United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105) EPA 500-F-00-258 December 2000 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ &EPA Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot New Haven, CT Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105) 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 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. BACKGROUND EPA selected the City ofNew Haven for a Brownfields Pilot. New Haven (population 130,474) contains approximately 130 acres of industrial land with known or suspected contamination that are occupied by outmoded or abandoned factories. A recent study showed that 22 of these properties, representing 82 acres, would be suitable for redevelopment if site cleanup were achieved. The brownfields hinder the city from generating property tax revenue, creating jobs for residents of the federally designated Enterprise Community, mitigating environmental health risks, and abating crime and drug abuse. More than 1,000 jobs andmillions of dollars in new property taxes could be generated from redevelopment of high-priority brownfields. OBJECTIVES New Haven's overall vision for its brownfields program includes assessing and planning the cleanup of contaminated sites, encouraging economic development and job creation, maintaining and augmenting the city's tax base, collecting delinquent taxes, alleviating blight, and improving security in the city. The Pilotwill assist with this vision by helpingto develop cleanup plans, determining whether buildings PILOTSNAPSHOT New Haven, Connecticut Date of Announcement: September 1996 Amount: $267,000 Profile: The Pilot targets six brownfields sites on former industrial land occupied by outmoded or abandoned factories. Contacts: Office of Business Development (203)946-5889 U.S. EPA - Region 1 (617)918-1210 Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/brnfld/ 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/ ------- should be demolished or renovated, and allowing the city to work with local business and financial communities to promote brownfields redevelopment. ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES The Pilot has: • Created an inventory of 12 properties and targeted six (Hamilton Street, Winchester Avenue, Spring Street, Dixwell Avenue, Grand Avenue, and Truman); • Completed a Phase II assessment at the 2-acre, 133 Hamilton Street site; • Conducted a lead paint and asbestos investigation at the 11-acre, 1 million square-foot Winchester Avenue facility; and • Begun environmental assessments at the Spring Street and Dixwell Street properties. The Pilot is: • Continuing to prioritize brownfields throughout the city for site assessment and identifying potential developers to assist in prioritization; • Addressingpropertytransferissues so that concerns aboutmunicipal and developer liability do not impede reuse; and • Determining whether additional brownfields sites require cleanup, determining the extent of cleanup needed, and calculating demolition and/or renovation costs. LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES Experience with the New Haven Pilot has been a catalyst for related activities, including the following: • Phase I and II environmental assessments, as well as a lead and asbestos investigation, were completed forthe Truman Street site using city and state funds. • The Truman Street site has been cleaned up and redeveloped into amixed retail business. Ten retail jobs have been created. • Environmental assessment was completed at the Grand Avenue site with $35-40,000 of city and state funds. • Asbestos and lead paint cleanup of the Winchester Avenue site was completed using $5 million in state funds. In addition, the current property owner paid for subsurface cleanup of the site. • Atotal of $7,665,000 in cleanup funding and $200,000 in redevelopment funding has been leveraged. • In 1999, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awardedNew Haven $1.49 million in Brownfields Economic Development Initiative funding to redevelop the former New Haven Clock Company site on Hamilton Street ($490,000 in grant funding and $1 million in loan guarantees). HUD funds will be used for cleanup of the site, partial building demolition, site preparation, and construction of a 30,000 square-foot addition to Palmieri Food Products, Inc., an adjacent food manufacturing company. Palmieri Food Products will spend $200,000 to equip the additional plant space. This project will result in the retention of 25 jobs and the creation of another 20 jobs. Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot December 2000 New Haven, Connecticut EPA 500-F-00-258 ------- |