Brownfields 2003 Grant Fact Sheet

Portland Development Commission, OR

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development 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.

CLEANUP GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Portland Development Commission for a cleanup grant. The cleanup grant will target the Northeast Portland Brownfield Opportunity Site, commonly known as the Grant Warehouse, which recently was zoned for residential reuse. Heavy metals, petroleum, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are among the environmental contaminants found at the site.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Portland Development Commission was selected to receive a cleanup grant. The commission has targeted the Grant Warehouse site in the Eliot neighborhood. The Eliot neighborhood contains Portland's highest density minority population. Its residents have a median income 60 percent lower than the county average. Now vacant, the Grant Warehouse site has been used for meat packing, auto repair, metals reclamation, and warehousing. Cleanup and reuse of the site will spur economic activity in a core commercial corridor; support local development plans; transform a nuisance site into needed parking, commercial space, and multifamily housing; and facilitate redevelopment of an adjoining site to the south. The neighborhood groups in the area, including the Environmental Justice Action Group and Eliot Neighborhood Association, will be involved throughout the project.

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://www.epa.gov/r10earth, click on "Superfund", scroll down, and click on "Brownfields"

Grant Recipient: Portland Development Commission, OR
503-823-3243

Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the Portland Development Commission has not received brownfields grant funding.

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.