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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

         Roanoke,  VA


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 Roanoke was selected to receive a
brownfields revolving loan fund grant.  Since 1980,
Roanoke (population 94,911) has steadily been losing
residents. Roanoke has identified two strategic areas
for revitalization: the five neighborhoods adjacent to
the Roanoke River and the South Jefferson Redevelop-
ment Area (SJRA). The area along the river is lined
with diverse industrial sites, including light and heavy
manufacturing properties, lumber yards, and bulk oil
storage facilities.  Six brownfield sites have been
identified in the river's floodplain. About 32 percent of
residents in the adjacent neighborhoods live below the
poverty level, and nearly 40 percent are minorities.
The SJRA is an industrial rail corridor, where nearly
75 percent of the properties are deteriorated or
underused. Fourteen brownfields have been identified
 Revolving Loan  Fund
 Grant
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vNewl
&2007
 $1,000,000 for hazardous substances

 EPA has selected the City of Roanoke for a
 brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant
 will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund
 from which the City of Roanoke will provide
 loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities
 at sites contaminated with hazardous substances.
 Grant funds will be used to market and operate
 the revolving loan fund, plan and oversee clean-
 ups, and 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 3 Brownfields Team
 215-814-3129
 http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm

 Grant Recipient: City of Roanoke, VA
 540-853-5808

 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.
in the SJRA, which has a poverty rate of 33.5 percent.
The city plans to redevelop the sites along the
Roanoke River as greenways, parks, and riverfront
trails. The city's plans for the SJRA include a
walkable, mixed-use urban village with biomedical
and other high-tech businesses expected to generate as
many as 2,500 jobs and connect the downtown area to
a major regional hospital.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-07-142
                         May 2007
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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