/ D \ Brownfields 1998 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet \ J Columbus, OH EPA Brownfields Initiative 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. 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. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Background EPA selected the City of Columbus for a Brownfields Pilot. Columbus (population 632,900) is the nation's sixteenth-largest city and has grown significantly over the past two decades. However, this development has moved away from central Columbus, leaving the city's urban core littered with abandoned buildings and former industrial sites. Many of these brownfields exist near the Port Columbus Airport. The resulting high unemployment rate, high crime rate, and a lack of new economic development opportunities led to Columbus being designated a federal Enterprise Community (EC). The unemployment rate within the EC is 16 percent, and the minority population rate is 65 percent. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 07/15/1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets former industrial sites located near the Port Columbus Airport and within the city's federally designated Enterprise Community. 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). EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team (312)886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields) Grant Recipient: Columbus, OH, City of Department of Development (614)645-6427 Objectives Columbus will administer Pilot funding through the Columbus Brownfields Task Force (CBTF), which was formed in 1996 and comprises both public and private sector partners. Pilot funds will be used to perform public outreach and initial environmental assessments at several sites as well as Phase II environmental assessments at two sites. Activities The Pilot has: • Created site identification/prioritization, technical oversight, outreach, and public policy committees for the CBTF; • Completed work on an informational brownfields video and manual for the communities in the targeted area; • Compiled an inventory of 25 sites, and targeted United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-01-037 nil- a ancl Emergency . _. Protection Agency Response (5105T) Jun 01 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- 18 brownfields properties for further investigation; • Conducted assessments on the Cleveland/11th Avenue, Woodland/Woodward, and A.D. Farrows properties; and • Completed Phase I environmental assessments at four sites and Phase II assessments at three sites (These sites include A.D. Farrows, Galli-4 Corners, and Woodland/ Woodward.). A site draft Phase II assessment has been completed for a fourth site. The Pilot is: • Gathering brownfields site-specific information from city agencies, local residents, and former and current property owners; and • Performing Phase II environmental assessments on three sites, with a draft report completed on a fourth site. Experience with the Columbus Pilot has been a catalyst for related activities, including the following: • The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Veterans' Administration (VA) provided a total of $90,000 in funding for Phase I and Phase II assessments under the Voluntary Action Program. • Cleveland and 11th Avenue 4 Corners leveraged $2 million, with the total leveraged assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment dollars equaling more than $38 million. The Pilot has secured 253 current or pledged jobs. • The city was awarded an additional $500,000 grant under EPA's Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot program. • The city was awarded an additional $500,000 grant under EPA's Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot program. 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 c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-01-037 _ . . and Emergency . _. Protection Agency Response (5105T) Jun 01 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- /!T^. Brownfields 1998 Supplemental Assessment I jig) Pilot Fact Sheet S( City of Columbus, OH Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 04/01/2001 Amount: $150,000 Profile: City of Columbus, OH. The Pilot targets eight high-priority brownfields located within the city's urban core, portions of which have been designated a state Enterprise Zone and a federal Enterprise Community. 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). EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team (312)886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields) Grant Recipient: Columbus, OH, City of Department of Development (614)280-0899 EPA Brownfields Initiative 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. 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. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Background EPA has selected the City of Columbus to receive supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Although Columbus has grown significantly over the past two decades, development has moved away from the urban core, leaving many potentially contaminated former industrial sites. Factory closures have contributed to high unemployment and crime rates and a lack of new economic opportunities on land perceived to be contaminated. These problems contributed to the decision to designate portions of the city as a federal Enterprise Community (EC). The city's original Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot focused on Phase I and II environmental assessments of four large industrial sites in the urban core where industries, such as steel, auto parts, smelting, and aviation, once employed thousands of people. The Pilot also helped leverage state, local, and private investment in brownfields sites and expand neighborhood-wide reinvestment projects in the state-designated Enterprise Zone (EZ). With the experience gained from the original Pilot, Columbus is ready to expand its brownfields activities. Objectives Supplemental assistance will be used to assess eight additional brownfields sites using a framework that expands on the original Pilot and includes more community outreach and involvement. Three of the eight target sites are within the state EZ, and one is within the federal EC. The supplemental assistance also will be used to expand community involvement and create partnerships to spur neighborhood-wide reinvestment. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Performing Phase I environmental site assessments at eight sites, four of which are located in the state EZ or federal EC; • Performing at least two Phase II environmental United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-01-312 nil- a ancl Emergency . _. Protection Agency Response (5105*0 Apr°1 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- assessments; • Expanding community involvement and outreach activities; and • Working closely with partners, including those involved with the EZ and EC initiatives, to leverage neighborhood investment. 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 500-F-01-312 Apr 01 ------- |