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Abandoned Lot to Family
Resource Center—Partnering
for Education in Chicago
N,
Chicago, IL
ovember 2001 marked the opening of the North Lawndale
Family Resource Center's new facility, where staff began caring for and
educating more than 200 children in Chicago's West Side. Employing 50
people, the new $3.6 million facility was constructed on an abandoned
one-acre lot that was formerly the site of an auto repair shop and other
industrial uses.
Redeveloping this site demanded the skills and resources of multiple
federal partners and other organizations, including Chicago's Department
of the Environment (DOE). Using funds awarded to the city as a part of
its selection as a Brownfields Showcase Community by the Brownfields
National Partnership in September 1998, DOE was able to fund a site
investigation report and cleanup plan, which helped move the property
through the Illinois Site Remediation Program (SRP). Additionally, the
partnership between EPA and the state played an important role. EPA
provided $1.1 million to the state over the last five years for outreach
and equipment purchases to support the Illinois SRP.
Showcase Communities are selected by the Brownfields National
Partnership to demonstrate that through cooperation, federal, state, local,
and private efforts can be concentrated around brownfields to restore
these sites, stimulate economic development, and revitalize communities.
Showcase Communities serve as models for broad-based cooperative
efforts to support locally based initiatives. Showcases receive up to
$400,000 from EPA for both environmental assessments and to support
the loan of a federal employee to the Showcase for up to three years.
Showcase Communities receive additional financial and technical support
from the Partnership's more than 20 federal partners, depending on the
community need and program eligibility.
The Lawndale Christian Development Corporation (LCDC) first
identified the city-owned Ogden Avenue property in a plan for
neighborhood development. Recognizing the need for quality day care in
the area, LCDC contacted the Illinois Facilities Fund (IFF), a not-for-
profit organization that provides financing and real estate services to
other social service agencies. The two organizations then approached
the city seeking assistance in acquiring and cleaning up the site and
funding construction of the day care center. Chicago's DOE responded
by investigating and cleaning up on-site contamination and obtaining a
release of liability from the state. Municipal funds supported sampling
continued rr
One of Chicago's brownfields, following
cleanup and prior to redevelopment.
JUST THE FACTS:
• Chicago's DOE investigated and
cleaned up on-site contamination,
and obtained a release of liability
from the state.
• With the state's No Further
Remediation letter in hand, the
developer secured more than $1
million in private loans.
• In addition to the North Lawndale
Family Resource Center project, the
City of Chicago is overseeing
assessment and cleanup activities
at 28 brownfields spanning more
than 480 acres.
Brownfields Showcase Community
funds enabled a site investigation
report and cleanup plan that helped
move a former industrial site
through the Illinois Site Remediation
Program (SRP). EPA has provided
$1.1 million to the state over the last
five years for outreach and
equipment purchases to support
the Illinois SRP.
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CONTACTS:
For more information on EPA's Showcase
Communities, contact Tony Raia of OSWER's
Office of Brownfields Cleanup and
Redevelopment at (202) 566-2758
Or visit EPA's Brownfields Website at:
http://www.epa.aov/brownfields/
and removal of soils and underground storage tanks, while EPA funds awarded
through the federal Showcase Community program funded the site investigation
report and cleanup action plan required by the Illinois SRP. While the amount
of EPA funds used in the project was relatively small, the funds filled a
critical gap in project financing. Furthermore, the release of liability that
resulted from the site investigation report and cleanup plan allowed for
private sector financing for the rest of the project that otherwise would
have been nearly impossible to obtain.
With the state's No Further Remediation letter in hand, LCDC secured
private loans in the amount of $1.1 million. The balance of the funds
needed for construction came from a variety of public sources, including
the city's Community Development Block Grant from the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), federal
Empowerment Zone funding, and contributions from the Department of
Human Services. Taking into account income levels of the surrounding
community, tuition for the center's students will be supported by state child care
subsidies and federal Head Start funds.
In addition to the North Lawndale Family Resource Center project, the City of Chicago is overseeing
assessment and cleanup activities at 28 brownfields totaling more than 480 acres. Chicago's
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot has already leveraged more than $57 million from
federal and other sources toward these restoration efforts. Chicago has also obtained $72 million in
HUD Section 108 loans for use on the city's brownfields.
The Showcase Community has also fostered partnerships with the National Institute of Environmental
Health Services, which provided $1.3 million toward community assistance, and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, which offered $216,000 for technical assistance and staff support. In addition, the
Chicago Association of Neighborhood Development Organizations (CANDO) is working with
community development groups across the city, including areas targeted by the Showcase Community.
Brownfields Success Story
Chicago, IL
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA 500-F-02-154
December 2002
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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