&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-189
July 1998
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Reading, PA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
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. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of
brownfields solutions. The Pilots 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 has selected the City of Reading for a
Brownfields Pilot. The City serves as the financial,
commercial, and government center for Berks County,
Pennsylvania. Reading built its heritage on heavy
industry such as ironworks, masonry, and
manufacturing. These industries utilized the
Schuylkill River canals and railways for transport of
raw materials and finished goods. Since 1930, the
City has lost nearly 30% of its population as a result
of industrial and economic decline. Diverse minority
communities currently account for 65% of the City's
residents, with over 56% of residents earning a low
to moderate income. Reading's unemployment rate
is nearly 6%.
Little vacant land within the 9.8 square miles of the
City's boundaries is available for new or expanded
development. Reading plans to focus its
redevelopment efforts on four large areas. Three of
these areas, totaling 250 acres, are abandoned
industrial sites with suspected contamination. They
were used for steel manufacturing, other various
industrial uses, and rail yards. The fourth target area
comprises 68 acres of vacant land near the Schuylkill
River.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Reading, Pennsylvania
Date of Announcement:
July 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
three abandoned industrial
sites and one vacant property
nearthe Schuylkill Riverfor
assessment, cleanup, and
redevelopment.
Contacts:
Community
Development
Department
City of Reading
(610)655-6023
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 3
(215)566-3129
Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/brownfld/
hmpage1.htm
For further 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/
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OBJECTIVES
The City's main objective is the cleanup and
redevelopment of the target areas and other
brownfields to stimulate the local economy and
provide needed area jobs, thereby returning the City
to its former level of prosperity. To facilitate this
effort, Reading plans to combine Pilot funding with
significant funds from the new Pennsylvania Key stone
Opportunity Zone Program (KOZ), a major utility
company, and the local redevelopment authority.
The City anticipates that certain sites in the target
area will be eligible for the KOZ Program, which
allows amoratorium on taxes for 12 years on restored
property. The Pilot also plans to conduct site
inventories, environmental assessments, and
community outreach activities.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Identifying, inventorying, and prioritizing potential
brownfields sites;
• Performing environmental site assessments on the
four targeted areas;
• Creating cleanup and redevelopment plans for the
target sites; and
• Conducting community outreach and public
involvement programs.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet
are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Reading, Pennsylvania
July 1998 EPA500-F-98-189
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