5 o T> Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet Baltimore Development Corporation, MD EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders 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 Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located in central Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay, the City of Baltimore (population 651,154) is a federally designated Empowerment Zone that was industrialized in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Industries were surrounded by densely developed residential neighborhoods that supplied the labor force. From 1990 to 2000, Baltimore's population decreased 11.5 percent, and the per capita income is $16,978, significantly less than the state average of Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Baltimore Development Corporation for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct 15 to 20 Phase I and three to four Phase II environmental site assessments throughout Baltimore. Grant funds also will be used to develop cleanup plans and implement community outreach activities. 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 3 Brownfields Team 215-814-3129 http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm Grant Recipient: Baltimore Development Corporation, MD 410-837-9310, ext. 317 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. $25,614. At least 64 percent of residents are African- American, and 18.8 percent of families live below the poverty level. BDC has identified 56 vacant or underutilized industrial sites totaling 1,016 acres, and a larger inventory that considers smaller sites identified approximately 2,400 acres of underutilized industrial land. Brownfields in the city are scattered along industrial corridors and are usually smaller than ten acres. The city estimates that brownfields represent a loss of $26 million in annual tax revenues and a lost opportunity to provide an estimated 27,000 jobs. After brownfields are cleaned up, the BDC plans on redevel- oping them for commercial, residential, and greenspace Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-06-049 May 2006 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- uses. Brownfields redevelopment will provide jobs and services, and improve the water quality of the Chesa- peake Bay. ------- |