Technical Assistance Success Stories | EPA #560F23299 March 2023 Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment FUNDING/FINANCING CHARRETTE - INDIANAPOLIS, IN (EPA REGION 5) SITE STATISTICS • Community: Near Northwest (NNW) Area - Indianapolis, Indiana • Local project leads: Groundwork Indy and the City of Indianapolis • Brownfields technical assistance: Funding/financing charrette to highlight priority redevelopment projects in the NNW Area and create an action plan with the guidance of potential Federal, State, and local funders. PROJECT BACKGROUND The NNW Area in Indianapolis, IN includes approximately 8,000 residents, of which 90 percent are people of color. Almost 35 percent of properties in the area have been vacant for decades, leading to crime, illegal entry, vandalism, and trash dumping. Poor air, water, soil, and indoor air quality are causing significant health concerns. In 2021, the U.S. EPA Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) provided technical assistance (TA) to the NNW Area to update its existing brownfield inventory in the waterway corridors, meet with residents, and help the Community-Led Environmental Action Project (C-LEAP) Steering Committee understand, distill, and prioritize environmental issues iri the NNW Area from the community's perspective. This resulted in the preparation of the C-LEAP Environmental Action Plan, which addressed community concerns to guide redevelopment. PROJECT CHALLENGE The C-LEAP Environmental Action Plan identified several priority projects in the NNW Area and outlined next steps; however, the community needed additional TA to identify a funding strategy and other resources to implement the projects. This provided an opportunity to conduct a funding/financing charrette to allow residents to engage potential funders, learn about available grants, and receive feedback on how to best position redevelopment projects for potential funding options. HOW EPA HELPED In 2022, OBLR provided TA to design and conduct a funding/financing charrette for the NNW Area. The TA included the following support: • Charrette Design: Weekly calls were held with a Sponsor Group of local stakeholders to select key themes from the C-LEAP Plan and identify a list of redevelopment projects, programs, and physical interventions that could be matched with potential funding sources during the funding-financing charrette. The Sponsor Group selected the following themes as focuses for the charrette: Community Health. Beautification, and Water Management; Connectivity and Public Safety; Brownfields; and Vacant Properties. • Connecting Stakeholders to Funders: The Sponsor Group identified Federal, State, and local funders; leaders from City departments; and leaders from local organizations to invite to the charrette. Invites were based on each stakeholders potential role as a funder or in redevelopment project implementation. • Development of Action Plan: The charrette helped to identify needed resources and plan next steps to support redevelopment project implementation. An action plan was created with the guidance of potential funding partners to enable the NNW Area to prioritize and implement immediate actions based on the themes discussed. COMMUNITY'S NEXT STEPS • Charge the Environmental Action Team with the next steps that are detailed in the final charette memorandum. • Continue to build a network of resources and apply for grants to support the implementation of catalytic projects • Educate and empower residents to increase environmental awareness to support a sustained, transparent, and effective community-led drive toward environmental justice. Questions? Please contact EPA Region 5: Brittney Nadler Figure 1: NNW Area Footprint. ------- |