/ O \ Brownfields 1998 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet 1 J St. Paul Port Authority, 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 EPA has selected the St. Paul Port Authority as a Brownfields Pilot. Historically, the City of St. Paul's industrial development evolved from its location as both a navigation hub on the Mississippi River and railroad center. No longer dependent on railroads or shipping, facilities moving into the St. Paul area are locating in areas outside the urban core. The City of St. Paul has 4,000 acres of land zoned for industrial use, but nearly 1,000 of these acres are under-used or abandoned. Redevelopment of industrial property needed to maintain the city's tax base, increase employment opportunities, and attract suitable industrial facilities has been limited due to either known or suspected contamination. In addition to the health issues associated with potential contamination, many sites in the urban core have deteriorating structures that attract illegal activities, such as drug trafficking and vagrancy. Such conditions foster further disinvestment in the inner city and investment in undeveloped suburban greenfields, perpetuating a cycle of urban core decline and suburban sprawl. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 04/01/1997 Amount: $146,000 Profile: The brownfields pilot will focus on up to six sites of under-used and abandoned industrial sites.. 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: St. Paul Port Authority,MN (612) 224-5686 Objectives The goals of the St. Paul Port Authority are to optimize the reuse of abandoned and under-used industrial sites within the City of St. Paul, create increased employment opportunities for local residents, and generate sufficient tax revenues to provide services needed for long-term, ecologically sound, industrial growth. The Port Authority will partner with neighborhood organizations to gain support for redevelopment projects and workforce development. The initial work will focus on up to six sites targeted for redevelopment. Activities Activities planned as part of this pilot include: • Working with neighborhood organizations to identify up to six target brownfields sites for redevelopment; • Conducting site assessments at up to six brownfields sites; • Preparing and publishing reports on the results of United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-97-136 nil- a ancl Emergency . Protection Agency Response (5105*0 Apr97 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- the site assessments; • Preparing response action or cleanup plans for one to three targeted sites; and • Partner with neighborhood organizations to establish a workforce development plan. 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-97-136 Apr 97 ------- w5 Brownfields 1998 Supplemental Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet Saint Paul Port Authority, Minnesota 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 the Saint Paul Port Authority supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot and additional funding for assessments at brownfields properties to be used for greenspace purposes. Historically, the City of St. Paul's industrial development was based on its location as both a navigable hub on the Mississippi River and a center for railroad transportation. No longer dependent on railroads or shipping, businesses moving into the St. Paul area are locating outside of the urban core. The Phalen Corridor, a 2Vi mile underused rail corridor on the east side of the city, has suffered from numerous plant closings, growing unemployment, and rising crime. An initiative has been underway since 1994 to develop a broad-based community partnership to rebuild the economic, social, and physical prosperity of St. Paul's East Side. The original EPA Pilot and the city's Showcase Community program focused on conducting environmental assessments for a 32-acre western segment of Phalen Boulevard. This area will be the future location of the Westminster Junction Business Center, which is the first phase of redevelopment conducted through the city's Phalen Corridor Initiative. The objective of the Phalen Corridor Initiative is to spark redevelopment of the East Side neighborhoods of St. Paul Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 05/01/2002 Amount: $150,000 $50,000 for Greenspace Profile: Saint Paul Port Authority, Minnesota. The Pilot targets up to five properties along the central segment of Phalen Boulevard for assessment and planning and two primary sites in the corridor area for greenspace reuse. 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: St. Paul Port Authority,MN (612) 224-5686 Objectives The supplemental funding will be used to conduct site assessments at additional sites and develop a response action plan (RAP) for the second phase of the Phalen Corridor Initiative. RAP development will encompass four properties that will comprise the Westminster Junction Business Center. Additional site assessments will be conducted at sites that will comprise the central segment of Phalen Boulevard. This segment is expected to become the site of several hundred new housing units and up to 100,000 square feet of industrial space. The greenspace funding will be used to conduct assessments to support creation of open space opportunities along Phalen Boulevard. Two locations will be assessed. The first location is at the intersection of Payne Avenue and Phalen Boulevard. The second location is just west of Interstate 35E, the Trillium site, United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-02-097 May 02 ------- which has been acquired by the city and is a critical piece of the Trout Brook Greenway Project. The end use of these sites will be passive open space for the local community. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Formulating a Response Action Plan for the second phase of the Boulevard construction; • Convening a neighborhood task force for the new sites to discuss site selection and prioritization; • Conducting Phase II environmental assessments and developing RAPs for up to five properties in the central segment of Phalen Boulevard; and • Conducting Phase I and II site assessments for the Trillium site and two parcels along Phalen Boulevard for greenspace reuse. 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-02-097 May 02 ------- |