United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-031
May 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
&EPA Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Rochester, NY
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
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
upto $200,000 overtwo 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 brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
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
Over the past 15 years, Rochester has suffered a
significant decline in its manufacturing sector, a decline
prompted by the relocation of several large, mainstay
companies. Once-thriving facilities are now
underutilized or abandoned altogether, resulting in
declining property values and deterioration of the tax
base. Many of the privately-owned brownfields sites
in Rochester fall within the boundaries of the New
York State Economic Development Zone and a
federal Enterprise Community. In 1993, the New
York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYSDEC) completed an inventory of
hazardous substance disposal sites in New York
State. Eighteen of these sites were identified to be in
Rochester, many of which have significant
redevelopment potential.
There are no public brownfields cleanup funding
sources available to the private sector in New York
State. Rochester has developed two dedicated sources
of grant and loan funding for private sector pre-
cleanup phase environmental activities at
redevelopment sites. The city has begun to selectively
take title to a limited number of brownfields sites
through tax foreclosure and acquisition.
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Date of Award:
September 1997
Amount: $350,000
BCRLF Target Area:
Rochester's state Economic
Development Zone and federal
Enterprise Community.
Rochester, New York
Contacts:
Rochester Department
of Environmental Services
(716)428-5978
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 2
(212) 637-4314
Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/r02earth/superfnd/brownfld/bfmainpg.htm
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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BCRLFOBJECTIVES
The goal of the Rochester BCRLF Pilot is to provide
a funding option for cleanup by private parties and to
complement Rochester's existing Brownfields
Revolving Fund and Industrial Predevelopment Fund.
With the high number of privately-owned brownfields
in the city and the lack of available financing incentives
to clean up and redevelop such sites, the BCRLF will
provide needed stimulation of market-driven cleanup
and minimize the need for the city to take ownership
of these properties. BCRLF loans will support the
city's effort to return brownfields to productive uses.
The benefits from brownfields redevelopment in
Rochester will include: creation and retention of jobs;
increased city tax revenue. Rochester also plans to
use the BCRLF to leverage other brownfields
redevelopment funding sources.
FUNDSTRUCTUREANDOPERATIONS
Rochester anticipates using the BCRLF program to
initiate a coordinated and comprehensive brownfields
investigation and cleanup funding program. The new
cleanup revolving loan fund will be available to parties
completing cleanup and redevelopment proj ects under
the NYSDEC voluntary cleanup program or as a
volunteer under an order on consent. Loans from the
Rochester BCRLF are expected to be in the $ 100,000
range.
The city's Division of Environmental Quality will
serve as the Lead Agency to oversee Pilot
implementation. It will also serve as Site Manager to
ensure that cleanup projects are conducted in
compliance with all appropriate environmental laws
and that appropriate community representatives are
involved in the redevelopment planning process. The
city's Department of Economic Development will act
as the Fund Manager to implement the loan fund.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, andallCERCLA restrictions on use of funding
also apply to BCRLF funds.
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot Rochester, New York
May 1999 EPA500-F-99-031
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