United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-99-068
May 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
>>EPA Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Escambia County, FL
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
The Palofax Corridor, within both the City of Pensacola
and Escambia County, Florida, is the areatargeted for
the Escambia County BCRLF pilot. The area is a
predominantly low income, minority neighborhood
which has been adversely affected by blight and
brownfields. The area consists of properties historically
zoned industrial and commercial, with residential areas
interspersed. Target areas include former industrial
property, railroad tracks, and unused and crumbling
warehouses. This land is close to downtown and the
major east-west connector route. It is served by CSX
Railroad, with its loading yard, and is close to the
Pensacola Regional Airport and the Port of Pensacola.
In July 1998, Escambia County was selected as a
Brownfield Assessment Pilot.
BCRLF OBJECTIVES
The goals of the Escambia BCRLF are to enhance and
encourage brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.
The Pilot focus is on the Palofax Corridor and its
revitalization as a commercial, light industry, and/or
commercial center. Since funding support is already
in place for site identification, assessment, and
community outreach, the BCRLF's low-cost loans are
a needed source of funding for remediation. It is
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Escambia County, Florida
Date of Announcement:
May 25,1999
Amount: $500,000
BCRLF Target Area:
Palofax Corridor, a lowincome
minority area with former
industrial property, railroad
tracks, and unused/crumbling
warehouses, located within
both the City of Pensacola and
Escambia County, Florida
Region 4 Brownfields
Coordinator
(404) 562-8661
Contacts:
Director, Neighborhood and
Environmental Services
Department
(850) 595-3496
Visit the EPA Region 4 Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/region4/wastepgs/brownfpgs/bf.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/
-------
anticipated that BCRLF loans will be made to small
businesses.
FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS
The County's Neighborhood and Environmental
Services Department will serve as the lead agency and
the County's Health Department will serve as
brownfields site manager. Community Equity
Investments, Inc. (CEII), a not-for-profit community
development corporation that is an expert in the field
of small business lending and certified by the US
Treasury Department as a Community Development
Financial Institution, will serve as the fund manager. It
is anticipated that loans will be made to small businesses
in the $30,000 to $100,000 range.
LEVERAGING
As fund manager, CEII will house the B CRLF with its
other loan programs to ensure coordination among
various sources of small business debt capital. CEII's
network of contacts with area banks ensures that
conventional sources of debt capital could be quickly
broughtto bear in meeting BCRLF borrowers' credit
needs. Escambia County will provide tax increment
financing for direct financial input into the targeted
redevelopment areas. Other leveraging efforts may
include lien relief on delinquentproperties, title clearing
assistance, coordinated community redevelopment
initiatives such as infrastructure upgrades and
installation, fast trackpermitting,tailoredassessment
and cleanup programs, remedial technology and cost
benefit analysis, and process guidance. In addition to
direct lending, BCRLF funds also may be made
available to guarantee loans made by private institutions.
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 Escambia County, Florida
May 1999 EPA 500-F-99-068
------- |