Partnership for Sustainable Communities
Brownfields Pilots - Indianapolis, Indiana
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Department
of Transportation (DOT) are working together under the Partnership for Sustainable Communities to ensure that federal
investments, policies and actions support development that is more efficient and sustainable. This partnership is based
on "liability principles" that guide inter-agency collaboration and support the integration of: safe, reliable and economical
transportation; affordable, energy-efficient housing; and sustainable reuse of idle or underutilized land. Pilot communities
were selected by EPA's Brownfields Program with input from HUD and DOT. Pilots receive technical assistance and support
from EPA, HUD and DOT. The three agencies are working with the Pilot communities to build on past investments, as well as
identify opportunities to link housing, transit and brownfields, and coordinate sustainability resources.
Project History
In 2008, the City of Indianapolis and local stakeholders
delineated a %-mile Smart Growth Redevelopment District
(SGRD), centered at East 22nd Street and the Monon
Greenway Trail.The SGRD encompasses neighborhoods
within Indianapolis that are challenged by crime, illegal
dumping, a nearly 70 percent household poverty rate,
abandoned houses and vacant lots, a concentration of
brownfields with potential residential exposures to human
health from soil and ground water contamination, and limited
access to retail, jobs centers, transportation options, fresh
food, and community services.
Though historically underserved, the SGRD area has the
potential to add residents and attract economic growth by
leveraging multiple, independent economic development
initiatives already underway including Indy Connect—a
regional transportation improvement plan that proposes to
expand transit availability within the SGRD. By recognizing
a need to stimulate redevelopment through property
environmental assessment, cleanup and place-based,
mixed-use approaches, the city developed a SGRD Plan
to help guide the sustainable revitalization of this area.
Implementation of this plan could result in:
• Property environmental assessments and cleanup for
housing, economic development, transportation, and
recreational uses
• Using incentives to encourage site-specific sustainable
development practices
• Development of improved zoning codes and
integration of quality design standards for buildings
and infrastructure
Pilot Technical Assistance Activities
• Develop a revitalization strategy to identify opportunities
for investments in underutilized properties and
underserved corridors in the SGRD
• Identify geographic target areas in which revitalization
may be prioritized in the near term
• Develop a site-specific implementation plan to catalyze
development within one of the geographic target areas
• Higher density, mixed-use development
• Greater social equity, improved public health and
access to services, and improved quality of life
Several additional community planning efforts are
underway in the SGRD, including the American Institute
of Architects (AIA) 2009 Sustainable Design Assessment
Team (SDAT) project and the work associated with the
EPA Community Action for Revitalized Environment
(CARE) grant to the Martindale-Brightwood Environmental
Justice Collaborative. The AIA grant funded a three-
day, community design charrette to develop targeted,
comprehensive planning and design approaches to help
shape future transit oriented development within the
SGRD. The SDAT Steering Committee remains active in
identifying opportunities for revitalization, infrastructure
improvements and design enhancements throughout the
SGRD. The EPA CARE grant is assisting residents with
understanding and prioritizing the multiple environmental
issues and health concerns in the SGRD. Several other
projects that are being funded by EPA, HUD and/or DOT
exist in the SGRD.
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Pilot Activities
Building on the multiple planning efforts that have taken
place in and around the SGRD in recent years, the
technical assistance provided through this Pilot was
used to develop a revitalization strategy for the SGRD.
Based on guidance provided by the SGRD Advisory
Committee—convened to inform the technical assistance
being provided—the strategy was developed to prioritize
actions to support a transit oriented future.
The strategy identifies five actions that can help local,
state and federal partners work together to strategically
build walkable neighborhoods to support a transit oriented
future. The five actions include:
• Identify locations for walkable neighborhood
development sites adjacent to transit routes
• Develop design criteria for higher-density
development within walkable neighborhoods
• Promote infill development on selected blocks to
create walkable neighborhoods
• Increase usage of the Monon Trail within the SGRD
• Develop a communications and outreach strategy
Based on feedback and input from local residents and
stakeholders, the technical assistance team is helping
to implement the first action. This support includes
developing criteria to guide the selection of geographic
priority areas in which future investments may be
strategically coordinated and concentrated; identifying
potential geographic priority areas; working with local
stakeholders to select one priority area; identifying one or
more parcels that are key to sparking revitalization in that
area; and developing a site-specific implementation plan
for the selected parcel(s).
Outcomes
The expected outcomes from this Pilot include:
• Demonstrating how effective partnerships can yield
on-the-ground results while responding to the specific
needs of the neighborhood.
• Creating a revitalization strategy that prioritizes key
actions that local stakeholders can take to spur
revitalization in the SGRD.
• Producing a site-specific implementation plan to guide
redevelopment of one or more key parcels located in
a geographic priority area.
Map of vacant property in Indianapolis'Smart
Growth Redevelopment District
Major Technical Assistance Partners
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Federal Transit Administration
Federal Highway Administration
Indianapolis Mayor's Office of Economic Development
Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development
Martindale-Brightwood Community Development Corporation
King Park Area Development Corporation
• Improving coordination among Pilot stakeholders,
resulting in more coordinated and targeted public
investments in the SGRD, with the goal of spurring
additional private investment.
The revitalization strategy was completed in December
2010. The expected completion date for the remaining
implementation support for the Indianapolis Smart Growth
Redevelopment District Pilot is May 2011. For more
information on this Pilot, please contact Stephanie Cwik at
(312) 886-0913 or cwik.stephanie@epa.gov.
United States
Environmental Protection Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fact Sheet - Indianapolis, Indiana • January 2011 • EPA-560-F-11-013
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