u o Brownfields Supplemental Assistance City of West Hollywood, CA BACKGROUND EPA awarded the City of West Hollywood supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot and additional funding for assessments atbrownfields properties to be used for greenspace purposes. West Hollywood's East Side (population 10,500) is home to several industrial sites. The majority of East Side residents are minorities. A growing number of immigrants with very low incomes and limited Englishlanguage skills are locating in the area. More than 31 percent of East Side households earn incomes below the poverty level. The original Pilot targeted the seven-acre La Brea Gateway area in the East Side and conducted several Phase I and II environmental assessments in collaboration with property owners, local residents, and developers. The city also identified possible cleanup funding mechanisms for some of the contaminated sites. Supplemental funds are needed to assess East Side sites targeted as a result of a 2001 zoning ordinance to improve the environmental quality of life in the East Side. The ordinance affects nine vehicle repair shops. The shops will have to undergo substantial changes by 2004. Shops that do not comply with the ordinance will need environmental assessments in preparation for redevelopment. OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES The city's planned use of the supplemental assistance is similar to the city' s plans for the original Pilot, which were to bring together community groups, developers, and financial institutions to assess contamination onproperties with potential environmental problems; explore cleanup options; and promote redevelopment. The city already is exploring possible public-private development ventures with the property owners of the vehicle repair shops targeted for the supplemental funds. The city is prepared to acquire some of the target properties, if necessary. PILOT SNAPSHOT City of West Hollywood, California Date of Announcement: May 2002 Amount: $150,000 Greenspace: $50,000 Profile: The Pilot targets nine vehicle repair shops in the city's East Side, which has a high poverty rate and minority population. Greenspace funding will be used to help expand the East Side's only park area. Contacts: City of West Hollywood (323)848-6418 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA Region 9 (415)972-3249 Visit the E PA Region 9 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/regon09/waste/brown/index.html Forfurtherinformation,includingspecific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields Greenspace funding will be used to assess Plummer Park in order to expand the area's only park and add greenspace to the East Side. Park and recreational areas in the targeted East Side is inadequate for the population density compared to county and state standards. Greenspace funding will be used to perform Phase I and if necessary Phase II environmental assessments. The city intends to involve the community and other stakeholders in the greenspace planning. ------- Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Conducting Phase I environmental assessments on the targeted vehicle repair sites; • Developing Phase II environmental assessment plans as necessary; • Preparing preliminary cleanup strategies for selected properties as needed; and • Involving residents, property owners, and the business community in outreach and reuse planning. ThecooperativeagreementforthisPilothasnotyetbeennegotiated;therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Solid Waste EPA 500-F-02-113 and Emergency May 2002 Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- |