United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-97-137
April 1997
National Brownfields
Assessment Pilot
Cook County, 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.
OVERVIEW
EPA has selected Cook County, in partnership with
the City of Harvey, as a Brownfields Pilot. The
concentration of former industrial facilities that are
known or suspected to be contaminated, as well as the
presence of landfills, have combined to create blighted
areas in Harvey. These areas are characterized by
deteriorating housing and infrastructure. In addition,
anumber of the properties are tax delinquent, resulting
in declining tax revenues and increasing municipal
tax rates to fund basic municipal services. The city is
struggling to revitalize its industrial and commercial
base, improve housing, and repair its aging
infrastructure. Seeking an innovative way to combat
these problems, the city joined four neighboring
suburban Chicago communities (Dixmoor, Ford
Heights, Phoenix, and Robbins) to form the South
Suburban Enterprise Communities (SSEC), which is
dedicated to the economic redevelopment of the area.
The SSEC was designated a federal Enterprise
Community in 1995.
The pilot site was selected by the SSEC. It is the
former Wyman-Gordon manufacturing facility, a 39-
acre parcel, in Harvey. The facility is one of many
known or suspected brownfields identified during a
survey conducted in 1991. Although developers have
expressed some interest in brownfields, such as the
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Cook County, Illinois
Date of Award:
April 1997
Amount: $200,000
Site Profile: The pilot site
is a former crankshaft
manufacturing facility
occupying approximately
39 acres in the City of
Harvey.
Contacts:
Gwendolyn D. demons
(312)443-4297
Mary Beth Tuohy
U.S. EPA-Region 5
(312)886-7596
tuohy.marybeth@
epamail.epa.gov
Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
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Wyman-Gordon manufacturing facility, redevelop-
ment within the SSEC has not occurred because of
concerns about contamination, liability, and unknown
remediation costs.
OBJECTIVES
Cook County's goals are to expand its economic
base, bring in new businesses, and create new jobs.
Redeveloping brownfields is a critical step toward
achieving these goals. The objectives of the pilot are
to conduct a site assessment of the Wyman-Gordon
manufacturing facility, involve the community and
other stakeholders in redevelopment planning, and
begin planning efforts to leverage funds for cleanup
through partnerships with developers and investors.
ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this pilot include:
• Completing a site assessment of the pilot site;
• Implementing community outreach and education
programs to involve the community and other
stakeholders in redevelopment planning;
• Planning outreach activities for cleanup and
redevelopment, including efforts to leverage
redevelopment incentive programs (e.g., the Cook
County No Cash Bid Program, the Tax Increment
Financing District Program, and tax incentives
offered through state and federal enterprise zone
programs); and
• Working with community colleges and employment
training organizations to link redevelopment of
brownfields with job training and business
opportunities.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact
sheet are subject to change.
National Brownfields Assessment Pilot Cook County, Illinois
April 1997 EPA 500-F-97-137
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