Land Revitalization Success Stories - Alabama Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment Transit Planning Along Historic Civil Rights Trail Selma to Montgomery Trail Alabama EPA Region 4

Land Revitalization Success Stories | EPA 560-F-16-172
November 2016
Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment
Since 2009, EPA Region 4 has supported eleven public visioning sessions along the Trail, which
revealed community support for public transit and improved access to basic health and retail
services. EPA is working in partnership with the National Park Service—which is interested in
managing a transit system along the Trail to accommodate visitors and provide an improved
visitation experience—and Tuskegee University—which is evaluating rural brownfields and
petroleum brownfields for reuse as transit stops (or Historic Waysides).
In 2015 and 2016, the EPA Land Revitalization Team provided technical support to Tuskegee
University, the National Park Service, and other local stakeholders to plan for the cleanup and
reuse of brownfields properties along the trail for transit stops or service sites (refueling, vehicle
services, etc.). The Land Revitalization Team developed a Site Prioritization Tool for communities
along the Trail, to help them evaluate and prioritize sites for reuse.
"This tool provides an important aspect of capacity building for planning for
brownfields reuse and land revitalization: it organizes a process for gathering
information necessary for brownfields cleanup and reuse options in a
manner that is simple and efficient for a community to see how reuse
planning relates to cleanup needs/"
-EPA Region 4 Land Revitalization Coordinator
Figure 1, Lowndes County Jail is one site
considered for a future transit stop along
the Trail.
The Site Prioritization Tool is an Excel-based set of worksheets that helps community leaders
understand the past, current, and future uses of properties along the trail. The tool encourages
collaboration among stakeholders to evaluate the positives and negatives of each site,
improves stakeholder understanding of the brownfield cleanup and reuse planning process,
and provides a single place to collect site information about the sites. Information for multiple
sites can be entered side by side, making site comparison easier. The tool is supported by a
handbook that helps the user understand where to find information on individual sites and why
each piece of information is important to the revitalization effort. The tool does not prioritize
sites for a community, but allows local leaders to gather and evaluate the information needed
to make their own site prioritization decisions.
In June 2016, Tuskegee University took responsibility to implement the use of the tool in
communities along the trail. The University will work directly with communities to collect and store
information on brownfields that could serve as potential transit sites along the trail. Tuskegee
University will help community leaders understand the data and make reuse decisions across
multiple sites. It will also collect and organize information across these communities, to help create
a trail-wide transit plan. Tuskegee University is a trusted local partner to communities along the
trail. Backed by support from the EPA Land Revitalization Team and the National Park Service,
Tuskegee University will help communities identify the best sites for a transit system that:
revitalizes brownfields; improves access to healthy life choices, retail, and employment
opportunities; and provides an anchor for economic development for communities located along the
LESSONS LEARNED
A local organization that can be the
long-term portal for technical
assistance helps Puild trust,
crediPility, and capacity.
With the right tools, community
leaders can make informed
decisions that will support citizens'
social and economic needs.
Innovative partnerships can
simultaneously preserve cultural
touchpoints, support economic
development, and improve
environmental conditions and
quality of life.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• EPA will support Tuskegee University
and community leaders to use the
tool in several communities along
the Trail.
• Tuskegee University will work with
communities to analyze property
data and work with local leaders to
select Pest sites for transit
development.
• EPA will continue to engage project
partners and community leaders to
promote economic development
along the Trail.
Trail.
For more information, please contact Camilla Warren, EPA Region 4, warren.camilla@epa.gov.
TRANSIT PLANNING ALONG HISTORIC CIVIL RIGHTS TRAIL
SELMA TO MONTGOMERY TRAIL ALABAMA. EPA REGION 4
The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail commemorates an important turning point in American civil rights history.
Almost 25,000 civil rights advocates overcame violent protests to march along the 54-mile route, resulting, in part, in the signing
of the Voting Rights Act which prohibits discrimination in voting practices or procedures based on race or color. Today, the
Selma to Montgomery Trail runs through a series of rural communities whose residents suffer
from low wages and high unemployment. These rural communities contributed much to the
historic story of the Trail, but have not benefitted from Trail tourism or economic development.
The high cost of private transportation makes basic travel from remote rural areas to shopping
and medical appointments cost prohibitive for many in this impoverished area. The Trail,
however, is a national attraction and still offers a unique economic development opportunity to
these communities. Restoration of the properties along the trail could help improve the quality of
life for residents living near the trail.

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