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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact Sheet

   Chicago  Heights,  IL


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 City of Chicago Heights was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located south of
Chicago in Cook County, Chicago Heights (population
32,776) is a state-designated Enterprise Zone based on
poverty, unemployment, and economic growth factors.
More than 60 percent of Chicago Heights residents are
minorities, and nearly 18 percent have incomes below
the poverty line. During the 1990s, the city experi-
enced serious deterioration of its older neighborhoods.
Today, more than half of the parcels in the city are
city-owned, tax-delinquent, and vacant. The city has
identified 32 brownfields with redevelopment poten-
tial. Seven of the sites are in the target area within
walking distance of two new proposed commuter rail
stations. Brownfields assessment is expected to pave
 Assessment  Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the City of Chicago Heights for
 a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous
 substances grant funds will be used to conduct six
 Phase I and four Phase II environmental site
 assessments and to support 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 5 Brownfields Team
 312-886-7576
 http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

 Grant Recipient: City of Chicago Heights, IL
 708-756-5318

 The information presented in this fact sheet comes
 from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
 accuracy of this information. The cooperative
 agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti-
 ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact
 sheet are subject to change.
the way for redevelopment of the target sites, increas-
ing property values in the area and encouraging
additional redevelopment.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-07-030
                        May 2007
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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