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Brownfields 1999 Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Fact Sheet
Hennepin County, MN
EPA Brownfields Initiative
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. 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through a
separate mechanism.
Background
Hennepin County contains one-quarter of Minnesota's
population (1,050,000) and includes the city of
Minneapolis and 44 suburbs. With a proud past as an
important part of the river and rail corridor systems of
the upper-midwest, Hennepin County must now contend
with contamination at many former industrial and
commercial sites. Many parcels of land in Hennepin
County are unavailable for redevelopment due to the
contamination resulting from previous industrial land
uses this century. These sites reduce the County's
property tax valuation and its overall quality of life, and
inhibit efforts to retain and attract commercial and
industrial businesses. Hennepin County's Brownfield
Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) targets sites
throughout the County, with priority consideration for
sites within Minneapolis' Empowerment Zone, and
special designated districts such as hazardous waste
districts, which are tax increment financing districts.
In September 1999, the U.S. EPA issued a cooperative
agreement in the amount of $500,000 to Hennepin
County to establish and fund the BCRLF. In June, 2001,
the U.S. EPA awarded an additional $500,000 to
Hennepin County to expand the BCRLF. The objective
of the BCRLF is to provide low-interest loans to clean up
brownfield sites in Hennepin County. Eligible borrowers
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 10/01/2001
Amount: $240,000 to $450,000
Profile: The Hennepin County BCRLF will make
their second loan of $240,000 loan to Housing
Partners-Lofts LLC .
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 5 Brownfields Team
(312)886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Hennepin County, MN
Hennepin County BCRLF Project Coordinator
(612)348-9938 "
U.S. EPA OSWER Outreach and Special Projects
Staff
(202) 260-4039
Activities
Hennepin County will serve as lead agency and will
contract with the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF)
as fund manager. The CRF has been providing financial
services to government entities for the past decade. The
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will assist the pilot
in carrying out its site management responsibilities.
Hennepin County is partnering with the State of
Minnesota's Department of Trade and Economic
Development (DTED), the Metropolitan Council, the
Minneapolis Community Development Corporation,
and other interested organizations to enhance the
leveraging possibilities of the BCRLF. The DTED has a
contamination cleanup grant program that awards up to
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-02-028
Jun 02

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include private, for profit businesses, non-profit
businesses and public entities (excluding State and
Federal agencies and the University of Minnesota).
Through the BCRLF, Hennepin County has up to
$875,000 available to loan to public or private entities for
the cleanup of contaminated lands. BCRLF loans are
available for the cleanup of soils and ground water
affected by the release of non-petroleum contaminants.
The Hennepin County Brownfields Cleanup Revolving
Loan Fund will make its second loan to Housing Partners
III-Lofts, LLC, for an initial amount of $240,000 with
provision to increase the loan amount to $450,000. The
loan funds will be used for the cleanup of one city block
located northeast of the intersection of 1st Avenue NE
and Main Street, NE in Minneapolis. The site falls within
the Nicollet Island/East Bank neighborhood and within
the larger University community of Minneapolis. Greater
than 40% of the population in this neighborhood is
below the poverty level.
75 percent of the cleanup costs to eligible public
jurisdictions. Hennepin County will use BCRLF loans
in conjunction with the State program.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of
funding also apply to BCRLF funds.
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	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-02-028
_ . .	and Emergency . __
Protection Agency	Response (5105T) Jun 02
Washington, DC 20450	^ v '

