s OA Brownfields 1997 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
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/ Tallahassee, FL
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 City of Tallahassee for a Brownfields
Pilot. The Gaines Street/Cascades Corridor is currently
the focal point for the city's redevelopment efforts. As
part of Tallahassee's historic rail corridor, the Gaines
Street/Cascades Corridor (Corridor) has supported
chemical warehousing, petroleum distribution centers,
light industry, animal stockyards, and a city-owned coal
gasification plant and dump. Brownfields properties with
known or perceived contamination have been identified
in the Corridor. Adjacent property owners in need of
expansion have shown no interest in using these
brownfields properties.
Tallahassee believes that properties in the Gaines
Street/Cascades Corridor could support increased
residential, commercial, and light industrial uses. The
properties currently fail to contribute to the vitality of
what would otherwise be a vibrant community.
Strategically located between the municipal airport, two
state universities, and the state capitol complex, the
Corridor is poised to become a gateway to downtown
Tallahassee.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 09/01/1997
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets 150 brownfields sites
scattered across 450 acres of the Gaines
Street/Cascades Corridor.
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 4 Brownfields Team
(404) 562-8792
EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
(http ://www .epa.gov/region4/waste/bf)
Grant Recipient: City of Tallahassee,FL
(904)891-8621
Objectives
Tallahassee's objective is to develop an implementable
brownfields cleanup plan that supports and furthers the
broader community redevelopment program for the
Gaines Street/Cascades Corridor. The cleanup plan will
include distinct redevelopment activities, clear roles and
responsibilities for stakeholders, and extensive public
communication on redevelopment progress. The city
anticipates that a measurable objective for the Pilot will
be the degree to which the public becomes aware of, and
involved in, the cleanup program planning activities.
Activities
The Pilot has:
•	Completed a corridor-wide assessment;
•	Recommended, through the Gaines Street
Vitalization Committee, road alignment, land
use, and zoning considerations for the Corridor;
•	Updated a geographic information system (GIS)
with environmental information, including data
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-01-330
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on monitoring wells and sites (e.g., soil, geology,
geohydrology, groundwater chemistry); and
•	Held meetings with the Gaines Street
Revitalization (Steering) Committee to discuss
issues regarding the Corridor revitalization effort.
The Pilot is:
•	Continuing to conduct community outreach
regarding the Pilot and sponsoring workshops for
stakeholders;
•	Completing site and contamination mapping and
site assessments of 27 sites;
•	Prioritizing site cleanups and developing cleanup
plans for the Corridor;
•	Preparing a feasibility study for the Corridor and
an economic reuse analysis of historic properties;
and
•	Continuing to collect hydrological data from the
Corridor for the GIS.
Leveraging Other Activities
Experience with the Tallahassee Pilot has been a
catalyst for related activities, including the following:
•	The Florida Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade
and Economic Development awarded a $200,000
grant to complement the EPA Pilot. In addition,
the city, via the local Architectural Review
Board, has executed an agreement with the
Florida Department of State, Division of
Historical Resources for a $25,900 grant to
conduct a marketing and feasibility assessment
of the reuse opportunities and structural needs
associated with historical properties within the
Gaines/Cascades Street Corridor.
•	The Florida Department of Community Affairs
awarded $200,000 to the City of Tallahassee for
implementing activities under the city's Urban
Infill and Redevelopment Plan. The plan
specifically addresses the Gaines Street/Cascades
Corridor.
•	Cleanup activities were completed at two
properties, and redevelopment activities are
underway at four properties.
•	A total of $475,900 in redevelopment funding
has been leveraged by the Pilot.
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
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_ . .	and Emergency	. . _.
Protection Agency	Response (5105*0	Jul 01
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described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-01-330
Jul 01

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