/ D \ Brownfields 1995 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
J Cape Charles/Northampton County, VA
PRO1"4
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
EPA selected the Town of Cape Charles for a
Brownfields Pilot. Cape Charles is located at the
southern tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore on a narrow strip
of land between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic
Ocean. The area boasts rich farmlands, productive
waters, vast wetlands, and miles of unspoiled coastline.
Twenty-seven percent of the 13,000 people in the area,
47 percent of whom are of African-American heritage,
live below the poverty level.
The President's Council on Sustainable Development
selected Cape Charles as one of four sites for a national
eco-industrial park demonstration project, the Cape
Charles Sustainable Technologies Industrial Park (STIP),
which will demonstrate advanced facilities in resource
efficiency and pollution prevention. A 155-acre portion
of this eco-industrial park is a redevelopment area
surrounding Cape Charles Harbor on the Chesapeake
Bay. The site includes a former municipal dump,
dockside, railyard, and the remains of abandoned
industrial operations. The site may contain hazardous
substances that threaten public health and the marine
environment and must be addressed before the
eco-industrial park can be developed.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 07/26/1995
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a 155-acre former dump
and railyard site located on a narrow strip of land
between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
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 3 Brownfields Team
(215)814-3129
EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site
(http ://www .epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr)
Grant Recipient: Cape Charles/Northampton County,
VA
(757) 331-1998
Objectives
The Pilot is working to facilitate the development of the
Port of Cape Charles STIP as a means of creating
sustainable economic development while protecting the
community's unique natural, cultural, and historic
resources. Specifically, the Pilot is assessing the extent
of contamination on the 155-acre former dump and
railyard site and designing a cleanup strategy that will
enable the development of the eco-industrial park to
progress. Once the project is completed, the redeveloped
brownfields will include the eco-industrial park, restored
wetlands, a nature trail and environmental education
facility, and a tertiary sewage treatment system.
Activities
The Pilot has:
• Completed Phase I and II environmental
assessments of the former town dump parcel at
the STIP site;
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•	Developed a Master Plan, comprehensive design
and operations standards, and zoning language.
Citizens reviewed and revised drafts of the
Master Plan for redevelopment at a community
workshop and Celebration of Progress in
December 1995; and
•	Facilitated the adoption by the Cape Charles
Planning Commission of a new STIP zone. The
Cape Charles Town Council subsequently
rezoned land into the new STIP zone, dedicated
land for road access, and approved subdivision
of industrial park land.
Experience with the Cape Charles Pilot has been a
catalyst for related activities, including the following:
•	The Cape Charles Town Council leased
approximately 25 acres of brownfields land to the
Industrial Development Authority (IDA) for use
in the STIP. Under this long-term lease, the IDA
is responsible for any necessary environmental
cleanup of this area, which includes 400 feet of
harbor frontage, the former town dump, and the
main entrance to the park.
•	The Joint IDA of Northampton County and its
Incorporated Towns, have adopted a
"Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions for
the Port of Cape Charles Sustainable
Technologies Industrial Park." The covenants
contain measurable, enforceable environmental
and social sustainability criteria with
performance incentive awards to occupant
tenants who exceed the minimum sustainability
requirements.
•	The Pilot cooperated with the President's Council
on Sustainable Development to host a national
workshop on eco-industrial parks in October
•	Hare Valley High School was converted into a
temporary solar panel manufacturing factory by
Solar Building Systems, Inc., which subsequently
hired 30 employees.
•	Six additional redevelopment jobs (four by
Energy Recovery, Inc., and two by Natural
Habitat) and one temporary cleanup job were
created in the STIP.
•	The Pilot leveraged $2.5 million in county bonds
for the construction of the 30,930- square-foot
Energy Recovery, Inc., building, which was
completed in March 1999.
•	The Pilot leveraged a $790,000 Rural Business
Enterprise grant from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the Economic Development
1996.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
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Administration, which will be used to establish
infrastructure in the STIP.
•	The Pilot leveraged a $798,000 grant from the
Department of the Interior to purchase land
adjacent to the park to extend the nature preserve
already incorporated within the Pilot target area.
•	The Pilot leveraged an award of $190,000 from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to develop a coastal water quality
program.
•	Occupancy of Building I of the STIP was
anticipated by September 1998.
•	Cape Charles was awarded an additional
$200,000 as one of EPA's Brownfields Showcase
Communities finalists.
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-00-261
Dec 00

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w5
PR
Brownfields 1995 Supplemental Assessment
Pilot Fact Sheet
Cape Charles/Northampton County, VA
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
EPA awarded Cape Charles/Northampton County
supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot. Cape Charles is located at the
southern tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore on a narrow strip
of land between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic
Ocean. The area boasts rich farmlands, productive
waters, vast wetlands, and miles of unspoiled coastline.
However, 27 percent of the 13,000 people in the area live
below the poverty line. Forty-seven percent of the
population is of African-American heritage.
The President's Council on Sustainable Development
selected Cape Charles as one of four sites for a national
eco-industrial park demonstration project, the Cape
Charles Sustainable Technology Park. The Sustainable
Technology Park, recognized as the nation's first
eco-industrial park and located in a federal Enterprise
Community, is designed to demonstrate advanced
facilities in resource efficiency and pollution prevention.
A 155-acre portion of this eco-industrial park is a
redevelopment area surrounding Cape Charles Harbor on
the Chesapeake Bay. The site includes a former
municipal dump, dockside, railyard, and the remains of
abandoned industrial operations. Through assessments
conducted under the original Assessment Pilot and
through leveraged cleanup and redevelopment efforts
from the oublic and nrivate sectors, the first chase of the
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 03/01/2000
Amount: $100,000
Profile: Charles/Northampton County, VA. The
Pilot will target key brownfields sites in Cape Charles
and throughout Northampton County for assessment,
cleanup, and redevelopment as part of the Sustainable
Technology Park network.
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 3 Brownfields Team
(215)814-3129
EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site
(http ://www .epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr)
Grant Recipient: Cape Charles/Northampton County,
VA
(757) 331-1998
Objectives
Cape Charles and Northampton County plan to continue
efforts to return brownfields sites to productive use in
Cape Charles and throughout the county. They will use
the supplemental assistance Pilot for continued
assessment and follow-up activities to support the
cleanup and redevelopment of key brownfields sites at
the center of the eco-industrial park, as well as to
identify and assess additional sites in the Town of
Exmore and throughout Northampton County for
inclusion in the Sustainable Technology Park network.
To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to:
•	Investigate prospective brownfields sites for
assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment in
Exmore and other communities within
Northampton County;
•	Perform Phase I and, as needed, Phase II
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-00-005
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park is operating	environmental assessments on targeted sites;
•	Prepare feasibility studies that will address
appropriate cleanup technologies and cost
estimates for assessed sites;
•	Prepare redevelopment plans for the targeted
properties; and
•	Involve the affected communities through
community meetings and workshops in
conjunction with assessment and cleanup and
redevelopment planning.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet
been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change.
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-00-005
_ . .	and Emergency	. __
Protection Agency	Response (5105*0	Apr°°
Washington, DC 20450	^ v '

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