/ O \ Brownfields 2000 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet 1 J Pennsauken Township, NJ +> 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 Pennsauken Township for a Brownfields Pilot. Pennsauken Township occupies approximately 10.5 square miles located between the Delaware and Cooper rivers and has a 1998 estimated population of 33,879. In the early 1800s, the influx of maritime trade and rail transportation along the Pennsauken waterfront spawned development for many industries such as paper and steel manufacturing. Changes in the economy caused a decline in manufacturing in this region, which led to layoffs and eventual factory shutdowns. The economic effect of this decline is felt in the loss of jobs, wages, and tax revenues, as well as in a surplus of unused, or underused, functionally obsolete buildings that have little if any market value. The immediate waterfront area, which is the focus of this Pilot, is mostly industrial with only 50 residents, but the area immediately inland is densely populated with low-income residents living in poverty. These sites are sources of potential threats to the health and well-being of the people living in adjacent neighborhoods. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 05/01/2000 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets the riverfront area of Pennsauken Township for assessments leading to the development of cleanup and redevelopment plans for this 500-acre area. 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 2 Brownfields Team (212) 637-4309 EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region02/brownfields/) Grant Recipient: Township of Pennsauken,NJ (856) 665-1000 ext 152 Objectives This Pilot will identify, characterize, and develop cleanup plans for up to six contaminated sites in the focus area. The focus area is a 500-acre subdivision, carefully selected by the township as an ideal location for initial actions to redevelop the riverfront area. The objectives of the Pilot are to preserve, protect, and strengthen the character of existing residential neighborhoods and reduce health threats to residents affected by contaminated properties. The Pilot also will identify and encourage adaptive reuse of vacant and underutilized properties and structures and design and implement new transportation alternatives that include light-rail systems. In addition, the Pilot will consolidate Pennsauken's industrial land uses. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Identifying, evaluating, and ranking sites to United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-00-113 nil- a ancl Emergency .. __ Protection Agency Response (5105T) MaV00 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- decide which sites will benefit the community most from cleanup and redevelopment; • Conducting field assessments and evaluations of identified sites; • Designing cleanup and redevelopment plans; and • Organizing and executing community involvement activities to involve the residents in decision making and educate them on the Pilot activities. 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 Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 and Emergency Response (5105T) Solid Waste EPA 500-F-00-113 May 00 ------- |