Partnership for Sustainable Communities
Brownfields Pilots
United States
Environmental Protection
Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), and the U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT) are working together under the Partnership for
Sustainable Communities to ensure that federal
investments, policies, and actions do not subsidize
sprawl, but instead support development in more
efficient and sustainable locations. The Partnership
selected five community pilot projects to receive direct
technical assistance from EPA including:
• Planning for the eventual assessment, cleanup
and sustainable redevelopment of brownfield
sites and the associated long term quality of life
improvements
• Area-wide brownfield redevelopment planning
• Access to expert environmental and economic
analysis
Other potential areas of technical assistance from EPA
include addressing community needs such as
affordable housing creation and preservation; access to
transit, air and water quality improvements; access to
fresh, local food; energy efficiency improvements;
renewable energy strategies; and access to green space
for recreation. HUD and DOT will serve on the
technical assistance teams and will help identify how
these pilots can complement and build on their past and
future investments, as well as identify opportunities to
bring relevant resources from their agencies as the
pilots progress.
Pilot Project Descriptions
Fairmount Line - Boston, Massachusetts
Organizations in the Boston area have cleaned up
many brownfields along this commuter rail line, and
the Pilot will build upon these successes by creating a
transit-oriented development (TOD) village on the site
of a former brownfield. The community is also
interested in cleaning up and redeveloping additional
brownfields in the area; however, they do not want
current residents to be displaced when redevelopment
occurs. HUD, DOT, and EPA will assist the
• Quickly apply and build upon working
relationships between HUD, DOT, EPA and
local stakeholders.
• Identify barriers and opportunities for
programmatic and policy changes across all
three agencies.
• Maximize the impact of available federal
resources on transit, housing and brownfields.
• Ensure the equitable redevelopment of
brownfields sites near transit.
• Gather lessons for implementing area-wide
planning approaches.
community with TOD planning to help minimize
displacement of existing residents and encourage
development of affordable housing. Federal assistance
will also help increase the capacity of nonprofit
housing providers, such as community development
corporations, to clean up and redevelop brownfield
properties. Assistance could also help to develop
public- and private-sector partnerships within the
community to leverage investment in brownfields
redevelopment projects.
Smart Growth Redevelopment District -
Indianapolis, Indiana
In Indianapolis's Smart Growth Redevelopment
District, the community plans to redevelop brownfields
for green infrastructure, urban agriculture, affordable
housing, and new commercial development. The Pilot
will focus on two areas within the District: a former
railyard that will be redeveloped to support urban
agriculture, and two former maintenance facilities that
will be redeveloped as affordable housing and
permanent supportive housing units. HUD, DOT, and
EPA will assist the community with developing a land
reuse plan to support urban agriculture at the former
railyard that will include environmental design
components, neighborhood strategies and local policies
necessary to make reuse successful, and an
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-10-002
February 2010
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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implementation plan. The federal partners will also
help the community develop form-based codes to
support brownfield site reuse planning and green
building design. Once these codes are successfully
applied, they will serve as a model for other sites
within the Redevelopment District.
Riverfront Crossings District - Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City plans to redevelop brownfields in its
Riverfront Crossing District to create a walkable, urban
neighborhood close to a proposed light rail stop. This
will provide residents with a mix of uses including
affordable housing; ground floor retail and office
space; pedestrian-oriented streetscapes; entertainment
and recreational facilities; and public open space and
trails along the Iowa River. HUD, DOT, and EPA will
assist the community with developing a strategy to
identify, clean up, and redevelop brownfields and other
sites within the District. Federal assistance will also
help the community to plan for sustainable, mixed-use
redevelopment to revitalize an area within Iowa City
affected by recent flooding.
La Alma/South Lincoln Park -
Denver, Colorado
The Denver Housing Authority and EPA have
identified redevelopment opportunities in the
community of La Alma/South Lincoln Park (LASLiP).
Technical assistance needs include: the design and
construction of green buildings; storm water control
best management practices in traffic control corridors;
green job generation through community gardens and
fresh food markets; the promotion of energy efficiency,
including renewable energy; the reuse and recycling of
demolition materials; and promoting water efficient
buildings and infrastructure. In the last few months,
Regional, EPA, HUD and DOT representatives have
been meeting on a regular basis to identify and
leverage relevant programs and resource leveraging.
HUD has already committed $10 million in grants to
the LASLiP effort.
Westside Affordable Housing Transit-Oriented
Development - National City, California
National City, California has requested assistance in
creating and implementing a sustainability plan and
financial strategy for a 14-acre brownfield site. The
brownfield was once the state's largest auto mall and
home to heavy industrial and commercial services, the
closures of which have disproportionately impacted
residents in the Westside area. Research has shown this
community to be at risk, with a density of 389 polluters
per square mile and more than 50 percent of adults
with no health insurance. HUD, DOT, and EPA will
assist the community in developing a plan to address
the former brownfield and focus on green building and
energy-efficient redevelopment plans that incorporate
storm water and flood control management. Known as
the Westside Affordable Transit-Oriented
Development, this project has received funding from
HUD, DOT and the State of California.
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the proposal for technical assistance;
EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this
information. The implementation plan for the
technical assistance has not yet been finalized.
Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
subject to change.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-10-002
February 2010
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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