United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-254
November 1998
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
&EPA
Brownfields Showcase
Community
Chicago, IL
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
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. This multi-agency partnership has pledged support to 16 "Brownfields Showcase Communities"—models
demonstrating the benefits of collaborative activity on brownfields. The designated 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
City of Chicago as a Brownfields Showcase Commu-
nity. The Chicago Brownfields Initiative, established in
1993, links environmental cleanup with industrial real
estate development in order to create j obs and generate
tax revenue. The city's 1995 Brownfields Forum Final
Report and Action Plan identified more than 60 barriers
to redevelopment. Solutions already implemented in-
clude a property tax incentive, a model lending package,
and land acquisition tools.
The Initiative currently
manages about 26 sites,
and is comprised of an
interdepartmental team
of project managers
from the city Depart-
ments of Environment,
Planning and Develop-
ment, and Law. More
than 100 potential addi-
tional brownfields sites
exist, and will be evalu-
ated based on access and control, estimates of cleanup
costs, and property value. Most of these areas have
received special designations (model industrial corri-
dors, planned manufacturing districts, and tax
increment financing districts). The city will target 4 of
the 26 sites that are large industrial park projects. These
targeted sites are located in three communities with pov-
erty rates ranging from 17-44%, unemployment rates
of 7.6-17.5%, and minority populations of 71-99%.
CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Chicago's Brownfields Initiative has operated from
a regional perspective, with public health protection
as well as economic redevelopment serving as fun-
damental parts of the plan. Highlights of Chicago's
brownfields redevelop-
ment program include:
Community Profile
Through its efforts to return the
city's abandoned or underused
properties to productive use, the
Chicago Brownfields Initiative has
leveraged $57.6 million fromfederal
and other sources. There are 26
sites currently targeted underthe
Initiative.
Chicago, Illinois
• Removing the
"Kildare Mountain,"
600,000 cubic yards of
illegally dumped solid
waste from an 18-acre
site that is now being
cleaned up prior to
redevelopment;
• Utilizing a $2 million
general obligation bond
to redevelop five sites and leverage a $54 million loan
guarantee from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development, along with $1.6 million from
other sources for additional brownfields programs;
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• Identifying 22 "Model Industrial Corridors" that
have been or will be designated tax increment
financing districts to encourage further private
investment; and
• Redeveloping numerous brownfields sites that has
led to job creation or retention. Some examples
include the Verson Steel site, where 125 jobs were
created and 500 were retained; the Scott Peterson
site, where 100 jobs were created and 250 were
retained; the Blackstone Manufacturing site, where
100 jobs were created and 200 were retained; the
Chicago Turnrite site, where 14 jobs were created
and 50 were retained; and the Chicago Dryer site,
where 7 jobs were created and 150 were retained.
Chicago has been designated an Environmental Pro-
tection Agency Brownfields Assessment Demon-
stration Pilot; a Department of Housing and a Ur-
ban Development Empowerment Zone; and State
of Illinois Enterprise Community. Partnerships have
also been formed with the Metropolitan Planning
Council and the Northern Illinois Planning Commis-
sion.
Chicago has also established partnerships with com-
munity, civic, and business organizations; develop-
ers; lenders; educational institutions; employment
training organizations; and neighborhood associa-
tions. The Chicago Association of Neighborhood
Development Organizations (CANDO) has devel-
oped a program that covers real estate marketing,
environmental investigation and cleanup, and financ-
ing and development opportunities. CANDO has
also established a Brownfields Institute to educate
community development organizations about
brownfields issues and opportunities.
SHOWCASE COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES AND
PLANNED ACTIVITIES
Chicago will continue to be a national model as a
Showcase Community, working with federal agency
partners to enhance brownfields redevelopment and
develop public policies that encourage responsible land
use. A 1995 study by the University of Illinois at
Chicago concluded that urban core development was
a more cost effective and equitable route than
greenfields development and its resulting sprawl.
Chicago will build on the strength of past activities
and its established local, regional, state, and federal
partnerships. Proposed new partnerships include
DePaul University and the mayor's office, both for
employment opportunities and job training. The city
will also experiment with the use of project manage-
ment and geographical information software to
streamline projects.
Contacts
Department of Environment
City of Chicago
(312)744-9139
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 5
(312)886-5867
For more information on the Brownfields Showcase Communities,
visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/showcase.htm
Brownfields Showcase Community
November 1998
Chicago, Illinois
EPA 500-F-98-254
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