United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-263
November 1998
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
&EPA
Brownfields Showcase
Community
State of Rhode Island/Providence
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.
Community Profile
BACKGROUND
The Brownfields National Partnership has selected
the State of Rhode Island/Providence as a
Brownfields Showcase Community. Rhode Island's
Woonasquatucket River Greenway project is an ur-
ban revitalization effort to restore greenspace and
stimulate economic investment along the river. Two
sites located within the Greenway project are tar-
geted by the EPA Brownfields Pilot, which is man-
aged by the Rhode Is-
land Department of
Environmental Man-
agement (RIDEM).
The first, the six-acre
Riverside Mills site,
lies at the heart of one
of the most distressed
neighborhoods in
Providence, where
35% of families live in
poverty. In 1989,afire
destroyed all but one
office building on the property. The site has also
been plagued by illegal dumping.
The second site, the nine-acre Lincoln Lace and Braid
property, is adjacent to residential neighborhoods and
the 18-acre Merino Park, which closed ten years ago.
Nearly 50% of neighboring residents are impoverished.
Contamination on this property has spread to the river,
and cleanup of the site is necessary to ensure that no
further toxins are released into the water.
Restoring these two sites is also essential to the eco-
nomic recovery of their adjacent neighborhoods.
CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Sfafe of Rhode Island/
Providence
In 1996, RIDEM re-
ceived a $200,000
Brownfields Pilot grant
from EPA to identify
brownfields in the rede-
velopment area, and to
conduct assessments at
selected sites. Approxi-
mately $7.3 million has
been leveraged for the
design and development
of the project, which
has a total estimate of $10 million. Highlights of the
Greenway Project's redevelopment efforts include:
• Matching the EPA Pilot grant with $210,000 in state
funding;
Rhode Island's Greenway Project
plans to restore greenspace and
stimulate economic reinvestment
along the Woonasquatucket River
Corridor. $4.3 million has been
leveraged from the City of
Providence and the state for this
project, which will create a 4.4-mile
greenway and bike path along the
river.
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Identifying 15 brownfields sites within the Greenway
Project area;
Completing environmental assessments at both the
Riverside Mills and Lincoln Lace and Braid sites;
Completing a cleanup evaluation report for the
Riverside Mills site (cleanup costs are estimated at
$1.4 million), and drafting a second report for the
Lincoln Lace and Braid property (cleanup costs
are estimated at $ 1 million);
Receiving a $3 million commitment from the City of
Providence for the Greenway Project;
Removing all of the solid waste found on the
Riverside Mills site, and demolishing and removing
all of the abandoned structures on the Lincoln Lace
and Braid property;
Securing $1.3 million from the Rhode Island
Department of Transportation to design and
construct a bicycle path that will traverse both site s
and link the project area to Waterplace Park;
Receiving a $3 million commitment from
Providence's mayor and city council, for park and
greenspace improvements; and
Conducting outreach efforts to schools and
community centers, enabling more than 300 students
to tour the entire Woonasquatucket River
Watershed area.
SHOWCASE COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES AND
PLANNED ACTIVITIES
Rhode Island plans to use the Showcase Communi-
ties project to support the state's plan to return the
Riverside Mills and Lincoln Lace and Braid sites to
beneficial use, revitalize distressed areas along the
river, and restore pride and well-being to disadvan-
taged neighborhoods. The cleanup and redevelop-
ment of these two priority sites will likely lead to ad-
ditional cleanup and redevelopment, while generating
interest from private developers that will lead to new
employment opportunities. The Greenway Project
plans to create a 28,000 square-foot parcel on the
Riverside Mills site, as well as a 43,000 square-foot
parcel for commercial and/or light industrial devel-
opment. This site could eventually create up to 100
new jobs. Ultimately, this ecosystem-based project
will restore wetlands and greenspaces, and create a
new, 4.4-mile greenway along the Woonasquatucket
River.
Contacts
Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management
(401)222-2797
Department of Planning and
Development
City of Providence
(401)351-4300x-515
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA- Region 1
(617)573-9681
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
State of Rhode Island/Providence
EPA 500-F-98-263
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