Brownfields 2003 Grant Fact Sheet

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, Oakland, CA

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 petroleum
EPA has selected the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit for a cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct cleanup activities at the 4-acre Fruitvale Transit Village site in the 3500 and 3600 blocks of East 12th Street in Oakland. Petroleum hydrocarbons have been detected at the site, which appears to have several underground storage tanks. While the site is currently a paved parking lot, it has been the location of a variety of auto service and sales related businesses.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District was selected to receive a cleanup grant. The city has targeted a brownfield in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, a disadvantaged area of 56,000 residents with a minority population of 92 percent. More than a third of Fruitvale District residents live in poverty. Cleanup and redevelopment of the brownfield will lead to construction of an indoor public market and mixed-income residential dwellings, which will complete the master plan for the Fruitvale Transit Village and offer minority residents an opportunity for home ownership. A community-based, collaborative approach to encourage active involvement by the under-served community will be expanded to include more residents and neighborhood groups.

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 9 Brownfields Team
415-972-3188
http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/

Grant Recipient: San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, CA
510-464-6000

Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit 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.