&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-98-134
May 1998
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Springfield, MA
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 150 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 Springfield for a
Brownfields Pilot. Springfield, with a population of
156,983, saw its labor force decline by almost one-
thirdinthe 1980s. The city has a federally-designated
Enterprise Community (EC) and a state Economic
Target Area (ETA). The poverty rate in the EC is
40%, twice the rate in Springfield and four times the
state rate. The city has a limited amount of vacant
industrial space, which tends to be older,
environmentally contaminated, and incompatible with
modern industrial processes. These conditions have
an adverse impact on adjacent residential
communities.
Springfield established its own Brownfields
Redevelopment Program in 1995 as a core element of
its overall economic strategy. Since then, the
Springfield Brownfields Program has had success in
carrying out reuse strategies in some parts of the city.
Still, the city estimates that almost 60% of its vacant
parcels are brownfields and/or are subject to other
environmental constraints. With the EPA Pilot,
Springfield will address two remaining priority
brownfields projects. One project, the Carew-Bond-
Patton area, is located in the EC and has been identified
by the city and a local citizens council as a high
priority. Carew-Bond-Patton is a two-block area
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Springfield,
Massachusetts
Contacts:
Office of Economic
Development
City of Springfield
(413)747-5190
Date of Announcement:
May 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
two sites, totaling
approximately 60 acres;
one site is in the center of
the Enterprise Community,
the other is in the heart of
the city's industrial area.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 1
(617)573-9681
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/brnfld/
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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covering seven acres in downtown Springfield. The
area was home to a trolley construction and repair
facility, an electrical substation, and a school that has
stood vacant for more than ten years. The city owns
the school and plans to acquire the other major
brownfields properties in the area. The other project,
the former Cottage Street landfill, poses a threat to
local water resources.
OBJECTIVES
EPA funds for this Pilot will be used for a Phase I
assessment of the Carew-Bond-Patton site and a
Phase II assessment and an environmental impact
report forthe Cottage Street site. The city anticipates
that these assessments will help mitigate fear of
perceived contamination at these areas, providing
comfort to nearby residents and prospective
purchasers. Further, the city has committed to
monitoring industrial development at these sites over
a 10-year period. The Pilot partnership will help the
city obtain its overall objective of sustainable
environmental enhancement by maximizing its
resources through the assessment, planning, cleanup,
and redevelopment of brownfields.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting a Phase I environmental site assessment
at the Carew-Bond-Patton project properties;
• Completing aPhase II environmental site assessment
at the Cottage Street landfill site;
• Issuing an environmental impact report for the
Cottage Street landfill project; and
• Planning for cleanup and redevelopment at both
targeted sites, including property transfer and
financing options.
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 Springfield, Massachusetts
May 1998 EPA500-F-98-134
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