PILOT SNAPSHOT
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Date of Announcement: May 1998
Amount: $200,000 |
Profile: The Pilot targets two demonstration sites within the Everett Avenue Urban Renewal District. The District is comprised of 43 acres of underdeveloped industrial and commercial land.
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BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Chelsea for a Brownfields Pilot. Chelsea is a
waterfront suburb of Boston. Approximately one-third of the city's
2.2 square miles is commercial or industrial land that once housed
heavy industries or currently serves as industrial storage. Many
of these sites in the city are vacant or underused properties
preventing safe public access to the city's waterfront and border
the city's residential neighborhoods. Nearly one-quarter of the
city's 28,710 residents live below the poverty line, per capita
and household incomes are two-thirds of the state average, and
unemployment is 2% higher than the state average. In addition,
almost half of the city's residents are minorities.
The Pilot will focus on the 43-acre Everett Avenue Urban Renewal
District. The district comprises the highest concentration of
contiguous, underused land in the city and is located near the
regional highway system, downtown Boston, Logan Airport, and other
recently redeveloped land. The area is characterized by unknown
contamination and a fear of liability, which has hindered cleanup
and redevelopment.
OBJECTIVES
The city's objective is to unlock the economic potential of the Everett Avenue
Urban Renewal District's brownfields by conducting environmental
assessments, and educating and involving local residents. The
Pilot will assess and plan for the cleanup of an 8-acre portion
of the 43-acre targeted area that the city will acquire through
negotiation or eminent domain in early 1998. The Pilot also will
conduct initial site investigations in the publicly-owned areas
of the remaining 35 acres of the district, to gather information
to support efforts to persuade private property owners that cleanup
and redevelopment is a viable option.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
- Reviewing the results of a previously conducted preliminary investigation
of the Everett Avenue Urban Renewal District, in order to guide
Pilot sampling activities;
- Conducting detailed sampling in the eight-acre portion of
the target area to characterize the extent and degree of contamination
and the risks to human health and the environment;
- Preparing cleanup plans for the eight-acre parcel to facilitate
redevelopment;
- Conducting limited sampling of publicly-owned land in the
remaining 35-acre target area; and
- Performing community outreach, including supporting public
meetings, and communicating the results of environmental testing
in the district.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject
to change.
CONTACTS
Department of Planning and Development
City of Chelsea
(617) 889-8233
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 1
(617) 573-9681
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/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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