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w5
PR
Brownfields 1999 Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Fact Sheet
Hennepin County, Minnesota BCRLF Pilot Project
EPA Brownfields Initiative
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. 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through a
separate mechanism.
Background
Hennepin County contains one-quarter of Minnesota's
population (1,050,000) and includes the city of
Minneapolis and 44 suburbs. An important part of the
river and rail corridor systems of the upper-midwest,
Hennepin County must now contend with contamination,
or perceived contamination at many former industrial
and commercial sites. These sites reduce the County's
quality of life and property tax valuations, and inhibit
efforts to retain and attract commercial and industrial
businesses.
In September 1999, the U.S. EPA selected Hennepin
County to receive a $500,000 Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) Pilot. The BCRLF Pilot
will provide low-interest loans to clean up brownfields
sites in Hennepin County. Eligible borrowers will
include private, for-profit businesses, non-profit
businesses and public entities.
Hennepin County's BCRLF targets sites throughout the
County, with priority consideration given to sites within
Minneapolis' Empowerment Zone, and within special
designated districts such as hazardous waste districts,
which are tax increment financing districts.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 05/25/1999
Amount: $240,000 to $450,000
Profile: Hennepin County is making a $240,000
loan to Fire Barn Associates, LLC for the cleanup of
property located near the intersection of East
Hennepin Ave., and University Ave., NE,
Minneapolis. .
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 5 Brownfields Team
(312)886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Hennepin County, MN
Hennepin County BCRLF Project Coordinator
(612)348-9938 "
U.S. EPA OSWER Outreach and Special Projects
Staff
(202) 260-4039
Activities
Hennepin County is the lead agency for the BCRLF
program and will also serve as fund manager for the
program. The Program is administered by the Hennepin
County Department of Environmental Services (DES).
All sites receiving loan funds from the BCRLF are
required to enroll in the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency's (MPCA's) Voluntary Investigation and
Cleanup (VIC) Program. The MPCA also will serve as
site manager for the Hennepin County BCRLF.
Hennepin County DES is the heart of Hennepin
County's brownfields programs. The Contaminated
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-01-002
May 01

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Lands Unit of the Hennepin County DES was created in
1996 and seeks to strengthen urban communities by
returning vacant and under-utilized contaminated lands
to productive use, thereby retaining and creating jobs
and reducing urban sprawl. Fire Barn Associates, LLC,
which is part of a greater real estate development
enterprise known as HuntGregory, LLC, is the borrower
for this project. Fire Barn Associates, LLC has teamed
with the United States Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency, the Minnesota Department of Health, the
Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic
Development, Hennepin County DES and the
Metropolitan Council to revitalize the neighborhoods by
cleanup of environmental hazards and by construction
of housing units and commercial retail and office space.
Hennepin County is making a $240,000 BCRLF loan to
Fire Barn Associates, LLC for the cleanup of property
located near the intersection of East Hennepin Avenue
and University Avenue, NE, Minneapolis. The loan
documents provide for the loan to increase up to
$425,000 should additional funds be needed to address
environmental issues associated with the cleanup. The
site falls within the Nicollet Island/East Bank
neighborhood and within the larger University
community of Minneapolis. More than 40% of the
population in this neighborhood is below the poverty
level.
The properties that comprise Block 40 and Block 41,
Saint Anthony Falls Addition to Minneapolis near the
intersection of East Hennepin Avenue and University
Avenue, NE, Minneapolis, include a former car
dealership and associated automotive service and body
work facilities. The car dealership and predecessor
dealerships involved retail sales, storage of new cars
both inside buildings and on paved surfaces surrounding
the buildings, automobile service facilities, and body
and collision repair services. The dealership and
associated service garage were located on Block 40.
The dealership has been vacant for a number of years.
The existing building housing the "Collision Center"
(body shop) on Block 41 was constructed in 1951. The
auto-body and collision repair services facility was in
operation until a few months ago. A small filling station
was constructed on Block 41 in 1947 and demolished
between 1983 and 1993.
The surrounding area is characterized by mixed land
use. Surrounding property includes a variety of
industrial, commercial, and retail facilities, as well as
high-density residential. The area has been developed
for over 150 years, as the area around St. Anthony Falls
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
Solid Waste
EPA 500-F-01-002
May 01

