United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-114
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
\>EPA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Petersburg, VA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Petersburg for a
Brownfields Pilot. The City of Petersburg, population
3 8,3 86, was founded in 1748 because it was one of the
points furthest west along the James River that ocean
vessels could reach. Petersburg grew into a
commercial center for processing and transporting
cotton, tobacco, and metal goods. Additionally, as
transportation evolved, Petersburg became an
important railroad center, continuing to process
products from southside Virginia and distribute them
to external markets.
After World War II, however, the rail transportation
business took a downturn. This, coupled with the
siltation of the harbor, caused the city to become a
"forgotten" city. Prosperity bypassed the city and
headedto other nearby communities. The city and its
residents—mostly minority (72 percent African
American) and low income (20 percent live below the
poverty level)—are suffering the effects of suburban
sprawl, the loss of deep water access, and the loss of
an industrial and manufacturing base. The Pilot will
focus on three city-owned brownfields (the former
Titmus Optical Site and adjacent properties on
Commerce Street, the Seward Luggage site adjacent
to High Street, and sites along the Appomattox River
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Petersburg, VA
Date of Announcement:
May 2000
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The City of Petersburg
targets three publicly owned
brownfields, including sites
along the Appomattox River
associated with the waterfront
revitalization initiative.
Contacts:
Office of Economic Development
City of Petersburg, Virginia
(804)733-2329
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 3
(215)566-3129
Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/brownfld/hmpage1.htm
Forfurtherinformation, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields newsandevente.and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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associated with present harbor dredging and the
waterfront revitalization initiative) to address
environmental and public health concerns that are
hindering the city' s livability and economic vitality.
OBJECTIVES
The City of Petersburg will focus its efforts on
recycling existing industrial properties. This will
reduce pressures to sell undeveloped greenspace for
short-term gain without having considered aproject's
long-term compatibility with the goals of Petersburg.
In addition, the Pilot efforts combined with the overall
community revitalization strategy seek to spur social
and economic growth in the city center. Through the
Pilot, Petersburg will develop a sustainable model for
cleanup and redevelopment that can be utilized
throughout the city by private property owners to
recycle their properties.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Assessing, identifying, characterizing, and
developing cleanup plans at city-owned properties
in the targeted area;
• Creating a forum for expanded and interactive
community involvement relating to the targeted
brownfields; and
• Developing an inventory and conducting assessments
at privately owned brownfields.
The cooperative agreementforthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subjectto change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Petersburg, VA
May2000 EPA 500-F-OO-114
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