United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-00-012 April 2000 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ <&EPA Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Des Moines, IA Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105) Quick Reference Fact Sheet EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment. BACKGROUND EPA awarded the City of Des Moines supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. The city will focus on the 300- acre Riverpoint West area located just south of the central business district. The area is characterized by underused industrial parcels, anumber of deteriorated structures, and real and perceived contamination from years of use for rail yards, newspaper and magazine printing, paint manufacturing, foundry operations, asphalt paving, and industrial chemical manufacturing operations. Phase I environmental assessments conducted across the targeted area indicate potential soil andgroundwater contamination. The area is located in a census tract that has a family poverty rate of 37.8 percent. It also has several designations (e.g., urban renewal area, tax increment finance district, urban revitalization tax abatement area, and Gateway Enterprise Zone) that offer an array of economic development incentives to revitalize the community. PILOT SNAPSHOT Des Moines, Iowa Date of Announcement: March 2000 Amount: $150,000 Profile: The Pilot will target the300-acre Riverpoint Wfest area located just south ofthe city's central business district. Contacts: City of Des Moines (515)237-1351 Regional Brown fields Team U.S. EPA-Region 7 (913)551-7786 Visit the EPA Region 7 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region07/specinit/brown/brownfields.htm Forfurther information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES The Pilot will coordinate these supplemental assessment efforts with the other city initiatives— including a major transportation project and cleanup of other contaminated properties—to convert the area into a vibrant urban village and help support sustainable growth in the downtown area. The proj ect seeks to utilize existing infrastructure and will provide low-rise residential and office space, a large public open space, and apedestrian-friendly design to encourage walking and biking to the downtown area and to nearby natural resources such as Gray's Lake and the Waterworks Park. The city will partner with the Des Moines Development Corporation (DMDC) to accomplish these objectives. The city will address environmental concerns and public infrastructure to serve the area and the DMDC will acquire the needed property and prepare it for redevelopment. To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to: • Conduct Phase II environmental assessments on properties totaling approximately 175 acres in the Riverpoint West area; • Prepare cleanup cost estimates and a cleanup implementation plan; • Coordinate with the DMDC to leverage a redevelopment feasibility study, draft a property acquisition plan, develop a land use redevelopment plan, and create a flow of ownership plan; and • Encourage active community involvement in the decision-making process regarding assessment and cleanup of the area. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this factsheetare subjectto change. Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Des Moines, Iowa April 2000 EPA 500-F-00-012 ------- |