&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-98-178
July 1998
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Atlantic City, NJ
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 Atlantic City for a Brownfields
Pilot. Atlantic City (population 38,000) is located in
southern New Jersey on Absecon Island, a barrier
island off the Atlantic Coast. Fisheries, glass and
candy manufacturing, and resort tourism used to be
the staples of Atlantic City's economy. Overfishing,
a decline in manufacturing in the 1960s, and
competition from other beach resorts have contributed
to the City's economic decline. In 1976, New Jersey
voters approved casino gambling, and the first Atlantic
City casino opened in 1978. Despite development
along the beach and the popularity of 13 casino-
hotels, Atlantic City still has many abandoned
industrial sites that hinder redevelopment of its
downtown. Unemployment is at 12% and the poverty
rate is 24%. African-American and Hispanic residents
comprise 67% of the City's population.
In 1997, the Atlantic City Department of Engineering
identified seven abandoned downtown brownfields
with historic industrial uses. The Pilot will target
three of these sites. Selection of the three sites will
be made by a Brownfields Task Force, which will be
formed during the Pilot project to guide outreach
activities and redevelopment planning. The Task
Force will include representatives from
neighborhoods in four of the City's six wards, local
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Date of Announcement:
July 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot will
target three former
industrial sites in
disadvantaged
neighborhoods in the
City's downtown area.
Contacts:
Department of Planning and
Development
Atlantic City
(609) 347-5405
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 2
(212)637-4314
Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/r02earth/superfnd/brownfld/bfmainpg.htm
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Browrrfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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governments, technical experts, and other special
interest groups.
OBJECTIVES
Atlantic City's objective is to stimulate the local
economy by revitalizing distressed properties and
returning them to their former level of prosperity. To
aid in this effort, the Pilot will establish a Brownfields
Task Force to identify and prioritize brownfields,
evaluate cleanup and redevelopment alternatives,
perform preliminary site assessments, and conduct
community outreach activities. The Pilot will also
aid in the identification of additional funds for
assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment through
several State programs and the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Establishing the Brownfields Task Force;
• Preparing outreach materials and conducting
community outreach activities;
• Conducting environmental site assessments; and
• Preparing cleanup and redevelopment plans,
including developing financing strategies and reuse
concepts.
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 Atlantic City, New Jersey
July 1998 EPA500-F-98-178
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