Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

University of Washington, Tacoma, 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

$178,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the University of Washington, Tacoma, for a brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to support community outreach activities, develop plans for and execute cleanup of the Jefferson Street Association Parcel site in downtown Tacoma. Underground storage tanks and a buried hydraulic lift remain on site and soils are contaminated with petroleum. Currently an unpaved parking lot, the parcel was occupied by a gas station and tire service store from 1934 until 1993.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The University of Washington, Tacoma, was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The University of Washington's Tacoma Campus, a National Historic District, has a population of 2,100 students within the city (population 194,000). As one of the nation's 40 most impoverished communities, Tacoma is a federally recognized Renewal Community. The unemployment rate is 18 percent and approximately 72 percent of area families are classified as low-income families. These economic hardships are compounded by the a number of environmental problems in the area, including the presence of a superfund site and brownfields sites. Efforts to rejuvenate the downtown area are underway, and the redevelopment of brownfields has played a critical role. Cleanup of the target site, the Jefferson Street Association parcel in downtown Tacoma, will eliminate the environmental contaminants on the property. Elimination of the environmental contaminants is expected to reduce worker protection and construction costs associated with the future development of the campus. This grant will allow the university to use the limited state funds for capital improvements required to implement its master plan for redevelopment and revitalization.

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: University of Washington, Tacoma, WA
206-616-0588

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