United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-150
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
San Antonio, TX
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 San Antonio for a
Brownfields Pilot. San Antonio is the eighth-largest
city in the nation and has the second-highest poverty
rate at 22.6 percent. The city is ethnically diverse,
with a 55.6 percent Hispanic population. The inner
city Pilot target area suffers from a 38 percent
poverty rate, a high illiteracy rate (24 percent of
adults), and a 17 percent unemployment rate. The
project area, Loop 410, is a part of the U.S. Housing
and Urban Development-designated Enterprise
Community (EC), and contains three state-designated
Enterprise Zones.
The Pilot proj ect area is characterized by poor planning
that has allowed incompatible heavy industrial
operations to develop and operate in residential
neighborhoods. For decades, industrial manufacturers
were located in the inner city adjacent to or in low-
income residential neighborhoods. As these
manufacturers left the inner city, San Antonio was
faced with the loss of employment for many low- to
moderate-income earning families. In addition, these
vacated properties raise issues of environmental justice
and environmental protection for the inner city
residents.
PILOTSNAPSHOT
San Antonio, Texas
Contacts:
City of San Antonio
Economic Development
Department
(210)207-3917
Dateof Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
San Antonio's inner city Loop
410 area, an ethnically
diverse and economically
distressed area.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 6
(214) 665-6736
Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.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's objective is to revitalize the inner city
neighborhoods through comprehensive city-wide
planning and economic development initiatives. As
part of this strategy, the Pilot will foster brownfields
redevelopment by promoting partnerships, facilitating
public involvement, and coordinating environmental
cleanup and economic development activities. The
cleanup and redevelopment of the targeted properties
will mitigate environmental concerns and address
economic issues by creating new job opportunities,
increasing tax values, and introducing new business
sectors.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting at least six environmental assessments
within the targeted Loop 410 area;
• Preparing reuse plans for the assessed sites; and
• Holding an environmental justice forum that will
provide community input regarding cleanup and
redevelopment projects.
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 San Antonio, Texas
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-150
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