Brownfields 2002 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
City of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
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 Nashville and Davidson
County for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot. Nashville
(population 574,739), which is the state capital, is
located on the Cumberland River in central Tennessee.
The city and county consolidated to form one of the
nation's first metropolitan government organizations.
This Pilot targets industrial and commercial properties
along Nashville's waterfront where several prime lots are
vacant or underused. Most of these properties are
suspected of having environmental contamination from
historical uses such as steel and scrap metal recycling,
meat packing, packaging, and other heavy industrial
operations.
The pollution, blight, and disinvestment associated with
properties along the riverfront have discouraged
redevelopment and contributed to the decline of nearby
neighborhoods. Fifty-nine percent of the 12,990 residents
in the Pilot area live in poverty, compared with eight
percent for the city. Unemployment is 18 percent
compared to five percent city wide, and the Pilot area
population is 72 percent minority compared to about 30
percent for the city.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 05/01/2002
Amount: $200,000
Profile: City of Nashville and Davidson County,
Tennessee. The Pilot targets brownfields near
low-income, high minority inner city neighborhoods
along the waterfront in downtown Nashville.
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: Metropolitan Development and
Housing Agency,TN
(615)252-8410
Objectives
Nashville and Davidson County's overall objective is to
implement and institutionalize a brownfields program to
clean up pollution caused by contaminated properties
along the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville.
The redevelopment of brownfields is expected to
revitalize the area economically and improve the quality
of life in adversely affected neighborhoods. The Pilot
will facilitate the identification and assessment of
priority sites, create partnerships with citizens and
private owners, and help leverage other funding and
assistance.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Identifying and prioritizing potential brownfield
sites along the waterfront;
• Conducting Phase I environmental assessments
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-02-052
May 02
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on all potential brownfields sites in the project
area;
• Conducting three to five Phase II environmental
assessments on high priority sites;
• Developing cleanup plans; and
• Involving the communities affected by the sites
in decision making.
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 Q ., . ,A/__t,.
Environmental andldEmSency EPA *******
Protection Agency ResDonse(51oVn May 02
Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (bl Ob I)
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