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was a commercial hub during the early development of
the City of Minneapolis.
Site investigations conducted in 1999 and 2000 indicate
that historic activities at the site have resulted in a
release of poly-nuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
to site soils. Chemical analyses showed PAHs present in
the fill at levels above Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency (MPCA) human health based screening criteria.
Contaminated fill was found on both blocks of the site,
and it is not clear where the contaminated fill
originated, however, it appears that it would have been
placed at the site sometime between 1940 and 1950.
Contaminants include PAHs in soil from historic fill
that was used to raise the grade of Block 41 and PAHs
in fill from a building foundation on Block 40.
Petroleum contamination from a former underground
storage tank leaksite (closed by the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency) and chlorinated solvents are also
present in the soil and groundwater.
In order to redevelop the site, fill will be excavated to an
average depth of 5 feet on Block 41 and 13 feet on
Block 40, amounting to 25,000 tons of contaminated
soil. This contaminated soil will be transported to an
off-site disposal facility. Following cleanup, Fire Barn
will construct a $30-million redevelopment complex
that will include 30 affordable housing units, 48
townhomes, 15,000 square feet of commercial/retail
space and 30,000 square feet of commercial/office
space.
The $240,000 BCRLF loan will return over $30 million
in development and create over 275 full time, permanent
jobs.
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
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
Solid Waste
EPA 500-F-01-002
May 01

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w5
PR
Brownfields 1999 Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Fact Sheet
Hennepin County, MN
EPA Brownfields Initiative
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. 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through a
separate mechanism.
Background
Several hundred contaminated sites are located
throughout the county. As part of the upper mid-west rail
and river corridors, Hennepin County is experiencing the
effects of the contamination of these former commercial
and industrial sites. Many parcels of land in Hennepin
County are unavailable for redevelopment because of the
existence of contaminated soil. Most of this
contamination relates to industrial land uses earlier this
century. These sites reduce the County's property tax
valuation, its overall quality of life, and inhibit efforts to
retain and attract commercial and industrial businesses.
Hennepin County's BCRLF targets sites throughout the
County, with priority consideration for sites within the
Minneapolis Empowerment Zone (EZ), and brownfields
sites designated as special districts such as hazardous
waste districts, tax increment financing districts. The
unemployment rate in the Minneapolis EZ is 14 percent
and 45 percent of residents are not in the labor force.
Hennepin County is a Brownfields Assessment Pilot.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 05/25/1999
Amount: $500,000
Profile: Sites throughout the County, with priority
consideration for sites within the Minneapolis
Empowerment Zone, sites designated as special
districts, and sites situated in disadvantaged
communities.
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 5 Brownfields Team
(312)886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Hennepin County, MN
Hennepin County BCRLF Project Coordinator
(612)348-9938 "
U.S. EPA OSWER Outreach and Special Projects
Staff
(202) 260-4039
Objectives
Hennepin County will use BCRLF as an incentive to
stimulate the cleanup of the underutilized properties
scattered throughout the county. The BCRLF will
provide gap financing flexibility that will be used to
leverage additional private and public funding. The
BCRLF loans also will be used in aid of projects where
non-tax generating uses including greenspace
redevelopment are planned, and as a funding source for
non-profit organizations to cleanup brownfields.
Eligible borrowers may include private for-profit
businesses, private non-profit businesses, and local
public entities.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-99-073
May 99

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Activities
Fund Structure and Operations Hennepin County will
serve as lead agency and will contract with the
Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) as fund manager.
The CRF has been providing financial services to
government entities for the past decade. The Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency will assist the pilot in carrying
out its site management responsibilities.
Hennepin County is partnering with the State of
Minnesota's Department of Trade and Economic
Development (DTED), the Metropolitan Council, the
Minneapolis Community Development Corporation,
and other interested organizations to enhance the
leveraging possibilities of the BCRLF. The DTED has a
contamination cleanup grant program that awards up to
75 percent of the cleanup costs to eligible public
jurisdictions. Hennepin County will use BCRLF loans
in conjunction with the State program.
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
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
Solid Waste
EPA 500-F-99-073
May 99

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