&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-01-226
June 2001
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Brownfields Success Stories
Somerville's Abandoned Mattress
Site Springs Back
SOMERVILLE, MA
ith a population of nearly 80 thousand within its
4.2-square-mile area, Somerville, Massachusetts is the
most densely populated municipality in New England.
Since space is a such a valuable commodity, wasted, idle
land is something the city can ill afford. The
redevelopment of an abandoned mattress factory and
outlet into additional living space— combined with new
jobs, and millions in leveraged funding—is cause for
celebration for Somerville.
Until the 1970s, the Hostess Bakery Company occupied
the 51,500-square-foot industrial building at 259 Lowell
Street. The structure was subsequently renovated and
occupied by a series of mattress manufacturers/outlet
stores, only to be abandoned in 1995. After its
abandonment, the building fell into disrepair and became
a safety concern and an eyesore for residents of the
surrounding area. Partially due to fears of site
contamination, however, there was limited developer
interest in the factory. This changed in 1996, when
Somerville was selected as an EPA Brownfields Pilot,
and received a $100,000 grant to jump-start the city's
idle properties.
continued ^
JUST THE FACTS:
• Following its abandonment, the 51,500-square-
foot industrial building at 259 Lowell Street fell
into disrepair and became a safety concern and
an eyesore for local residents.
• The Visiting Nurses Association (VNA)
approached the city with an interest in
purchasing and redeveloping the mattress
factory site, depending on the Brownfields Pilot's
assessment results.
• The resulting $ 14 million redevelopment project
brought more than 45 permanent jobs to the city.
To encourage the VNA to move forward
with plans to redevelop the property
into a 100-unit, assisted living facility
and neighborhood health center,
Somerville provided $100,000 in
cleanup cost-overrun coverage. This
coverage was developed as a
component of the Brownfields Pilot.
ERA'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.
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After learning of Somerville's Brownfields Pilot award, the Visiting
Nurses Association (VNA) approached the city with an interest in
purchasing and redeveloping the mattress factory site, depending
on the Pilot's assessment results. Soil and groundwater assess-
ments revealed lead, petroleum, and barium contamination, with
an estimated cleanup cost of $225,000. To encourage the VNA to
move forward with plans to redevelop the property into a 100-
unit, assisted living facility and neighborhood health center,
Somerville provided $100,000 in cleanup cost-overrun coverage.
The coverage, which was developed as a component of the Pilot,
will protect the VNA should actual site cleanup costs exceed the
Pilot's estimate. Community Development Block Grant money from
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is be-
ing used to finance the program.
CONTACTS:
Office of Housing & Community
Development
(617) 625-6600 ext. 2500
EPA Region 1
(617)918-1210
Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
In response to the site's new and promising future, resources for the project rapidly
mushroomed. The Federal Home Loan Bank agreed to a $1.25 million loan and a
$250,000 grant; the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Devel-
opment (DHCD) awarded $5.9 million in low-income housing tax credits; $750,000
in low-interest loans have been granted by the DHCD and the City of Somerville;
the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust fund has earmarked a $150,000 loan for
the project; and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership will provide a $5.4 million
Affordable Housing loan.
The VNA's new, 97-unit, assisted-living facility opened in June 2000, and every
unit was occupied by the end of the summer. This $14 million redevelopment
project brought more than 45 new jobs to the city. For more information on
Somerville's Brownfields Pilot, contact Lynne Jennings at (617) 918-1210.
Brownfields Success Story
June 2001
Somerville, MA
EPA 500-F-01-226
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