Brownfields 2000 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
Opa-locka, FL
EPA Brownfields Initiative
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into
law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA
provides financial assistance to eligible applicants
through four competitive grant programs: assessment
grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and
job training grants. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through a
separate mechanism.
Background
EPA has selected the City of Opa-locka for a
Brownfields Pilot. Opa-locka was also selected to receive
additional funding for assessments at brownfields
properties to be used for greenspace purposes. Opa-locka
(population 16,000) is 4.5 square miles and located in the
Miami-Bade County Enterprise Zone. The city is
composed of a 70 percent African American and 27
percent Caucasian/Hispanic population, and the mean
annual income is $15,099-the lowest in the county.
Opa-locka is located minutes away from Miami
International Airport, providing an opportunity for trade
and commerce and attracting interested developers.
However, the types of businesses that have flourished in
Opa-locka have typically included automobile junkyards
and scrap metal and demolition debris recovery facilities,
creating environmental concerns and preventing
increased growth of other businesses and industries. The
city has been designated a "Front Porch Community" by
the governor of Florida for recent revitalization efforts,
but perceived and real contamination continue to pose
barriers to its redevelopment
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 05/01/2000
Amount: $200,000
$50,000 for Greenspace
Profile: The Pilot targets the maximum number of
brownfields sites in the brownfields redevelopment
area for assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment.
The Pilot will also use additional greenspace funding
to perform assessments and develop cleanup and
redevelopment plans to restore a potentially
contaminated lot into a recreational park.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit the
EPA Brownfields Web site
(http ://www .epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 4 Brownfields Team
(404) 562-8792
EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf)
Grant Recipient: Opa-locka, FL
(305)953-2828
Objectives
The Pilot plans to conduct environmental assessments in
the city's Brownfield Economic Redevelopment Area,
which has been designated by the City Commission.
The city has identified and categorized 23 potential
brownfields sites in this area into high, medium, and
low priority. The Pilot will conduct the maximum
number of assessments at the high- and medium-priority
sites in this area. The city seeks to spur economic
development by cleaning up and redeveloping
brownfields sites within the city limits. Ultimately, the
Pilot will contribute to the city's overall goal to
redevelop its brownfields in a way that is consistent with
community involvement and input, the City
Comprehensive Master Plan, and zoning.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-00-111
May 00
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The greenspace component involves a 4.5-acre,
abandoned site in the Nile Garden section of Opa-locka.
The site is surrounded by residences, offices, and
educational and religious centers and was formerly a
commercial nursery. The Pilot plans to work with the
community to redevelop the property into a recreational
park with basketball courts and a soccer field. A Phase I
assessment previously conducted at the site indicates
that hazardous materials-such as herbicides and
pesticides-may be present onsite. The greenspace
funding will provide for a Phase II assessment and,
depending upon the results, may be used for
redevelopment planning and geographic information
system (GIS) simulation.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting Phase I and Phase II Assessments at
a maximum number of selected potential
brownfields sites within the designated
brownfields redevelopment area;
• Developing plans for cleanup and
redevelopment;
• Conducting community involvement activities
such as implementing programs, developing
media outlets, and producing newsletters, videos,
and a web site;
• Maintaining and updating the brownfields GIS
database and providing comprehensive
information to stakeholders using GIS; and
• Using greenspace funding to conduct a Phase II
Assessment, cleanup and recreational planning,
and GIS simulation.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet
been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change.
The information presented in this fact sheet comes from
the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of
this information. The cooperative agreement for the
grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities
described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-00-111
May 00
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