\ UJ O / Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot State of Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (Coalition with Department of Ecology, King County, the Cities of Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane) BACKGROUND The City of Spokane will join an existing BCRLF coalition led by the Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, which includes the Washington Department of Ecology, King County, the City of Seattle, and the City of Tacoma. EPA previously awarded the coalition$1.5 millionfortheBCRLF. Spokane is the state's second largest city. It is located in eastern Washington and is the leading regional city in the inter- mountain corridor that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra-Nevada and Cascade Mountain. Spokane is an agricultural, manufacturing, and rail center for the region. The development of greenfields in the Spokane Valley has drawn growth away from the inner city core and infrastructure, leaving many abandoned buildings, blighted neighborhoods, and untaxed properties in the downtown area. The downtown core and surrounding areas cover 13 square miles. One third of the city's residents live within this area, which has been designated a Community Empowerment Zone by the state. Unemployment in the Community Empowerment Zone is 10%, and is as high as 22% in some neighborhoods. Annual incomes are half of the state average. The city has assembled a team of civic officials, business organizations, and community leaders who already are showing success in their brownfields redevelopment efforts. Through an extensive community involvement process, the city has developed a Centers and Corridors Comprehensive Plan for revitalization of its downtown core. Several blocks of the core business district have been redeveloped through public and private investments, but much remains to be done. BCRLF OBJECTIVES The city will use the BCRLF pilot funds as a catalyst for public and private sector brownfields cleanup and PILOT SNAPSHOT Date of Announcement: May 2002 Amount: $800,000 BCRLF Target Area: Downtown Spokane and surrounding areas City of Spokane, WA Contacts: Washington Departmentof Community, Trade and Economic Development (360)725-4033 Reg ion 10 Brownfields Coordinator (206)553-2100 Visit the E PA Region 10 Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/r10earth, click on "Superfund" scroll down and click on "Brownfields" Forfurtherinformation,includingspecific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields redevelopment by providing a source of funds for proj ects that would otherwise have difficulty finding financing. The targeted Brownfields Redevelopment Pilot Area is the downtown core and surrounding neighborhoods. The city will focus on small businesses and property owners as potential borrowers in order to maximize the tax and other incentives available in the area. Loans will be used to fund relatively small cleanup projects andleverage other public ------- and private sector funds. Site-specific community involvement plans will be prepared for each site selected to ensure that residents are involved in cleanup and reuse decisions. FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS The Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development is the cooperative agreement recipient and will serve as the lead agency and fund manager. The Washington Department of Ecology will serve as the site manager. LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES The city will work with the state and local developers to maximize the effect of the pilot, using the city's knowledge of arealenders, developers with a track record in cleanups, and any additional programs or incentives to initiate projects. Tax increment financing, Community Empowerment Zone incentives, Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs, and the Northwest Business Development Association will be leveraged to provide funds and incentives to attract businesses. Where eligible, state funding sources will be accessed. Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding also apply to BCRLF funds. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-02-008 May 2002 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- |