United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-134
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Raleigh, NC
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. 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 brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
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.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Raleigh for a Brownfields
Pilot. Raleigh (population 276,030) is the capital of
North Carolina and is part of the state's "Triangle,"
referring to the geographic triangle made by Raleigh,
Durham, and Chapel Hill. Although the economy is
primarily good in the Triangle, there are parts of
Raleigh that are less prosperous. The Garner Road
Industrial Area (population 4,657) has an
unemployment rate of 8.25 percent with a median
household income of $15,700, compared to $32,450
for all of Raleigh.
The 160-acre Garner Road Industrial Area is only
blocks away from downtown Raleigh, and supports
such uses as warehouses, body shops, metal and steel
operations, and oil and chemical distribution facilities,
all adj acent to residential neighborhoods. The proj ect
area is located in southeast Raleigh and suffers from
the stigma of real and perceived environmental
contamination. Over the past decade, news of a
contaminated groundwater plume in the area has left
many properties vacant or in disrepair, and the prospect
of attracting subsequent development difficult. The
proliferation of underused and vacant properties has
brought about loitering, littering, dumping, and criminal
activity, and has created a negative image of this area
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Raleigh, North Carolina
Contacts:
City of Raleigh
Planning Department
(919) 890-3664
Dateof Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
the 160-acre Garner Road
Industrial Area in southeast
Raleigh.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 4
(404) 562-8661
Visit the EPA Region 4 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region4/wastepgs/brownfpgs/bf.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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of Raleigh—which serves as a southern gateway into
the city—and four of its surrounding neighborhoods.
Neighborhood residents have asked the city to support
them in transforming this area back to an economic
and aesthetic asset for the city.
OBJECTIVES
Currently, Raleigh is investing in several redevelopment
projects in the area. The city is planning the restoration
of eight acres of wetlands and the construction of an
adj acent greenway (i. e., a biking and hiking trail), and
has also begun construction of $3.5 million in street
improvements along Garner Road. These
infrastructure improvements will provide support to
new businesses along the Garner Road corridor. The
Pilot will supplement these activities by targeting
privately owned properties in the Garner Road Area
for environmental assessment and providing assistance
in developing cleanup and redevelopment plans.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Identifying brownfields properties in the target area
with redevelopment potential;
• Performing Phase I and Phase II assessments on
selected sites;
• Soliciting community inputthrough outreach activities,
meetings, and educational opportunities;
• Preparing redevelopment plans for the proj ect area;
• Identifying opportunities for neighborhood aesthetic/
educational/safety improvements; and
• Assisting with site cleanup planning.
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 Raleigh, North Carolina
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-134
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