FREMONT COMMUNITY GARDEN Capital Area Development Authority, CA Cleanup Grant Preserving a Community Garden Takes Root In a Former Brownfield ADDRESS: Northwest Corner of 14th and Q Streets, Sacramento, California 95814 PROPERTY SIZE: 0.44 acres FORMER USES: Residential, community garden CURRENT USES: Vacant EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: The Capitol Area Development Authority received a $200,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant. PROJECT PARTNERS: City of Sacramento, Parks and Recreation Department, Rembold Properties (15th & Q Limited Partnership), Fremont Community Advisory Committee, California Department of General Services, Sacramento City Council, Local Businesses For additional data and geographic information for this and other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA's: Envirofacts - vyww.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/ bms query.html Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf PROJECT BACKGROUND: The Fremont Community Garden is located in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sacramento. The property was once a collection of residential structures built between 1880 and 1920. Although it was purchased by the state forthe 1960 Capitol Area Plan, a commu- nity garden was established on the property in the mid-1960s by local residents and workers. The former Ron Mandella Community Garden was agarden for more than 30 years serving as a central gathering point for gardeners, residents, children, and state workers on their lunch hour. The property was designated for housing in 1978, but remained undeveloped. In 2001, the Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) initiated residential development of the property. The announcement of the garden being converted to residential use created a schism in the community. In 2002, the CADA, the City of Sacramento, and the State Department of General Services commit- ted in perpetuity to retain 100 percent of the community garden square footage. In spite of this, an environmental site assessment revealed that the soil was contaminated with aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead and pesticides - creating another obstacle for the community's effort to preserve the garden and central gathering place. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: • Removed and disposed of 1,700 cubic yards of contaminated soil and replaced with clean soil suitable for gardening • Preserved and enhanced an historic central community gathering place • Leveraged approximately $423,000 for cleanup and redevelopment efforts Construction underway at Fremont Community Garden. OUTCOME: The redevelopment of Fremont Community Garden has commenced, and with its own funding and additional funding to be provided by the City of Sacramento, the developer of the adjacent Fremont Mews development, the general public, future community gardeners, and a range of local businesses, an enhanced community garden is taking root on this former brownfield. The new garden will feature a number of environmentally sustainable features including an all-organic requirement, various technologies to recapture rainwater and channel it into the soil below the garden, etc. The garden will include 50 garden plots, (including four Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible plots), ADA compliant walkways, compost bins, two orchards, public art, two entrances, decorative shrubs, and two bocce ball courts. When the garden is complete in the fall of 2006, CADA will transfer ownership of the property to the City of Sacramento, where it will become part of the city's Community Garden Program. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 9 at (415) 947-8000 ------- |