Brownfields 2000 Revolving Loan Fund Pilot 9& % Fact Sheet Hillsborough County, 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 Hillsborough County's Urban Development Area occupies approximately 18,000 acres. The area is characterized by a mix of commercial and industrial land with some residential development. It is comprised of three areas: the Orient/Eastlake Brownfields Assessment Pilot Area (OEA); the University of South Florida Community Development Block Grant Target Area (USFTA); and the Causeway Community Development Block Grant Target Area (CTA). Historically a manufacturing center, the Orient/Eastlake Brownfields Assessment Pilot Area now contains some of the oldest derelict and abandoned industrial/commercial properties. Approximately 13 percent of the Orient/Eastlake community live below the poverty level. OEA is a Community Development Block Grant target neighborhood. Hillsborough County is a Brownfields Assessment Pilot. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 05/01/2000 Amount: $500,000 Profile: Urban Development Area including: Orient/Eastlake Brownfields Assessment Pilot area; University of South Florida CDBG Target Area; and Causeway CDBG Target Area 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: Hillsborough County,FL (813)276-8343 Objectives The Hillsborough BCRLF Pilot will be used to test methods for targeting market-ready sites in the County's Urban Development Area including OEA, USFTA, and CTA. The County hopes make loans to clean up at least four sites under the BCRLF program. A Brownfields Bill of Rights outlining community involvement in cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields also will be a part of the Hillsborough BCRLF. Activities Fund Structure and Operations The lead agency will be Hillsborough County. The County will designate the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County to fulfill site management responsibilities and will select a local commercial lender to serve as fund manager. Hillsborough County proposes to limit loan amounts to approximately $100,000 to ensure that at least four loans United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA500-F-00-166 May 00 ------- are provided during the initial lending period. The Hillsborough County BCRLF may be leveraged with financial incentives available through Hillsborough County's CDBG program. The County also will consider using the State of Florida Brownfields Area Loan Guarantee Program. Hillsborough County also has provided an additional leveraging tool by waiving impact fees for development activities within the CDBG Target Areas. Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding also apply to BCRLF funds. 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) EPA500-F-00-166 May 00 ------- |