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In Gardena, Good Things are Growing
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Gardena, California
nly a few years ago, the City of Gardena, California, in Los
Angeles County, had a bleak economic outlook. The aerospace boom
that had once brought jobs and manufacturing to the area was over, and
nearly three-quarters of the city's residents were impoverished. Filled
with vacant, idle properties that contributed nothing to the community,
Gardena needed a way to create new development opportunities and
improve its overall prospects. By cleaning up contaminated property and
bringing new, mixed use development and private investment to the area,
the city stimulated its stagnant economy, leveraged new jobs, and turned
a $3.1 million debt into a $3 million reserve.
The City of Gardena first became aware of EPA's Brownfields Program
in 1999, and recognized the opportunity to transform its idle properties.
Despite a substantial budget deficit, the city council made the difficult
decision to spend $10,000 to conduct a detailed inventory of the city's
brownfields. The resulting study, which identified 47 properties with
varied levels of redevelopment potential, was then used to apply for an
EPA Brownfields Assessment grant.
EPA's $200,000 Assessment grant enabled Gardena to perform
environmental assessments on selected brownfields, and remove the
contamination uncertainties that had long stood in the way of their reuse.
The city sought input from local business associations and Gardena's
Economic Development Committee as to which properties should first be
addressed by the EPA grant, based on criteria such as redevelopment
potential and greatest community benefit. Those properties included a
former airstrip more recently used for open-air swap meets, former gas
and auto service stations, a long-dormant strip mall, and a dry-cleaning
facility destroyed by fire.
The city's brownfields assessments drew immediate attention from
private developers. "[The EPA grant] is a tool to show the business
community that the city... will help where we can help," explained Mitch
Lansdell, Gardena's City Manager. Economic Development Director
Yvonne Mallory further elaborated, "The city brought attention to several
sites and helped spur development... no one paid attention until we got
the Brownfields site money."
And the results have been dramatic. Already, $2 million in cleanup
funding have been leveraged to remove contaminants from the former
airstrip property and from a brownfield once used as a refinery.
Gardena's once-idle brownfields are now home to a Walgreens, a Sav-
On Drugs, and a new shopping center—representing just a portion of the
city's redevelopment successes.
An aerial view of the former Discount Priceland
site in Gardena, California.
JUST THE FACTS:
• A $200,000 EPA grant enabled
Gardena to perform environmental
assessments on selected brownfields,
and remove the contamination
uncertainties preventing their reuse.
Brownfields targeted for restoration
included a former airstrip more recently
used for open-air swap meets, former
gas and auto service stations, a long-
dormant strip mall, and a dry-cleaning
facility destroyed by fire.
• Following assessments, Gardena
acquired the former airstrip/swap meet
area as the site of a new, state-of-the-
art, public transportation facility.
• Development of this new facility is
being funded by $25 million from the
Federal Transit Administration, and $4
million in state transportation funds.
The results of brownfields
assessments conducted by the
city drew immediate attention from
developers, "The city brought attention
to several sites and helped spur
development,,, no one paid
attention until we got the
Brownfields site money,"
—Yvonne Mallory
City of Gardena Economic
Development Director
continued
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CONTACTS:
Famaehfomndion contact
U.S. EPA REGION 9
(415)972-3092
Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
On the former airstrip/swap meet facility, for example, EPA grant-funded assessments led to Gardena's
acquisition of the property as home for a new, state-of-the-art, public transportation facility. The Federal
Transit Administration contributed $25 million for this project, with an additional $4 million provided by
state transportation funds. Scheduled for completion in Spring 2007, the new transportation
center will leverage 75 jobs when operational. In addition, the facility will use the latest
"green" development practices to minimize the property's ecological footpri
reduce any potentially negative environmental impacts.
Another of Gardena's brownfields, once the location of an aviation
component manufacturing facility, is being cleaned up as part of an
agreement between its former owner and the city. A new supermarket has
already been built on a portion of the property, and once cleanup is
complete, a 55-unit residential complex is planned. "Some sites sit there for
years, because people think it will take a lot to clean up," explained the EPA
Project Officer. "Once developers see the costs, lots of times it's lower thai
the ballpark estimate. Then they don't have to take a big risk."
From the beginning, Gardena emphasized community involvement and input
as part of brownfields restoration. The city held community information
meetings to present the initial brownfields assessment results. Gardena also
formed a "Brownfields Community Relations Committee" comprised of loc;
business owners, community representatives, and municipal staff, to keep everyone
informed of brownfields project decisions and status. In addition, the city published a
brownfields newsletter, established a toll-free number for brownfields project information (available in
both English and Spanish), and set up an environmental education display at Gardena's public library. The
result has been a continual exchange of information among brownfields
project managers, city officials, local businesses, and potential
developers—ensuring that community, economic, and
environmental interests are recognized as Gardena's
brownfields are being transformed.
Only a few years after the city decided to spend $ 10,000
to inventory its brownfields, Gardena's outlook has been
transformed like so many of its once-dormant properties.
Already, the city's $3.1 million debt has been replaced by a
$3 million reserve. Gardena's progress with its initial,
$200,000 grant led to subsequent EPA grants of $150,000 and
$400,000, all for continued brownfields assessments.
The city plans to add to its successes the restoration of a
contaminated property that had been dormant for 15 years. This
5.6-acre property, at the prime location of Artesia and Normandy Avenues, is currently undergoing a
cleanup funded by the property's former owners. The city expects that eventually, the property will
become one of the busiest retail areas in the city and lead to the restoration of the entire surrounding
area. "The Brownfields Program has been one of the most monumental programs available to our city,"
explained Yvonne Mallory. "Developers are now coming and seeing what they can bring to Gardena. We
never had that before."
In April 2006, Gardena was chosen as one of 10 cities to receive EPA's prestigious Environmental
Achievement Award.
Demolition in progress
on the former Discount Priceland site.
Brownfields Success Story
Gardena California
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-06-240
August 2006
www. epa. gov/brownfields/
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