WILLOW PARK
                                                                                      at-a-glance
                                                                           Oakland, CA
                                                                 Revolving Loan Fund Grant
           Oakland, California Turns a Run-Down, Contaminated Area
                               into a Recreational Centerpiece
     ADDRESS:

     PROPERTY SIZE:
     FORMER USES:
     CURRENT USES:
I 368 Willow Street
West Oakland, CA 94607
0.94 acres
Scrap yard, park
Recreational Park
     EPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
     The City of Oakland used its $500,000 EPA
     Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund awarded
     in 2000 to loan $200,000 to the Oakland
     Redevelopment Agency.
               PROJECT PARTNERS:
               California Department of Parks and
               Recreation, National Park Service, Oakland
               Redevelopment Agency
For additional data and geographic informa-
tion for this and other Brownfields Grants,
please visit EPA's:
Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/enviro/html/
bms/bms_query.html
Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf
    PROJECT BACKGROUND:
    The 0.94-acre parcel of idle, contaminated land targeted by this project was once part of a thriving commercial,
    industrial, and residential area in West Oakland, California. Bustling with port and railroad activity, this area
    flourished from the late 1800s through the Second World War, when shipbuilding was in high demand. However,
    West Oakland suffered disinvestment and decline through the 1950s and 60s. A parcel of land used briefly as a
    scrap yard was turned into "Willow Park," a recreational area for the area's mostly minority residents, but the
    park fell into disrepair and became unusable. The park was fenced off in 2002 after assessments conducted by
    the City of Oakland discovered high concentrations of lead in the soil. The city used $200,000 of a $500,000 EPA
    RLF grant to remove this contamination, and formed valuable federal and state partnerships that helped to fund
    the park's restoration.
    KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
    •  The California Department of Toxic Substances Control issued a
       No Further Action  letter in June 2005 confirming that park soils
       are safe.
    •  The project leveraged more than  $1  million from state, federal, and
       local sources, including $482,000 from the National Park Service
       under its Urban Parks and Recreation Program and $568,000
       from the California Department of Parks and Recreation for
       redevelopment and park improvements.
    OUTCOME:
                                                     Samp/ing activities underway on a portion of
                                                            the Willow Park Site.
    The reopening celebration of Willow Park was held in March 2007, featuring a circus, face painting, basketball,
    and refreshments. The formerly idle, fenced-in area has been transformed into a park with game tables, a plaza
    for community gatherings and live performances, a basketball court, a picnic area with barbeque pits, open
    space, a children's play area, landscaping, a walking/jogging path, and remodeled restrooms. The park showcases
    a public art project at the seating area with tiles developed through the neighborhood children's participation.
      FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 9 at (41 5) 947-8000

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