Chairman ArlanMelendez, Governor
Jim Gibbons, and Kleinfelder cleanup contractors
The property will be redeveloped into Three Nations Plaza, the celebrate "ew Part"ersh'Ps-
future home of a Wal-Mart Super Center. It is
expected to generate much needed jobs and revenue for the community. The project
will produce about $5-6 million in tax revenues a year, which will be used to
repay the bonds for the new Tribal Health Center, fund a new restitution
center and enhance essential government services such as public safety,
education, human services, and community development. The RSIC
will also use revenue from this project to help finance the newly
constructed 65,000-square-foot Tribal Health Center, which serves
more than 9,000 urban Native Americans living in the region.
CONTACTS:
For more information contact
U.S. EPA REGION 9
(415)972-3092
Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
www.epa.gov/brownfields/ As part of the revenue sharing agreement with the State of Nevada,
a portion of the tax revenues will be used to support the local
school district, where many members of the RSIC receive their
education, and construct a new State Restitution Center. The current
restitution center, which serves as a prison transition center for low-
risk, non-violent criminals is located adjacent to the new Wal-Mart site.
The RSIC will use the tax revenues to build a new $8 million Northern
Nevada Restitution Center for the Department of Corrections on the RSIC
land near the current site. The new restitution center is expected to be completed by 2011 and will be
the first center in the state to provide transitional services to women. The old restitution center will be
redeveloped as a commercial and retail center for the RSIC members and citizens of Reno. Additionally,
the Wal-Mart revenues will be used to support essential government services provided by the RSIC as
well as assist with several other redevelopment projects planned by the RSIC.
On August 21, 2008, the NDEP and the RSIC held an event to celebrate the cleanup of this property
and the partnership formed among NDEP, EPA, and local partners. Among the attendees were Tribal
Chairman Arlan Melendez and Governor Jim Gibbons.
Wal-Mart, Washoe County, and the RSIC are working to construct a levy and flood wall on adjacent
properties, which will be the first regional flood control project built along the Truckee River totaling
$3.6 million. These flood projects will start in January 2009, and Wal-Mart will break ground on its new
building in the proceeding 90 days.
Brownfields Success Story
Indian Colony Transforms Idle Property into a Community Benefit
Reno, Nevada
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-08-314
November 2008
www. epa.gov/brownfie/ds/
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