Partnership for Sustainable Communities
Brownfields Pilots - Denver, Colorado
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
The La Alma/South Lincoln Park community (including
the 10th and Osage Light Rail Station) in Denver,
Colorado, was identified as a potential Pilot by the
Mayor of Denver, the Governor of Colorado and the
Federal Secretaries/Administrator during the Denver
portion of the White House Domestic Policy Council
Sustainable Communities Tour in September 2009; it
was subsequently selected by EPA with input from HUD
and DOT as a Partnership for Sustainable Communities
Pilot in 2010. A strong collaboration exists between
state, local and community leaders in the planning
and development of a livable community for the La
Alma/South Lincoln Park neighborhood, including the
Denver Housing Authority's (DHA) redevelopment effort
on its South Lincoln Homes site. Although all three
federal agencies (EPA, HUD and DOT) are engaged
in independent activities in the La Alma/South Lincoln
Park community, cross-coordination or leveraging of
federal resources was lacking. The federal agencies
entered into a collaborative effort as an action under the
Partnership.
The Pilot focuses on a 15.1-acre, 270-unit public
housing site, South Lincoln Homes, that is owned and
managed by DHA in the La Alma/South Lincoln Park
neighborhood. South Lincoln Homes is distressed due
to high concentrated poverty and crime, functional
obsolescence, and economic and physical isolation.
Other challenges this community faces include
older housing stock, underutilized parcels, changing
demographics, and limited transportation connections.
Given the range of issues the community faces,
community stakeholders and the City and County
of Denver recognized that a common vision needed
Pilot Technical Assistance Activities
Convene three charrettes on 1) stormwater
management, water and green infrastructure, 2) green
building and energy, and 3) transportation
Develop action plans to guide the implementation of
sustainable elements into the multi-phased development
Increase efforts that build on extensive stakeholder-
guided community planning in the neighborhood
to be created for the La Alma/South Lincoln Park
neighborhood. As a result, the City and County of
Denver and DHA worked together on a Station Area Plan
that was incorporated into the La Alma Neighborhood
Plan and adopted by the City Council in September
2010. DHA worked with the neighborhood and other
stakeholders, including the City and County of Denver,
on the South Lincoln Redevelopment Master Plan in
2009. The Master Plan focused on land use, energy,
public health and transportation issues. The South
Lincoln Redevelopment Master Plan was finalized in
September 2009.
Prior to the development of the Neighborhood and
Master Plans, EPA provided $200,000 in Brownfield
Cleanup grant funding to Denver for cleanup of 10th and
Osage, a three-acre site adjacent to the light rail station.
Contaminants included polyaromatic hydrocarbons and
arsenic from railroad operations and equipment storage.
The site was cleaned to unrestricted residential use
cleanup standards in the fall of 2008 under Colorado's
Voluntary Cleanup Program. Community groups were
consulted in the application process and community
meetings were conducted to obtain public input. The site
is part of Phase I in the Master Plan.
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Pilot Activities
Using the Master Plan as a guide, DMA is seeking
to revitalize the community through transit oriented
development and "greener" mixed uses. These
will support healthier lifestyles, reduce reliance
on automobiles, improve integration of resource
conservation and management systems, and create
a diverse mix of new and existing residents. The Pilot
is helping DMA achieve these goals by using direct
technical assistance to conduct three design charrettes
on stormwater management and green infrastructure,
green building and energy, and transportation. These
charrettes, which were conducted in August, October
and December 2010, were used to build on the South
Lincoln Redevelopment Master Plan and to brainstorm
and problem solve some of the larger, more complex
issues pertaining to stormwater management, green
building and energy, and transportation. The charrettes
provided direction to the future build out and planning of
the site.
A lessons learned report will also be developed to
highlight barriers and best practices as guidance for
other communities considering similar development
concepts, or that are integrating EPA, HUD or DOT
resources into their redevelopment projects. The action
plan may include information on costs, potential funding
sources, and guidelines for implementing sustainable
elements into a multi-phased development.
To keep the community informed, the technical
assistance team will debrief the South Lincoln Steering
Committee—a group of South Lincoln residents
that has been actively engaged in the South Lincoln
Redevelopment Master Plan and project activities—on
the charrettes and next steps.
Outcomes
The expected outcomes from this Pilot include:
• Supporting transformation of DMAs existing public
housing complex into a mixed-income, walkable,
transit oriented neighborhood asset.
Aerial view of the South Lincoln Redevelopment
Master Plan's preferred plan
Major Technical Assistance Partners
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Transportation
Denver Housing Authority
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Using the charrette process to brainstorm and
solve problems pertaining to green building and
energy, transportation, and stormwater management
identified in the Master Plan, to provide direction to
the future build out and planning of the site, and to
provide a model for community wide sustainability.
• Integrating green infrastructure, green building
concepts, and community input into the existing La
Alma/South Lincoln Park neighborhood and street
design.
• Sharing lessons learned from the charrette
process with other communities considering similar
development concepts.
The expected completion date for the La Alma/South
Lincoln Park Pilot is March 2011. For more information
on this Pilot, please contact Stacey Eriksen at
(303) 312-6692 or eriksen.stacey@epa.gov.
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