United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5105)
EPA500-F-00-217
October 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
vvEPA
Brownfields Showcase
Community
Mystic Valley Development Commission, MA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
Brownfields are abandoned, idled or underused industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is
complicated by real or perceived contamination. In May 1997, Vice President Gore announced a Brownfields National Partnership
to bring together the resources of more than 15 federal agencies to address local cleanup and reuse issues in a more coordinated
manner. In 1998, this multi-agency partnership designated 16 "Brownfields Showcase Communities"—models demonstrating
the benefits of collaborative activity on brownfields. In October 2000, the partnership selected 12 additional "Brownfields
Showcase Communities" to continue the success of the initiative. The Brownfields Showcase Communities are distributed
across the country and vary by size, resources, and community type. A wide range of support will be leveraged, depending on
the particular needs of each Showcase Community.
BACKGROUND
The Brownfields National Partnership has selected
the Mystic Valley Development Commission—
comprised of the Cities of Everett, Maiden, and
Medford—Massachusetts as a Brownfields Show-
case Community. The three cities are situated in a
heavily urbanized area five miles north of Boston.
The Maiden River, which is located in the heart of
the project area, at one time served as a thriving
industrial corridor for numerous chemical produc-
tion, coal gasification,
and manufacturing
firms. In recent
years, however,
manufacturing
employment in
Everett, Maiden, and
Medford has declined
by 61 percent, 13
percent, and 79
percent, respectively.
In addition, the
average poverty rate
in the project area is
36 percent higher
than the state average.
Community Profile
Mystic Valley Development
Commission, Massachusetts
After years of economic decline, the area now is
largely underused. More than 70 percent of the land
is either vacant or used primarily as parking or open
storage areas for debris, supplies, or shipping contain-
ers. Seventy percent of the buildings located in the
project area are out of repair or obsolete. With
assistance from EPA Brownfield Assessment Demon-
stration Pilot funding, environmental contamination
from historical industrial practices has been identified
in soils covering more
than two-thirds of the
200-acre project area. In
addition, environmental
contamination in the
Maiden River has been
identified. In addition to
being an EPA Brownfield
Assessment Demonstra-
tion Pilot (who also
received supplemental
assistance), the TeleCom
City project is an EPA
Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund
Pilot.
The Cities of Everett, Maiden, and
Medford seek to reclaim 200 acres of
blighted industrial land as part of a
regional redevelopment project referred
to as TeleCom City. The redevelopment
project is expected to create 1.8 million
square feet of office, research and
development, and manufacturing space,
as well as to expand open space and
recreational opportunities for residents
in these three lower-income cities.
Approximately 7,500 jobs are expected
to be created, with a corresponding
payroll of $450 million.
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CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
TeleCom City represents a unique collaboration
among three once-rival cities to revitalize an area
and ensure that its residents benefit from advances
in the telecommunications industry. In the 1990s,
the cities initiated the TeleCom City project as a
means of overhauling the area economy and
redeveloping environmentally contaminated and
underused properties along the Maiden River. In
1996, the Massachusetts legislature created the
Mystic Valley Development Commission (MVDC)
to spearhead the TeleCom City project. In 1999, a
developer embraced the TeleCom City project and
committed $500-700 million in building develop-
ment costs. In addition, approximately $100
million has been pledged for site preparation costs
from a number of private, local, and state sources,
as well as numerous federal sources, including $1.2
million from the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) to support the creation
of an Advanced Manufacturing Center.
The TeleCom City project is based on partnerships.
MVDC has orchestrated a strategic alliance of local
governments, public school systems, regional public
and private universities, environmental organiza-
tions, community groups, industry representatives,
state agencies, and federal government entities.
Federal agencies include EPA, HUD, Labor, Educa-
tion, Commerce, Interior, Defense, Transportation,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, the
National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers.
SHOWCASE COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES AND
PLANNED ACTIVITIES
With the assistance of the Showcase Community
designation, the TeleCom City project will provide
regional economic development, improved transpor-
tation infrastructure, job training opportunities, and
expanded greenspace. The Lifelong Skills Center,
which is one of the project's five anchor institutions,
will train the communities' youth and incumbent
workers, as well as scientists and technicians already
in the industry and serve as a model for other com-
munities. A riverfront setback will allow the creation
of the Maiden River Park to serve workers and
residents of the communities.
Contacts
Mystic Valley Development
Commission
(617)381-7711
U.S. EPA-Region 1
(617)918-1424
For more information on the Brownfields Showcase
Communities, visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/showcase.htm.
Brownfields Showcase Communities
October 2000
Mystic Valley Development Commission, MA
EPA 500-F-00-217
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