I
5
o
\
ro
z
LU
O
Changing First Impressions
New Gateway
Development
Gateway Properties
-Mjnpressions of a town or community are usually formed when first
arriving. The initial images of a place are often of "gateways": areas
surrounding major thoroughfares or transportation centers which can consist
of bridges, stations, ports, or parks but can also be abandoned or underutilized
properties. EPA's Brownfields Program has enabled numerous communities
to clean up and redevelop brownfields properties in gateway districts, and
in turn improve community images, leverage jobs, and revitalize local
economies.
Rail lines and rail yards have been a fixture of Salt Lake City's historic
Gateway District since the late 1800s. Located just three blocks west of
Main Street, the 650-acre Gateway District was once home to a bustling
immigrant community and thriving businesses. Although the presence of
the railroad initially helped to develop the area, ultimately it became a
hindrance as the district grew and rail lines in the street limited accessability.
In the 1960s, Interstate 15, a major highway running north and south through
Salt Lake City, was built on the western edge of the Gateway District and
four on/off-ramps were constructed to bypass the area. Cut off from major
highway traffic, the area fell into neglect and disrepair.
In 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympic Games, and preparations
for this major international event created a new wave of construction,
development, and renovation projects. This included a major overhaul of
Interstate 15. The new construction on the highway was a driving force
behind fast-track cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields in the Gateway
area. In 1996, the city received a $200,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment
Grant to conduct environmental assessments on the District's 650 acres.
As expected, there was some contamination, but perception was worse
than reality and conditions were such that redevelopment could proceed
without significant cleanup. Additional progress was enabled through a
$200,000 EPA Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Grant in March 2000
continued ^
An artist's rendering of large-scale
redevelopment in Coralville, Iowa.
JUST THE FACTS:
• The master plan for Salt Lake City's
gateway redevelopment includes 10,000
residential units, cultural facilities,
commercial developments, and a
transportation hub that will link bus, light
rail, and commuter rail systems.
• Coralville, Iowa developed an Urban
Renewal Plan that enabled the city to
issue municipal bonds to fund a $58 million
convention center and 200-room hotel
complex.
• Additional EPA Brownfields grant
recipients working to restore their
gateways include Glen Cove, New York;
Astoria, Oregon; and Salem,
Massachusetts.
Impressions of cities and towns
are often formed when first arriving
at their "gateways ": areas
surrounding majorthoroughfares or
transportation centers that are too
commonly plagued by abandoned or
underutilized properties. EPA's
Brownfields Program has enabled
many communities to clean up and
redevelop their gateway districts,
improving community images,
leveraging jobs, and revitalizing
local economies.
-------
and another $500,000 resulting from the city's designation as an EPABrownfields
Showcase Community. As part of the project, new on/off-ramps for 1-15 were
constructed to allow traffic to flow directly into the Gateway District. The
master plan for the District's redevelopment includes 10,000 residential
units, cultural facilities, commercial developments, and a transportation
hub that will link bus, light rail, and commuter rail systems.
CONTACTS:
U.S. EPA-Region 1 (MA) (617) 918-1424
U.S. EPA-Region 2 (NY) (212) 637^314
U.S. EPA-Region 7 (IA) (913)551-7003
U.S. EPA-Region 8 (UT) (303) 312-6312
U.S. EPA-Region 10 (OR) (800) 424^372
Visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brown fields/
In November 2001, Gateway Associates, a private development group,
purchased the largest rail yard in the District and began a $375 million
mixed-use, mixed-income development that incorporates the historic Union
Pacific Rail depot. The first 30 acres have been redeveloped to create two
million square feet of shops, restaurants, office space, and housing. During
the Winter Olympic Games, 330 of these residential units were used for media
housing, and most of the units are now occupied by long-term tenants. Salt Lake City
also purchased land needed to reconstruct the main street and build a 100-foot-wide linear park
immediately west of the Union Pacific Rail Depot and former rail yard. With an estimated cost of more
than $11.2 million, the project will consist of infrastructure improvements, land acquisition, environmental
assessments, and the construction of landscaped "Park Blocks." Visitors coming in on 1-15 are no
longer treated to sites of abandoned rail yards and facilities. Through the combined efforts of the city
and its redevelopment agency, the railroad, EPA, other federal agencies, and private investors, there is
new hope of jobs for area residents, opportunity for private investment, a cleaner environment, and a
revitalized gateway community.
