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 Brownfields  2003

 Grant  Fact  Sheet

   East Palo Alto, CA



EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
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. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of East Palo Alto was selected to receive an
assessment grant. The city has targeted the Bay-
Clarke Project Area for assessment, cleanup, and
redevelopment. The Bay-Clarke area is in the 130-acre
Ravenswood Industrial Area. While currently blighted
by auto wrecking yards and other industrial properties,
the project area holds promise for meeting the city's
urgent needs for housing and nonprofit office space.
The city is working with a partnership of public,
private, and nonprofit partners to develop the Bay-
Clarke area into housing and a Community Resource
Center. The poverty rate is three times the county
average and the unemployment rate is 11 percent. The
assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of Bay-
                                 Assessment Grant
                                  $200,000 for hazardous substances
                                  $200,000 for petroleum

                                  EPA has selected the City of East Palo Alto for
                                  a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will
                                  be used to conduct further assessments at sites
                                  contaminated by hazardous substances and
                                  petroleum in the Bay-Clarke Project Area. Initial
                                  assessments of properties in this area were
                                  conducted six years ago under a previous
                                  brownfields assessment grant, and there is
                                  considerable concern that contamination of these
                                  parcels may have increased since that time.
                                  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 at:
                                  www.epa.gov/brownfields.

                                  EPA Region 9 Brownfields Team
                                  415-972-3188
                                  http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/

                                  Grant Recipient: City of East Palo Alto, CA
                                  650-853-3100

                                  Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the City
                                  of East Palo Alto has received brownfields funding for
                                  assessment, Showcase Community, and revolving loan fund
                                  grants.

                                  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been
                                  negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet
                                  are subject to change.
                               Clarke area sites will help create a mixed-use commu-
                               nity center that will serve family needs and be the
                               cornerstone of the future revitalization of the
                               Ravenswood Industrial Area.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                                                        EPA 500-F-03-088
                                                        June 2003
                                                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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