Stamford,  Connecticut:  Running
                    Whole Hog  into  Brownfields
                    Cleanup
                               Stamford,  CT
T
 A h
     he South End community in Stamford, Connecticut is now
enjoying the sound of successful redevelopment, through the patented
sound of Harley-Davidson's engines.  With the cooperation of the city,
EPA, a private developer, and the community, a new Harley-Davidson
dealership and maintenance facility replaced formerly abandoned lots in
Stamford's industrial community.  The project represents a $1.8 million
investment of the dealership owner's own funding for purchasing and
redeveloping the site.  This investment in one of Stamford's poorest
communities will result in a cleaner environment, up to 10 new jobs for
residents, and increased tax revenues for the city.
The cooperative effort that led to this success story illustrates why
Stamford was selected as a Showcase Community in 1998. Showcase
Communities are selected by the Brownfields National Partnership to
demonstrate that through cooperation, federal, state, local, and private
efforts can be concentrated around brownfields to restore these sites,
stimulate economic development, and revitalize communities. Showcase
Communities serve as models  for broad-based cooperative efforts to
support locally based initiatives. Showcases receive up to $400,000
from EPA for both environmental assessments and to support the loan
of a federal employee to the Showcase for up to three years.
Showcase Communities receive additional financial and technical
support from the Partnership's  more than 20 federal partners, depending
on the community need and program eligibility.
The road to success in the South End community began in early 1999,
when Blues Brothers, LLC, the company that owns the Harley-
Davidson franchise in Stamford, began looking for a place to relocate
and expand its existing showroom. An abandoned .75-acre site a few
blocks from the showroom looked promising, but the property's former
uses as a machine  shop and printing and engraving facility meant that
environmental assessments were needed to determine whether any
contamination existed. Blues Brothers funded a series of site
assessments from  March-June  1999 that revealed the presence of
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, arsenic, chromium, and other
metals.  Although the company was only required to clean up the
property to Connecticut's commercial standards, Blues Brothers was
committed to working with the city's Brownfields Cleanup Revolving

                                                 continued f\
                                                                   The abandoned former machine
                                                                   shop site, prior to redevelopment.
                                                             JUST THE  FACTS:

                                                             • With assistance from a $ 160,000
                                                               BCRLF loan, Blues Brothers
                                                               removed 3,500 tons of soil from the
                                                               site, at a total cost of $395,000.
                                                             • Additional brownfields targeted by
                                                               Stamford's Showcase Community
                                                               include a 40-acre former utilities site
                                                               that will  be reused for offices,
                                                               housing, and a new marina and ferry
                                                               terminal; a 12-acre former fuel depot
                                                               being converted into a $50 million,
                                                               390,000-square-foot development of
                                                               luxury rental units; and a new urban
                                                               transitway that will accommodate
                                                               future redevelopment and
                                                               rehabilitation projects within the area.
                                                                 With the cooperation of the city,
                                                                 EPA, a private developer, and the
                                                                community, a new Harley-Davidson
                                                                dealership and maintenance facility
                                                               replaced formerly abandoned lots in
                                                               Stamford's industrial community. The
                                                                 cooperative effort that led to this
                                                                  success story illustrates why
                                                                   Stamford was selected as a
                                                               Showcase Community in 1998 by the
                                                                Brownfields National Partnership.

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   Loan Fund (BCRLF) award team (Stamford received a $750,000 BCRLF grant from EPA to establish
   this fund) to clean up the site to residential standards, to allow for broader future reuse options for the
   property. With assistance from a $160,000 BCRLF loan, Blues Brothers removed 3,500 tons
   of soil from the site, at a total cost of $395,000 ($45,000 of which was paid by the
   seller when contamination exceeded estimates). Using its own funds, the
   company also gutted an existing brick building on the site, maintaining its
   wide plank floors and overhead exposed beams, and installed new
   windows and lighting; the company also prepared another abandoned
   building on the property for redevelopment.  These two buildings are
   now a service and a retail center.
                                                                       CONTACTS:
                                                                          For more information on EPA's Showcase
                                                                          Communities, contact Tony Raia of OSWER's
                                                                          Office of Brownfields Cleanup and
                                                                          Redevelopment at (202) 566-2758
                                                                          Or visit EPA's Brownfields Website at:
                                                                          http://www.epa.aov/brownfields/
Prior to these cleanup efforts, the president of Blues Brothers attended
a neighborhood meeting to present his company's proposed cleanup and
redevelopment plans to residents. The South End Neighborhood
Revitalization Zone Task Force had been meeting for three years to
address the community's revitalization needs; Blues Brothers attended
one of the meetings to demonstrate the company's commitment to the
community and its revitalization efforts. The BCRLF Manager also
attended this meeting, encouraging Blues Brothers to participate in EPA's loan
program. Together, these  groups worked tirelessly to secure funding, complete the
cleanup, and open the new dealership for business, all with the full support of the community
and the Task Force.  The dealership officially opened in November 2000, and the BCRLF loan has
already been repaid.
The retail and maintenance shops that have replaced the formerly blighted, vacant property represent
a tremendous success for the impoverished community of South End.  As the shiny chrome on a new
Harley motorcycle attests, this project serves as a shining example of what can be accomplished when
the community, a conscientious property owner, and local, state, and federal officials work together to
create an outcome that benefits everyone.
Additional brownfields redevelopment projects targeted by Stamford's Showcase
Community include a 40-acre former utilities site that will be reused for
offices, housing, and a new marina and ferry terminal; a 12-acre former fuel
depot being converted into a $50 million, 390,000-square-foot development
of luxury rental units; and a new urban transitway that will accommodate
future redevelopment and  rehabilitation projects within the  area.
                                                                               The new Harley-Davidson
                                                                              showroom built on the former
                                                                                     brownfield.
Brownfields Success Story
Stamford, CT
                                            Solid Waste
                                            and Emergency
                                            Response (5105)
       EPA 500-F-02-167
         December 2002
www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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