O - Brownfields 2015 Area-Wide Planning Grant Fact Sheet
Duluth, MN
pro^vC"
EPA Brownfields Program
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. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and
communities around the country clean up and revitalize
brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial
assistance to eligible applicants through competitive grant
programs for brownfields site assessment, site cleanup,
revolving loan funds, area-wide planning, and job training.
Additional funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.
Brownfields Area-Wide Planning
Program
EPA's Brownfields Area-Wide Planning
Program assists communities in responding
to local brownfields challenges,
particularly where multiple brownfield
sites are in close proximity, connected by
infrastructure, and limit the economic,
environmental and social prosperity of
their surroundings. This program enhances
EPA's core brownfields assistance
programs by providing grant funding to
communities so they can perform the
research needed to develop an area-wide
plan and implementation strategies for
brownfields assessment, cleanup, and
reuse. The resulting area-wide plans
provide direction for future brownfields
area improvements that are protective of
public health and the environment,
economically viable, and reflective of the
community's vision for the area.
Project Description
$200,000.00
EPA has selected the City of Duluth as a
Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant recipient.
The city will work with the community and other
stakeholders to develop an area-wide plan and
implementation strategy for the Western Port
Area Neighborhoods (WPAN). The WPAN
includes two residential neighborhoods bounded
by a 55-acre former rail yard, a 255-acre former
industrial site, and an interstate highway. The
grant will provide an opportunity to move the
collective vision of extant plans for the WPAN
toward their much-needed implementation. Grant
funds will be a key resource to help the city work
with citizens to prioritize projects and establish a
specific implementation strategy. The project area
will be evaluated for its economic, market,
infrastructure, traffic, urban design, connectivity,
and brownfield characteristics. Brownfield site
reuse planning will be done on five catalyst sites,
and the resulting area-wide plan will provide a
strategic framework that includes prioritization,
timelines, and necessary funding. Key partners
who will work with the city on this project include
St. Louis River Alliance, Minnesota Brownfields,
West Duluth Business Club, Duluth Seaway Port
Authority, Local Initiatives Support Corporation,
Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority,
Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Planning
Commission, Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency, and Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic Development.
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).
United States	_ . w__tp
Environmental	EPA 560-F-15-013
Protection Agency	Re™S(51<»T)	M,rdl2015
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (Si us )

-------
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
(312)353-8827
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http: //www.epa. go v/region5brownfields/)
Grant Recipient: City of Duluth, Minnesota, MN
(218)730-5324
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 560-F-15-013
March 2015

-------