Brownfields 2000 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
Fort Collins, CO
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 Fort Collins for a
Brownfields Pilot. Fort Collins was also selected to
receive additional funding for assessments at
Brownfields properties to be used for greenspace
purposes. The City of Fort Collins is situated at the
eastern base of the "Front Range" of the Rocky
Mountains. The Cache la Poudre River flows through the
city, providing agricultural and recreational benefits to
residents throughout the region. Fort Collins was
founded as a military fort in 1864. This original fort site
in the Downtown River Corridor and the adjacent
historic district known as "Old Town" comprise a
nationally designated historic district. The city's
downtown area and the Old Town area are prosperous
with revitalized retail stores and restaurants. The
Downtown River Corridor, however, is experiencing a
decline in environmental conditions, economic health,
and the conditions of building facades and structures.
Further, known environmental problems and the specter
of unknown conditions create a stigma that discourages
reinvestment and integration with the nearby downtown
core. The Poudre River itself has been degraded by the
dumping of debris along the banks and in the river bed.
Environmental barriers to redevelopment in the Corridor,
including those posed by contamination, must be
addressed before redevelopment can occur and generate
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 05/01/2000
Amount: $200,000
$50,000 for Greenspace
Profile: The Fort Collins Pilot will target
brownfields sites in the Downtown River Corridor.
Additional greenspace funding will be used to assess
and address environmental conditions along the
riverbanks and riparian environments along the
Cache la Poudre River.
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 8 Brownfields Team
(303)312-7074
EPA Region 8 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region8/brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Fort Collins, CO
(970)221-6505
Objectives
The city plans to use the Pilot to help recover and
preserve the Downtown River Corridor as a community
asset. The Pilot will facilitate the environmental cleanup
and redevelopment of the area that is needed to
stimulate the economy of the Corridor. Redevelopment
of the Corridor will protect and restore the quality of the
natural environment, improve the quality of life for the
community, and preserve the history and culture of the
area for future generations. For example, the city will
reuse historical buildings wherever possible to preserve
cultural elements and conserve the use of building
materials.
The Pilot will use the greenspace funding to assess and
address environmental conditions along the riverbanks
and riparian environments of the Poudre River. The
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-00-091
May 00
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the necessary tax base to support further community mnam§ wm De usea lo conaucl assessment activities
revitalization necessary to restore riverbank habitats, preserve riparian
land and greenways along the riverbanks, and to
reestablish the riverside trail through downtown as a
positive, natural experience for the community.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
Conducting a Corridor-wide Phase I
environmental assessment;
Conducting Phase II assessments at sites targeted
through the Phase I process;
Developing cleanup and redevelopment plans for
targeted brownfields in the Corridor;
Developing and implementing a community
outreach program by holding meetings, sending
out newsletters, and implementing other
techniques to involve the residents;
Using greenspace funding to conduct Phase I site
assessments; and
Using greenspace funding to conduct targeted
Phase II site assessments at sites targeted through
the Phase I site assessments.
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 00
Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (bl Ob I)
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