Brownfields Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
	Date of Announcement: June 1999 Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a 13-acre former textile mill and a 7-acre railroad site near the downtown area.

BACKGROUND

EPA has selected the City of Anderson for a Brownfields Pilot. Like many cities in the South, Anderson (population 28,400) was built upon the cotton industry. "The Electric City" was also the first southern city to have an unlimited power supply and have electricity transmitted to it over long-distance lines. Although Anderson has reversed its post-cotton economic decline—the unemployment rate is just 4 percent—it has been left with the legacy of the abandoned and contaminated textile mills that once made it prosper.

The Pilot targets two brownfields sites in Anderson: a 13-acre abandoned textile mill and a 7-acre railroad site. The Anderson Mill was one of the city's main employers for years and specialized in buffing cloth. The mill changed hands several times until it was eventually ravaged by fire in 1995. The site now sits abandoned and deteriorating. The railroad site has a track bisecting the property, with a vacant parcel on the south side and office space on the north. Both of the sites contain known and suspected contamination: the former mill is contaminated by heavy metals, chemicals, and leaky drums, and the railroad property is potentially contaminated from its use as a railyard and a lumber mill that operated on the site for many years.

OBJECTIVES

In 1995, the City of Anderson began formulating a master plan to revitalize its downtown historic district in response to community requests for improvement. Citizen-advisory and steering committees, local businesses, banks, and local residents worked together with the Chamber of Commerce and other city organizations to create a master plan for the community. Since then, significant work has been done to revamp the downtown area, including refurbishing the historic courthouse, renewing building facades, repairing fountains, and installing greenspaces. This work has boosted civic pride and attracted new business to the area. The two brownfields targeted by the Pilot have been identified as presenting barriers to the successful revitalization of the downtown area. After the Pilot assesses the two properties, the city plans to clean up and redevelop the properties so that the environmental hazards are eliminated and new commercial, transportation, and public facilities can be created. Reuse of the textile mill will provide a new National Guard Armory, a facility to hold events, and a small industrial park. The railroad property is slated to contain a new transportation center, including a police substation. The sites are both located near the downtown area and require no re-zoning.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Conducting Phase I assessments, and Phase II assessments if necessary, at the two targeted sites;
• Preparing cost analyses and cleanup plans for the sites;
• Preparing a project summary report for the city and residents; and
• Conducting community outreach activities, such as holding neighborhood meetings and creating informational materials.

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

CONTACTS

Division of Community Planning and Development
(864) 231-2230

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 4
(404) 562-8661

Visit the EPA Region 4 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/

For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/