Coralville, Iowa Picture driving down Interstate 80 and, approaching Coralville, Iowa, you see a beautiful
river, with a giant coal pile, an abandoned truck stop, an old municipal dump, and a rail spur next to it —
not a pretty picture. Until recently, this was the "gateway" view that greeted visitors arriving in
Coralville. Now imagine arriving for a meeting at a new conference center with an exhibit hall and a
hotel alongside the same river. As you stroll along a pathway on the river's edge, you rest at a gazebo
and consider walking to Iowa City via the new pedestrian bridge. You may even picnic on the newly
restored banks of the Iowa River.
This more appealing scenario is what the Coralville community had in mind when it participated in a
brainstorming session for the revitalization of the 1 57-acre, declining industrial park that had for so long
been the gateway to Coralville . To jumpstart revitalization, the City Council first brain-stormed different
redevelopment scenarios and developed the First Avenue Revitalization Plan, which called for a new
convention center/exhibit hall and hotel . With the help of EPA, which awarded a $200,000 Brownfields
Assessment Grant to the City of Coralville in 1998, along with supplemental awards of $ 100,000 in
2000 and 2002, and $ 1,500,000 in leveraged funding, this scenario is now becoming reality.
continued
Brownfields Success Story
Gateway Properties
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-04-264
September 2004
www. epa. gov/brownfields/
-------
In 1997, a First Avenue Corridor Study identified $ 15.4 million in roadway improvements needed to provide necessary
access to the park. These improvements are being funded by the Iowa Department of Transportation with matching
funds from city bonds. The initial phase of these improvements was completed in 2001, including sidewalk repair
and construction to improve pedestrian access—an important step as the park provides the only access to the Iowa
River. In 1998, the city had used EPA funds to conduct environmental assessments of the park, which, along with
three subsequent assessments, have acted as a catalyst for redevelopment.
In addition, the city has developed an Urban Renewal Plan, which enabled it to obtain a designation that allowed
Coralville to issue municipal bonds to fund the $58 million convention center and 200-room hotel complex in 2002.
Since then, the conference center and hotel have opened the door to plans for a much larger redevelopment project
adjacent to the conference center: the IOWA Child project. The city plans to acquire the land (they have acquired
approximately 15 percent of the 30 acres needed) that will be used to house an ecologically-oriented learning
environment that includes a 4.5-acre indoor rainforest with an aquarium, as well as outdoor exhibits of Iowa's
indigenous ecosystem including prairies and wetlands. The proj ect is envisioned as a learning laboratory for visitors,
students, teachers, and researchers. The site' s brownfields status, riverside location, and proximity to the conference
center and hotel are well matched to the ecological project's aims. The brownfields properties along First Avenue
corridor are being transformed into appealing and functioning areas for both residents and visitors alike.
In addition to Salt Lake City and Coralville, several other EPA Brownfields grantees
are redeveloping their gateways. In Glen Cove, New York—with an initial EPA
Assessment Grant in 1997 and a Showcase Community designation in 1998—
underutilized properties are being redeveloped into a regional tourist destination
•^ with waterfront restaurants, new maritime attractions, a hotel conference
center, and a pedestrian promenade along the water's edge. In Astoria,
Oregon, the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department
Brownfields Assessment grantee is rekindling abandoned mill sites along
the road approaching town into new residential communities with views of
the Columbia River. And in Salem, Massachusetts, the EPA grantee is
planning to clean up and redevelop the 132-acre Boston Bridge Mason Corridor,
an important gateway to downtown Salem.
Mixed-use redevelopment in
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Through EPA investment, gateway properties are being revitalized and once abandoned
buildings and factories are being transformed into parks and thriving business centers. In the future, with continued
assistance, additional brownfields communities will be able to redevelop their gateway properties, changing the
outlook for brownfields-affected communities. For more information on EPA's Brownfields Program, visit EPA
Brownfields website at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or by contacting the EPA Office of Brownfields Cleanup
and Redevelopment (OBCR) at (202) 566-2777.
Brownfields Success Story
Gateway Properties
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-04-264
September 2004
www. epa. gov/brownfields/
------- |