United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-97-040
May 1997
&EPA
National Brownfields
Assessment Pilot
West Central Municipal
Conference, IL
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. Between 1995 and 1996, EPA funded 76 National and Regional Brownfields
Assessment Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields
solutions. EPAis funding morethan 27 Pilots in 1997. 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 selected the West Central Municipal Conference
(WCMC) for a Brownfields Pilot. The WCMC is a
regional group of 36 municipalities representing over
520,000 people and covering approximately 200
square miles in suburban Cook County, Illinois. The
WCMC communities are mature "inner ring" suburbs
that have recently experienced a steady loss of jobs
and population as businesses have relocated to
"greenfields" sites in more rural areas. Left behind
are an increasing number of abandoned and under-
used industrial sites, many of which are contaminated
with hazardous substances.
OBJECTIVES
The main focus of the WCMC Pilot is to develop a
regional approach to facilitating redevelopment of
brownfields for which WCMC is responsible, and
thereby help mayors and economic development
officials understand and overcome the concerns of
prospective developers and neighboring communi-
ties. The concerns which need to be addressed
include potential liability, site investigation costs,
cleanup costs, and lack of available financing. The
WCMC and its related economic development agency
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Cook County, Illinois
Date of Award:
September 1995
Amount: $200,000
Site Profile: The Pilot
targets two privately-
owned and two publicly-
owned brownfields within
the 200-square mile
WCMC in suburban Cook
County.
Contacts:
Steve Colantino
Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency
(217)785-3497
James A. Janseen
Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency
(708) 338-7900
David Bennett
WCMC
(708)450-0100
Bill Haubold
U.S. EPA-Region 5
(312)353-6261
haubold.william@
epamail.epa.gov
Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
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hope to stimulate private investment and the creation
of jobs; revitalize the industrial and commercial
sectors; and strengthen the local tax base.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The Pilot has:
• Created a "Rapid Response Team," comprised of
experts in legal and environmental issues, real es-
tate, community involvement and regulatory re-
quirements, to provide timely expertise and guid-
ance to property owners, developers, real estate
brokers, communities, and municipal officials on
brownfields redevelopment;
• Initiated the site selection process. The WCMC is
receiving and reviewing applications from local
municipalities and private property owners;
• Developed a portable display to keep the general
public up-to-date on the process of brownfields
remediation. This six panel, multi-color display is
designed to be exhibited in village halls, libraries,
and at civic events. The Villages of Stickney and
LaGrange have hosted the display; and
• Developed an outreach program targeting munici-
palities, businesses, civic groups, and community
groups.
The Pilot is:
• Supporting the redevelopment of at least two pri-
vately-owned and two publicly-owned brownfields,
which will include identifying candidate sites, per-
forming site assessments, and determining cleanup
cost estimates and standards targeted at likely future
land use;
• Establishing a Brownfields Prevention Program to
identify ongoing industrial activities that pose a risk
of creating new brownfields and to develop a strat-
egy for strengthening community-municipal-indus-
try partnershipsto encourage environmentally sound
community development; and
• Investigating alternative financing mechanisms to
fund cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields
sites - specifically, alternative sources of public
sector financing to identify the methods which hold
promise for future site cleanups, including Commu-
nity Development Block Grant Program, Empow-
erment Zones and Tax Increment Financing.
LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES
Experience with the West Central Municipal Confer-
ence Pilot has been a catalyst for related activities
including the following.
• Discussions with area lending institutions to de-
velop a revolving loan pool are currently in the
preliminary stages. Funds would be made available
forthe remediation and redevelopment ofbrownfield
properties.
• In June 1996, the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency (IEPA) offered the use of their Redevelop-
ment Assessment program, at no cost, to perform
abbreviated Phase I and II environmental assess-
ments. EPA Region 5 used their Mobile Laboratory
to conduct limited surface soil analysis to determine
possible environmental problems.
• The Department of Commerce outlined a number of
grants that municipalities can use forthe cleanup of
brownfield properties. Through the Economic De-
velopment Administration's Technical Assistance
Program, funds are available for inventorying po-
tential sites, market analysis, and Phase I Assess-
ments.
• A meeting took place between the Illinois Develop-
ment Finance Authority, members of the West Cook
Community Development Corporation, and the
Rockford Council of 100 to learn about funding a
project underway in Rockford. Currently the West
Cook Community Development Corporation's Fi-
nance Committee is reviewing the Rockford plan.
• Participated in the Triton Community College Na-
tional Community Education Day. The WCMC
made its outreach materials available to the over a
hundred community leaders, public officials, and
concerned residents attending the conference.
National Brownfields Assessment Pilot
May 1997
West Central Municipal Conference, Illinois
EPA 500-F-97-040
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