Brownfields 2009 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
Rochester, /VY
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders 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. In 2002,
the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act was passed to help states and
communities around the country cleanup and revitalize
brownfields sites. Under this 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.
Additionally, funding support is provided to state and
tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The City of Rochester was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Located in northwestern New
York, Rochester (population 207,000) has about 6,000
commercial and industrial properties, of which 20 to 50
percent have environmental issues. The number of vacant
properties in the city has risen about 50 percent in the last
five years. Rochester's City Planning Sector 3, the
location of the targeted Orchard Whitney site, contains the
most highly concentrated area of abandoned industrial and
commercial properties in the city. More than 50 percents
of the residents of Sector 3, one of Rochester's most
economically distressed areas, are minorities. The
neighborhood is characterized by high unemployment
rates, high commercial vacancy rates, and depressed
property values. In the target site neighborhood, over 45
percent of residents live in poverty. Cleanup of the target
site will reduce environmental threats to the neighborhood
and facilitate its reuse, which is expected to provide
much-needed commercial and community services and
recreational opportunities for area residents.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Rochester for a
brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
grant funds will be used to clean up the 3.9-acre
Orchard Whitney site at 354 Whitney Street and
415 Orchard Street. The site has been used for
various commercial and industrial purposes since
the early 1900s, including tool and die shops,
plastics manufacturing, and metal finishing. Site
soil and groundwater are contaminated with
volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds and
heavy metals. Grant funds also will be used to
support community outreach and enforce
institutional controls.
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
(http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 2 Brownfields Team
(212) 637-4358
EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region2/bro wnfields)
Grant Recipient: City of Rochester,NY
(585) 428-5978
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. The cooperative
agreement for the grant has not yet been
negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA560-F-09-130
May 2009
------- |