United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA 500-F-01-243
April 2001
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
vxEPA Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
State of Ohio (Coalition on behalf of the Cities of Lima
and Cleveland)
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 brownfieldis 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 $250,000 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, brownfields cleanup revolving
loan fund (BCRLF) programs (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years), to provide financial assistance 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
The State of Ohio Department of Development has
received a BCRLF award on behalf of the Cities of
Cleveland and Lima. This coalition has been formed to
clean up brownfields in the two cities. Cleveland is the
second largest city in the state. A recent study by
Neighborhood Progress, Inc., a local non-profit, found
more than 12,000 acres in the City of Cleveland to be
either abandoned, idled, or underused, and hindering
redevelopment. The City of Lima is approximately one-
tenth the size of Cleveland. Lima's growth was closely
tied to the development of the oil and gas industry in
the early twentieth century. The City has seen little
industrial investment in the past 20 years. Poverty and
unemployment rates in both cities are well above the
state average. Cleveland, an Empowerment Zone
community, has areas where the poverty rate reaches
25%. Lima's overall poverty rate is 19%.
BCRLF OBJECTIVES
The Ohio Coalition BCRLF pilot will provide a source
for brownfields cleanup and serve as a model of
collaborative efforts between local, state, and federal
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
April 2001
Amount: $1.5 million
BCRLF Target Area:
Sites within Cleveland and
Lima
Coalition: The State of Ohio for the Cities of Cleveland and Lima
Contacts:
Ohio Department of Development
Office of Urban Development
(614)466-4484
Region 5 Brownfields
Coordinator
(312)886-3058
Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields
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:
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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agencies. Cleveland has targeted two areas for
brownfields redevelopment: the "Forgotten Triangle"
and MidTown. The Forgotten Triangle has housed
heavy industry since the 1880s. The City has plans to
convert the Forgotten Triangle into an urban industrial
park. The MidTown project will allow Cleveland to
clean up an area near some of the City's most
challenged neighborhoods.
Lima's BCRLF plans focus on the cleanup of the
Flanders/McKibbey Railyard to permit expansion of
Buckeye Rubber, a major employer in the city. Lima is
also seeking to encourage further development of the
Liberty Commons Industrial Park.
FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS
The Ohio Department of Development will be the lead
agency for the Ohio BCRLF Coalition. The Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency will serve as the site
manager. The Treasurer of Ohio will serve as the fund
manager.
LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES
The Ohio Coalition BCRLF will be used in
conjunction with other public and private funding
sources. The objective is to provide financing for a
wide range of activities extending beyond the
BCRLF itself. Eligible projects may also consider
using the Ohio EPA Water Pollution Control Loan
Funds to support site assessment and cleanup. Other
available state and federal resources include the
Clean Ohio Bonds Fund, Ohio Scrap Tire Grants,
and Ohio Air Quality Funds. In addition, both
Cleveland and Lima plan to provide supplemental
funding to support BCRLF activities. It is anticipated
that Cleveland will coordinate with Cuyahoga
County's BCRLF to determine optimal funding
strategies for particular properties.
Use oj'BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of
funding also apply to BCRLF funds.
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Apri/2001
Cleveland and Lima, OH
EPA 500-F-01-243
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