PILOT SNAPSHOT
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Phoenix, AZ |
Date of Announcement:
September 1997
Amount: $200,000 |
Profile: The Pilot targets the
20-square-mile Rio Salado community, including the federally
designated Enterprise Community, several redevelopment areas,
and neighborhoods adjacent to the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration
Project Area.
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BACKGROUND
EPA selected the City of Phoenix for a
Brownfields Pilot. In 1990, the city's population was 983,403,
with an 18 percent minority rate. The city selected as
the Pilot's focus area the Rio Salado community,
including the federally designated Enterprise Community
(EC), several city-designated redevelopment areas,
and neighborhoods adjacent to the Rio Salado
Habitat Restoration Project Area. The Salt River (Rio
Salado) channel bisects the 20-square-mile targeted area.
The Rio Salado community encompasses several neighborhoods that the city has targeted for revitalization, including Rio Vista and South
Phoenix Village. A mixture of deteriorating homes,
small industrial properties, abandoned structures, and
large expanses of vacant land characterizes the Rio
Salado area. This area has a population of
approximately 28,000, most of whom (88 percent) are minorities.
Nearly half of the households exist at or below
the federal poverty level, and the unemployment rate
is three times the citywide average.
OBJECTIVES
The Pilot plans to establish a program to assist
private property owners and developers in
overcoming brownfields obstacles. The city will seek to
coordinate brownfields activities among several city programs and streamline internal processes. One objective
of the Pilot is to encourage owners and developers
to request city assistance for their brownfields sites.
The Pilot plans to select several high-priority
sites that are good candidates for environmental
restoration and redevelopment activities. The initial
community involvement process will educate community
and neighborhood groups about the brownfields program.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The Pilot has:
- Identified 18 priority brownfields sites,
including one high-profile Pilot site (East Washington
Fluff site) to highlight the existence and effectiveness
of the Phoenix Brownfields Land Recycling Program;
- Completed environmental assessments at
10 targeted sites;
- Created an expedited city development
review process that has been used successfully in
four redevelopment projects;
- Incorporated brownfields information into the
city's General Plan;
- Developed numerous resources to
provide information on the Pilot, including tailored
resource packages, a general information brochure,
a quarterly newsletter called "Brownfields
Bulletin," several articles to promote the brownfields
program, and a brownfields web site;
- Developed an application form and eligibility
criteria that are available to potential customers of
the Phoenix Brownfields Land Recycling Program;
- In conjunction with the Arizona Department
of Environmental Quality, conducted an annual, one-day Phoenix Brownfields Conference for
the general public; and
- Completed activities toward compilation of an inventory of
potential sites within the targeted area.
The Pilot is:
- Continuing discussions and cooperation
among stakeholders such as realtors, developers,
lenders, regulatory agencies, utility companies,
and community groups to promote solutions to brownfields problems; and
- Completing community involvement activities in targeted areas
to solicit community concerns about brownfields and to identify
preferred end uses for those properties.
LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES
Experience with the Phoenix Pilot has been a catalyst for related activities,
including the following:
- An environmental assessment was completed at
the East Washington Fluff site with funds leveraged
by the Pilot.
- The Pilot leveraged the completion of
cleanup activities and the initiation of redevelopment
activities at the Peoria Avenue, West Plaza, Desert
ABCO Market, Metro North Corporate Park, 4211 E. Baseline, and 4616 S. Central sites.
- The Pilot leveraged a total of $19 million for
cleanup and redevelopment activities.
- The Pilot has established a relationship with several lending
institutions to provide information on sources of capital to
site developers, including institutions that fund community
investments for major financial institutions and provide loans
to small and medium-sized businesses.
CONTACTS
City of Phoenix, Office of Environmental Programs
(602) 256-5669
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 9
(415) 744-1207
Visit the EPA Region 9 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/index.html
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/
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