32Z
o
Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Portland Development
Commission, OR
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is
real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
of which may be complicated by the presence or
potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George
W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the
Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The Portland Development Commission (PDC) was
selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The
PDC plans to develop the 409-acre North Macadam
Urban Renewal Area at the south end of the City of
Portland (population 545,140). It is the last major
undeveloped area in the Portland's Central City core. A
significant portion of the area is comprised of vacant
and underutilized land with an industrial heritage,
limited transportation access, and a lack of infrastruc-
ture to support redevelopment. The industries that
formerly operated in the area were dependent upon the
adjacent Willamette River for transportation. In order
to successfully develop the Renewal Area, infrastruc-
ture for rail, streetcars, and buses must be constructed.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Portland Development
Commission for a brownfields cleanup grant.
Grant funds will be used to develop remedial
action plans, complete remediation activities, and
support community involvement initiatives at the
Public Storage site at 3508 SW Moody Avenue in
the North Macadam Urban Renewal Area. Soils
and groundwater are contaminated with volatile
organic compounds, petroleum hydrocarbons,
polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and metals.
Structures on the site also contain asbestos and
lead-based paint. Over the years, the site had
been used for foundries, gas stations, metal
manufacturing, recycling operations, and roofing
materials manufacturing.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit
the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
brownfields.
EPA Region 10 Brownfields Team
206-553-2100
http://www.epa.gov/rlOearth, click on
"Superfund", scroll down and click on
"Brownfields"
Grant Recipient: Portland Development
Commission, OR
503-823-0113
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
The area currently has under 1,000 residents, of whom
nearly 29 percent are senior citizens, 15 percent are
disabled, and 19 percent are classified as low-income.
Over the last three-plus years, Oregon has struggled
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-05-214
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
-------
with one of the highest unemployment rates in the
nation. Assessment, cleanup, and development of the
Renewal Area will benefit both the City of Portland
and the State of Oregon. The city plans for the area
include a neighborhood with 10,000 jobs, a minimum of
3,000 housing units, a 1.2 mile greenway along the
Willamette River, parks and open space, and a multi-
modal transportation system.
------- |