United States
                  Environmental
                  Protection Agency
                  Washington, D.C.  20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response  (5101)
 EPA500-F-99-052
 May 1999
 www.epa.gov/brownfields/
 >>EPA   Brownfields  Cleanup
                  Revolving  Loan  Fund   Pilot
                                                                      Austin, TX
 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 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 forthe 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

Austin, Texas has several properties once utilized by
commercial/industrial enterprises and potentially
contaminated with hazardous waste. The target area
forthe Austin BCRLF lies east of Interstate Highway
35, and has apoverty rate of 30 percent, almost twice
Austin's overall rate. While 16 percent of the City's
total population live in east central Austin, 46 percent
ofthe total African-American population and 29 percent
of the total Hispanic population resides there. Census
projections indicate that the population of Austin
increased 23 percent in the last seven years. Much of
this growth has taken plan in the northern and southern
sectors ofthe City. Commercial expansion; however,
has been minimal in the  east  Austin area and
redevelopment has avoided existing brownfields sites.
Austin is a Brownfields Assessment Pilot.

BCRLF OBJECTIVES

The Austin BCRLF will fill in funding gaps and further
the City's goal of providing tools and incentives which
encourage  private investment  in brownfields
redevelopment. Two majortypes of borrowers will be
sought: developers willing to invest venture capital but
with limited funds for cleanup, and small or minority
business developers or owners who needmore guidance
 PILOT SNAPSHOT
   Austin, Texas
 Contacts:
 Director,
 Solid Waste Services
 (512) 499-2250
  Date of Announcement:
  May 25,1999

  Amount:  $500,000

  BCRLF Target Area:
  Area east of  Interstate
  Highway 35 in the City of
  Austin
Region 6 Brownfields
Coordinator
(214) 665-6736
      Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
    www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.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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or assistance. Initially, the BCRLF willtargetthree sites
in East Austin for cleanup and redevelopment. The
three identified sites include the Brinkley-Andersen
site which will be redeveloped into youth soccer fields,
the Grove site where a running track and training
facilities will be established, and the Turner site which
will be cleaned up and redeveloped into a mixed-use
project.

FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS

The City of Austin will serve as the lead agency and the
City's Solid  Waste Services  and Public Works
Departments will fulfill the duties of site manager. The
City will use its Brownfields Program Manager as the
fund manager for the B CRLF. The maximum loan size
is expected to be $ 100,000, and will be used as start-
up funds for large site remediation efforts. Borrowers
will be required to purchase cleanup cost cap or third-
party liability protection environmental insurance.

LEVERAGING

The City of Austin will provide staff resources as an
in-kind contribution. Lending institutions, non-profit
development corporations, and the Small Business
Administration will work with the BCRLF to provide
complementary real estate, minority training, and
business start-up loans.  Potential sources of other
funds  include  the  Neighborhood Housing and
Community Development Office, the Planning
Environmental and Conservation Services Department,
the  Infill/Redevelopment Ordinance  Amendment,
Texas' tax incentive program, Austin's Remediation
Fund, and Community Development Block Grants.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding
also apply to BCRLF funds.
 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot                                             Austin, Texas
 May 1999                                                                      EPA 500-F-99-052

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