United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-117
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Phillipsburg, NJ
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 brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
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 has selected the Town of Phillipsburg for a
Brownfields Pilot. Phillipsburg (population 16,062),
located in the northwest corner of New Jersey, is
bordered to the north and east by Lopatcong Township,
to the south by Pohatcong Township, and to the west
by the Delaware River. The town is linked to New
York City and Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley by an
extensive network of highways and railroads, and
over time developed into a manufacturing center
dominated by three large companies each involved in
chemical or manufacturing.
When these three companies sharply curtailed or
even closed their operations, they sent ripples through
the rest of Phillipsburg's economy. For example, on
South Main Street in the heart of the downtown area,
the commercial space vacancy rate is more than 22
percent. The glut of vacancies have caused real
estate values to fall, creating a cycle in which
deteriorating properties in one area drive business
away, which in turn furthers the town's decline.
Several brownfields resulting from this economic
decline pose a barrier to revitalizing the town's
redevelopment zones, which will be targeted by the
Pilot.
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Contacts:
Town of Phillipsburg
(908) 454-5500
Date of Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
brownfields in the South Main
Street downtown area, the
center of the town's
redevelopment zone and the
state designated urban
enterprise zone.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 2
(212)637-4314
Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/r02earth/superfnd/brownfld/bfmainpg.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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OBJECTIVES
The Pilot's objective is to remove the taint of
environmental uncertainty from brownfields sites
within Phillipsburg, thereby encouraging the cleanup
and redevelopment of those sites. This in turn will
complement the town's comprehensive plan, which
aims to increase property values, fill vacant houses
and commercial buildings, and revitalize the downtown
area. Phillipsburg's overall goal is to revive the
historic legacy and image of the town by diversifying
the economy and improving its recreational and tourism
attractions.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Developing an inventory of known and suspected
brownfields sites in the town's redevelopment zone;
• Performing environmental assessments at the priority
sites;
• Developing cleanup plans for priority sites, which
will be linked to the town's redevelopment strategy;
and
• Conducting community outreach and education
regarding the sites.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Phillipsburg, New Jersey
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-117
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