Brownfields Area-Wide Plannini
i
Pilot Project Fact Sheet
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communi-
ties, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent,
assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brown-
fields. A brownfield 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. In 2002, the Small
Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization
Act was passed to help states and communities around
the country clean up and revitalize brownfields sites. Un-
der this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible
applicants to assess and clean up brownfield sites.
Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot
Program
EPA is piloting an area-wide planning approach to com-
munity brownfield challenges, which recognizes that
revitalization of the area surrounding the brownfield site(s)
is just as critical to the successful reuse of the property as
assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of an individual
site. The pilot program will help further community-based
partnership efforts within underserved or economically
disadvantaged neighborhoods by confronting local envi-
ronmental and public health challenges related to brown-
fields, while creating a planning framework to advance
economic development and job creation.
Pilot Project Description
EPA has selected the City of Kalispell as a Brownfields
Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program recipient. The city will
focus on the Core Revitalization Area (CRA), which is
located in the heart of Kalispell and is home to approximately
1,300 people. More than 20 percent of residents in the
CRA live below the poverty level, and the median income
is almost $20,000 less than the state average. More than
13 percent of business properties in the CRA are vacant.
The CRA generally follows historic railroad tracks and
contains multiple brownfields. These brownfields have had
a negative impact on property values and discouraged
Kalispell, MT
Pilot Program Description
EPA is awarding approximately $4
million in total across 23 recipients.
Recipients will each receive up to ap-
proximately $175,000 in EPA cooperative agreement
and/or direct technical assistance. Assistance will
help recipients initiate development of an area-wide
plan and identify next steps and resources needed to
implement the plan.
Contacts
For additional information, brownfields news and
events, and publications and links, visit the EPA
Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
(202) 566-0633
Assistance Recipient: City of Kalispell, MT
(406) 758-7713
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the project proposal; EPA cannot attest to the ac-
curacy of this information. The cooperative agreement
and/or direct technical assistance have not yet been
negotiated. Activities described in this fact sheet are
subject to change.
area investment. The CRA project began in 2004 when
the community decided to develop a downtown strategy to
revitalize the central core of Kalispell. The area-wide plan
will identify and rank brownfields along the rail corridor
in the CRA, both in terms of health risk and revitalization
need, develop a market study and needs assessment to
inform brownfields site reuse planning, and allow the city to
more fully involve the community in the planning process.
Development of the plan is expected to encourage the
cleanup and reuse of the CRA to meet community needs,
and encourage park, trail, and property redevelopment.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-10-003L
October 2010
www.epa.gov/brownfields
------- |