United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-135
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Sarasota, FL
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. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 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 brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans 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
EPA has selected the City of Sarasota for a
Brownfields Pilot. Sarasota (population 50,961) has
identified the Newtown neighborhood as the targeted
area for the Pilot. Newtown (population 4,000) has a
53 percent non-white population, with an average per
capita income of approximately $6,000. The city is
pursuing a sustainable reuse of the Pilot site for the
community.
The Pilot targets a 19-acre, city-owned site that was
used for illegal dumping of household waste in the
1940s and 1950s. The site is located on Newtown's
main street and is a large, highly visible blighted area.
It is considered a nuisance by neighbors and is
characterized by overgrown weeds, broken glass,
construction rubble, and composted urban waste.
However, the exact extent of contamination is unknown
due to the unregulated dumping over the 20-year
period. Several attempts at redevelopment have
failed because of the contamination issues. Despite
the contamination stigma and the potential for leachate
in the area, some neighbors continue to draw well
water near the site. For more than 30 years the
property has been sitting vacant and undeveloped in
the middle of this community.
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Sarasota, Florida
Contacts:
City of Sarasota
(941)954-2612
Date of Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a
19-acre illegal dump site in the
Newtown area of Sarasota
for the construction of an eco-
industrial project.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 4
(404) 562-8661
Visit the EPA Region 4 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region4/wastepgs/brownfpgs/bf.htm
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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OBJECTIVES
The city seeks a sustainable use for the property and
currently leases it to the Florida House Institute for
Sustainable Development (FHI). Plans are underway
to transfer ownership from the city to the non-profit
organization. FHI plans to develop the 19-acre site
into an Eco-Industrial/Florida Farm Learning Center
Project. The project plans to provide jobs and job
training, a working demonstration urban-agriculture
farm, andabusiness incubatorforlocal entrepreneurs.
Some public and private funds have been leveraged
for various aspects of the project, including funding
for connection to the city's water system; construction
and build-out of on-site buildings needed for the
center; and coordination with businesses and residents
to determine the sustainable development opportunities
in the area. Pilot funds would assess the on-site
contamination and assist in determining cleanup plans
prior to development of the center.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Performing Phase I and II assessments of the
property;
• Identifying cleanup and redevelopment plans; and
• Engaging the local community and other stakeholders
in the redevelopment process.
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 Sarasota, Florida
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-135
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