Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Central Area Development Association, Seattle, WA

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 Central Area Development Association for a brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater beneath the vacant Coleman Building at 2203 East Union Street in Seattle. Funds also will be used to conduct community outreach activities. The contamination at the site is attributed to its use as a dry cleaner from 1962 to 1976.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Central Area Development Association (CADA) was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The CADA is a community development corporation dedicated to revitalizing Seattle's (population 563,375) Central Area. The profile of the Central Area (population 34,053) is very different from that of the City of Seattle. The poverty rate in the area is 19 percent, and 49 percent of residents are minorities. Sixty-two percent of area residents earn 80 percent or less of the city's median income, and 45 percent spend 30 percent or more of their income on rent. The target property, the Coleman Building on East Union Street, is located at an important and highly visible intersection in the Central Area and has been neglected and underutilized for about 20 years. Cleanup of the site will prevent migration of contaminants, removing a potential health risk to the community, and create both economic and housing opportunities in the area. Redevelopment plans for the property include a new, four-story mixed-use building with approximately 5,500 square feet of commercial space on the ground level and 45 affordable residential units on the upper levels. All of the units will be targeted for households with incomes below 50 percent of the city's median income. This revitalization is expected to stimulate additional redevelopment in the Central Area.

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: Central Area Development Association, WA
206-328-2440

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