$ K 3 % ro s C3 S2Z Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet Capital City Development Corporation, Boise, ID EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, 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. Addi- tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description The Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC) was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. CCDC is the redevelopment agency for Boise (population 432,345) in Ada County, Idaho. The assessment grant will target brownfields in downtown Boise. The unemployment rate in the downtown area is 5.7 percent. Twenty-three percent of residents in one neighborhood live below the poverty level. Within these communities, there are former industrial sites, rail yards, drycleaners, and repair sites, with real and perceived contamination. This has resulted in little or * New ^2006 $200,000 for hazardous substances Assessment Grant 'i EPA has selected the Capital City Development Corporation for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to perform Phase I and II environmental site assess- ments within downtown Boise, and create an inventory of potential brownfields sites. Funds also will be used for community involvement activities, and an analysis of cleanup alternatives. 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 at: www.epa.gov/ brownfields. EPA Region 10 Brownfields Team 206-553-2100 http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/ sites/bf Grant Recipient: Capital City Development Corporation, ID 208-384-4264 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. no redevelopment just beyond the central business district. Over 50 percent of the parcels in large sections of the target area are vacant or substantially underdevel- oped. Without assessment and eventual cleanup of these areas, development will continue to occur at the fringes in the least sustainable manner, contributing to worsen- ing air quality, more traffic congestion, and higher infrastructure costs. Brownfield grant funds will help CCDC and the community move these underperforming sites into more productive use, providing both direct and indirect long-term economic benefits. Brownfields redevelopment will add vitality to downtown Boise, Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-06-196 May 2006 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- provide a boost to retail businesses, reduce environ- mental and congestion problems, and increase jobs and median income levels. ------- |