s OA Brownfields 1999 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet r+> ^ PftQ1* / Ft Worth, TX 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 City of Fort Worth for a Brownfields Pilot. Established in 1849, Fort Worth has grown from an army outpost to a 308-square-mile business center with a population of approximately 484,500. Fort Worth is a diverse community with a 43 percent minority population. Approximately 17 percent of the city's population lives below the poverty level. Fort Worth has historically been known for its cattle industry. During its more recent past, however, manufacturing, distribution, and technology activities have become a major part of the city's economy. As businesses have come and gone, urban industrial lands have been abandoned in favor of property outside the inner city. Fort Worth does not have extensive large brownfields; rather, much of the abandoned properties were formerly small-to-medium manufacturing operations and illegal dumping sites. The Pilot will focus on the most industrialized parts of the city, with specific emphasis placed on Council Districts 2, 5, and 8, primarily in the eastern portions of the city. The minority populations in these communities (currently 69 percent, 65 percent, and 76 percent, respectively) have borne the brunt of the city's brownfields. Virtually all forms of commerce, except for convenience stores and gas stations, have vacated the Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 03/12/1999 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets small- to medium-sized brownfields in the most industrialized areas throughout the eastern portions of the city. 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 6 Brownfields Team (214) 665-6780 EPA Region 6 Brownfields Web site (http ://www .epa.gov/region6/brownfields) Grant Recipient: City of Fort Worth,TX (817) 561-3799 Objectives With the aid of the Pilot, the city plans to create a strong and multi-disciplinary network to undertake brownfields assessment, cleanup and redevelopment. Although the city currently has no formal brownfields program, the Pilot efforts will combine with other city efforts to emphasize code compliance, property redevelopment, and sustainability issues. Fort Worth has already taken several steps to create incentives for redevelopment within or adjacent to the targeted areas (e.g., designated federal enterprise zone, tax increment financing districts, tax abatement program). Initial Pilot efforts will focus on organizing the community to assist with site identification and assessment. The Pilot will also create a geographical information system (GIS) database where environmental information is available in a real-time manner. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-99-008 Mar 99 ------- area. These islands of small- to medium-sized abandoned properties have contributed to the deterioration of the neighborhood because of fewer job opportunities, potential increased health and safety hazards, and increased neighborhood crime. • Identifying brownfield sites in conjunction with a network of government, private, and community stakeholders; • Conducting at least ten Phase 1 assessments and three Phase II assessments; • Preparing site cleanup design plans; • Involving the public in site selection, assessment, and cleanup planning activities; and • Developing a brownfields database to aid in long-term tracking of cleanup and end use activities. 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-99-008 j. i- a ancl Emergency .. Protection Agency Response (5105T) Mar 99 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- W5 Brownfields 1999 Supplemental Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet City of Ft. Worth, TX 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 City of Fort Worth to receive supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot and additional funding for assessments at brownfields properties to be used for greenspace purposes. The city has grown from an army outpost to a 308squaremile business center with a population of approximately 484,500. It is a diverse community with a 43 percent minority population. Approximately 17 percent of the city's population lives below the poverty level. Historically, Fort Worth has been known for its cattle industry. More recently, however, manufacturing, distribution, and technology activities have become a major part of the city's economy. Most of city's brownfields formerly were small and mid-sized manufacturing operations and illegal dumping sites. The Pilot targets the most industrialized parts of the city, with specific emphasis on three districts in the eastern portion of the city. The minority populations in these communities (currently about 70 percent) have borne the brunt of impacts from the city's brownfields. Virtually all forms of commerce, except for convenience stores and gas stations, have vacated the area. Islands of brownfields have contributed to the deterioration of the target neighborhoods by decreasing job opportunities, increasing health and safetv hazards, and servine as Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 04/01/2001 Amount: $150,000 $50,000 for Greenspace Profile: The Pilot targets the most industrialized parts of the city, with specific emphasis on three districts in the eastern portion of the city that represent some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. 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 6 Brownfields Team (214) 665-6780 EPA Region 6 Brownfields Web site (http ://www .epa.gov/region6/brownfields) Grant Recipient: City of Fort Worth,TX (817)871-8136 Objectives The city's objective is to build upon Fort Worth's progress to date in planning for brownfields redevelopment and building public support and participation in the process. Supplemental funds will be used to continue the identification and assessment of brownfields sites and to expand public involvement efforts. Greenspace funds will be used to conduct two Phase I and two Phase II environmental site assessments on brownfields with potential reuse as greenspace. Four possible greenspace projects have been identified, including a minor league ballpark and surrounding open space, a public golf course, a neighborhood park, and a downtown civic square. Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Continuing to identify potential brownfields and incorporate them into the city's database; United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-01-322 Apr 01 ------- centers for increased neighborhood crime. • Conducting Phase I assessments of seven additional properties; • Conducting Phase II assessments of three additional properties; and • Expanding public involvement and developing "success stories" to be submitted to brownfields-related publications. 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-01-322 _ . . and Emergency . _. Protection Agency Response (5105*0 Apr°1 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- |