Brownfields
Success Story
Redevelopment Yields Much-Needed
Affordable Housing
Seattle, Washington
Rainier Court is one of the largest redevelopment projects in southeast Seattle's Rainier
Valley. Once completed, it will consist of five phases, including mixed-use developments
offering low-income housing and commercial space in a historically underserved, highly
diverse community.
SouthEast Effective Development (SEED), a local nonprofit, leads the effort. In 1996, in
partnership with local agencies, SEED began acquiring and assembling the 90 parcels
of land that would ultimately become the Rainier Court campus. Phases I through III
are complete, and Rainier Court IV is under construction, with a fifth phase planned.
All the sites have been or will be cleaned by both removing and capping contaminated
soils. SEED used the same approach of partnering with local agencies and remediating
contamination to construct the nearby Claremont development.
The project is a case study in the community-driven efforts to remediate brownfields. It
illustrates how these properties can be revitalized into community assets, providing new
housing and jobs that spur additional investment in the area.
The Challenge
Contamination, dilapidation and other factors made initial investment in the area difficult.
SEED'S proposed project was large and ambitious, proving that tax credit projects would
work in southeast Seattle.
"SEED was one of the first groups to try to reinvest in the neighborhood," says
Tina Hochwender, who allocates the Washington State Department of Commerce's
Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund. "It took a long time for others to buy into the need for
funds and continued investment."
Land assembly has been a major effort, with some properties having long lists of former
owners. SEED'S redevelopment project really got off the ground only after the city
provided millions of dollars for land acquisition. The city has since labeled southeast
Seattle a future growth area, making investments to promote residential expansion there.
Jeanne LeDuc, director of real estate development at SEED, says, "These projects are
complicated, critical and require the support of many funding agencies."
In addition to funding from SEED and the City of Seattle, the Rainer Court and Claremont
redevelopment projects received funding from:
• The Washington State Department of Commerce, which uses a Brownfield Revolving
Loan Fund grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
£EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA Grant Recipient:
SouthEast Effective Development,
the Washington State Department of
Commerce and King County, Washington
Grants and Resources:
Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund and
Cleanup Grants, Targeted Brownfield
Assistance
Former Uses:
Illegal Dumping Ground, Vehicle Storage,
Maintenance and Salvage, Welding and
Fabrication, Residential
Current Use:
Affordable Housing and Retail
Redevelopment in this historically underserved
neighborhood has involved demolishing
existing buildings and excavating contaminated
soils and underground storage tanks.
Rainier Court IV and V will add more
than 80 units of affordable housing in
southeast Seattle.

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ia Garciei
nes of
•	A nonprofit community development financial institution, which helped with land
development and assembly
•	Programs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which helped cover
infrastructure costs, including a water line and curbed and guttered sidewalks
•	King County, Which provided EPA Brownfields funds to the project
•	Other sources, such as tax credits and permanent lenders
Rainier Court signaled in the housing community that southeast Seattle was not as
challenging as it had been perceived to be by investors and bankers. Developers could
successfully build in this community, provide affordable housing and get tax credits and
other incentives.
The Cleanup
The area that became Rainier Court, which covers more than six acres in total, had largely
been used as an illegal clumping ground by the community and industry. The property
had also been used for vehicle storage, maintenance and salvage operations, welding and
fabrication operations, and small private residences, many of which had underground
storage tanks for heating oil These uses contaminated the land and groundwater with
carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; metals such as arsenic, lead, iron and
cadmium; diesel; and oil-range petroleum hydrocarbons.
Prior to purchasing the properties, SEED conducted due diligence to understand the
scope of remediation required. After existing structures were demolished to make way
for redevelopment, workers excavated contaminated soils, removed underground storage
tanks and capped the remaining soils onsite to ensure people did not come into contact
with the contamination.
Michael Warfel, site manager for the Voluntary Cleanup Program at the Washington
State Department of Ecology, says, "During construction, Whatever contamination
remained at depths greater than three feet was capped by the new buildings and
sidewalks. Completion of Rainier Court's final phase will include monitoring wells and an
environmental covenant, to continually confirm that human health and the environment
are protected."
The Benefits
Today, the neighborhood has a mix of uses, access to a light rail line, a grocery store, a
post office, a credit union, and six- and seven-story structures along Rainier Avenue, one
of two predominant arterials in southeast Seattle.
The Rainier Court and Claremont projects created an estimated 140 cleanup jobs and
more than 600 units of affordable housing (524 completed and 81 underway), totaling
more than 591,000square feet of residential and commercial space. The properties are
generating sales and property tax revenue to help support the community.
Through these efforts, a large contaminated area in southeast Seattle was remediated
and the land repurposed for affordable housing. In the last decade, With the explosion of
housing costs, any type of affordable housing is important to avoid displacing residents.
SEED and its partners try to involve the community in the redevelopment, and to ensure
that the benefits, like new jobs and retail, will help retain residents, not displace them.
Scott O'Dowd, who works on policy for the Washington State Department of Ecology's
Toxics Cleanup Program, says, "We are hopeful that, as projects like this build
momentum, affordable housing developers will see that assistance is available to help
them work through contaminated properties. It gives them a wider range of properties to
consider and more chances for success."
Without the funds
needed to address
the environmental
issues predominant
in southeast
Seattle, these
projects really
wouldn't have had
a chance.
Jeanne LeDuc,
Director of
Real Estate Development,
SEED Seattle
For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields website
at www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact
Susan Morales at 202-553-7299 or
Morales.Susan@epa.gov.
BBS 560-R9-166
August 2011

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