Strategies to Minimize Displacement

Community Benefits Agreements

Benefit: Prioritize and
communicate community needs;
create accountability structure
surrounding new development

Introduction

Problem addressed: Community 0 Administered by: A partnership
exclusion from benefits of (C3 including community members,

development

f Scale of impact: Project-based,
* ^ potential for community wide

Brownfields—or properties with environmental contamination or potentially
contaminated land—are disproportionately located in or near communities of
color and low-income communities. Residents near these properties may face
heightened health hazards and economic disinvestment until the site undergoes
assessment and cleanup, which can be a costly and lengthy process.

Safely reusing a brownfield site is an opportunity to improve community health and
bring in new amenities. However, brownfield redevelopment can also exacerbate
affordability and displacement concerns. As costs rise and it becomes more
expensive to live in a community, lower income residents and small businesses are
often displaced. Strong, early community engagement in the brownfields reuse
process presents an opportunity for the community to have a meaningful role and
input on how to minimize displacement through the cleanup and reuse process.
Community leaders, stakeholders, and practitioners can be proactive and put
strategies in place to minimize the risk of displacement. These strategies take time,
resources, and political will to implement, and they are most effective if put into
place before displacement is already occurring.

Community engagement meetings
are crucial to the community benefits
agreement process: which requires the
inputs and perspectives of different
resident groups and community
stakeholders. Image depicts community
members gathering for a discussion
and meeting in the Greater Baltimore,
Maryland area. Image by Ted Eytan,
creative commons license

Tool: Community benefits agreement

Acommunity benefits agreement (CBA) is a legally binding contract between
residents and a private development entity in the context of a development
project in the community. The CBA incorporates the residents' needs and desires
within the planning process and addresses how the community will benefit post-
development. The community is often represented by legal professionals who
negotiate with the development entity in pursuit of their goals and expectations.

city government, and private
sector real estate developers

Questions to
Ask in the
Planning Process

What a re the esta bl ished
priorities and needs of the
community to be addressed in
the CBA?

Howwill the CBAspecifically
support disadvantaged and
historically underserved
residents?

Howwill the community be
engaged during the contract
creation process?

Will community engagement
meetings be held at a
convenient time and place, with
resources like childcare, meals,
and transportation provided?

Does the community have
an expected timelineforthe
process?

Does the community have
an established organization
to oversee the CBA after
the development project
is completed to ensure
its effectiveness and that
residents' needs are being
fulfilled?

BROWNFIELDS AND
LAND DEVITALIZATION

Developed in partnership with EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land

I EPA 56OF-23l.0Q7 I MardiMSl

jj "in Smart Growth America

^¦!I w Improving lives by improving communities


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Non-profit or community-based organizations are also sometimes included to act as a support system and capacity-builder
for residents.

Tips for Success

Including specific priorities such as guaranteed jobs for neighborhood residents,
funding for workforce development programs, and contributions to housing trust
funds can help minimize displacement. Funding allocated to community development
or restoration projects such as libraries, community centers, or grocery stores may
also be included to provide more local resources and amenities. It is important that
specific displacement minimization priorities are included; if not, vague and indirect
goals will make the CBA ineffective and a lost opportunity to minimize displacement.

Potential challenges

CBAs take a considerable amount of time to form and execute because of the
negotiation, collaboration, and discussion that is required to create the agreement,
often with multiple parties from both the private sector and resident groups.

This time commitment, as well as significant costs for legal services, may present
challenges for residents and community groups during the CBA process.

Where to Start

Community benefits agreements are most successful in communities or areas that have a strong alliance or network of
community residents, non-profit organizations, or other groups that share a common vision and goals that they would like to
see after the completion of a development in their community. If your community currently has a network of advocates and
resident-led groups, or has the potential to develop one, community benefits agreements may be a great way to formalize your
community's goals and needs by building on the existing momentum and network.

Resources

This guide bvThe Partnership
for Working Families and the
Community Benefits Law Center
summarizes common challenges and
inefficiencies in community benefits
agreements and provides more
details on the Hill District CBA.

This Tulane Law Center resource
serves as an indexfor many CBAs.

Case Study

In the summer of 2008, The Hill District of Pittsburgh, PA created one of the most comprehensive and successful CBAs	v

in the country with various stakeholder groups including the Pittsburgh Penguins sports team, real estate developers,
the City's Urban Redevelopment Agency, and the One Hill Neighborhood Coalition.

The Hill District is a predominantly African American community and is an important hub for music, jazz, arts, and culture, as
well as an economic center for the city and state. In the 1950s, local officials targeted the community for 'urban renewal' and
the development of a new civic center, which would become the Pittsburgh Penguins National Hockey Team stadium and rink.
Around 1.500 African American families were displaced, and consequently, the arena segregated the Hill District from the
other parts of the city, squandering its economic prosperity and isolating residents. From 1950 to 1990. the Hill District lost
about 70% of its population, and in 1989, more than half of the Hill District residents had an average income under $10,000.
These impacts were rooted in racist land use and planning ideologies and intentionally designed to isolate and disadvantage
communities of color.

In 2007, negotiations stalled as the Penguins pushed for significant public funding to build a new stadium. In response, the One
Hill Neighborhood Coalition created the Hill District CBA in 2008, which represented over 100 community groups, residents,
community-based organizations, and advocates. The CBA would provide over $8 million in financial resources to the Hill
District's residents, as well as a collaborative Master Plan for the future of the Hill District, containing long-term land use and
planning strategies to advance economic growth and sustainable job opportunities. The Penguins pledged $1 million, and the
CBA created a tax-credit program for corporations to contribute up to an additional $6 million for economic development and
other specific projects. The agreement and these contributions led to the establishment of many community resources such as a
grocery store and recreation center.. Once built, a large portion of the arena's staff were Hill District residents. The Hill District
was an early example of a CBA, and many lessons can be learned from how it was implemented over the years.

BROWNFIELDS AND
LAND REVITALIZATION

Links to external, non-EPA resources are provided for informational purposes only. References to external resources do not constitute
an endorsement by EPA, and EPA does not take any responsibility for their content.

Developed in partnership with EPA's Office of Brownfelds and Land	„ Ibmb Smart Growth America

Revitalization (5105T) EPA 560-F-23-007 I March 2023.	^Unr Improving lives by improving communities


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