United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-00-041 April 2000 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ v>EPA Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Philadelphia, PA Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105) 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 brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental 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 awarded the City of Philadelphia supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot and additional funding for assessments at brownfields properties to be used for greenspace purposes. A decline in Philadelphia's manufacturing industry has led to a tremendous loss of industrial jobs and the abandonment of many former manufacturing plants. Redevelopment of these properties is difficult because potential buyers are hesitant to purchase them for fear of unknown contamination and associated liabilities. Because there are only a few tracts of undeveloped land remaining for development in Philadelphia, the city would prefer to redevelop the many brownfields throughout the city. The Pilot will use the supplemental assistance to complete assessments on a number of properties that are being considered for commercial use. The Philadelphia Brownfields Program is designed to be fluid and spontaneous so that as potential properties are identified, the city can assess them quickly. The supplemental assistance will allow the city to "jump- start" the process on more properties so that the city can make informed decisions regarding redevelopment. PILOT SNAPSHOT Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Date of Announcement: March 2000 Amount: $100,000 Greenspace: $50,000 Profile: ThePilotwilltargetfor assessment a number of small industrialsites within the densely populated neighborhoods of Philadelphia. Contacts: City of Philadelphia Departmentof Commerce (215)683-2028 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA - Region 3 (215)814-3129 Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/brownfld/hmpage1.htm Forfutther information, including specific Pilotcontacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES The city's objective is to revitalize the urban core through brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. The city is using its brownfields program to mitigate population andj ob losses to the suburbs and to address environmental justice concerns by cleaning up brownfields, altering land use patterns, creating greenspace, and encouraging lower pollution- producing businesses to reuse brownfields sites. The supplemental assistance will support assessments at many of the city's smaller brownfields, many of which are located near densely populated neighborhoods. The Pilot will use the greenspace funding to perform assessments on more than 10 sites in the densely populated, highly urbanized neighborhoods of Philadelphia. The city's goal for the greenspace assistance is to reduce blight and enhance the quality of life in these neighborhoods by converting a number of brownfields into greenspaces. To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to: • Incorporate a Geographic Information System (GIS) in decision making, which will enable the city to identify sites more easily; • Complete Phase I assessments on 15 priority sites; • ConductPhase II assessments and develop remedial action plans for at least 8 of the priority sites; • Facilitate greenspace creation through approximately 10 Phase I assessments and 1 to 2 Phase II assessments; and • Ensure community involvement regarding these activities. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Philadelphia, Pennsylvania April 2000 EPA 500-F-00-041 ------- |