Brownfields Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
	Date of Announcement: June 1999 Amount: $200,000
Profile: The pilot targets 190 acres in Fort Lauderdale's most economically and environmentally distressed area, the Northwest Progresso Flagler Heights neighborhood.

BACKGROUND

EPA has selected the City of Fort Lauderdale for a Brownfields Pilot. At the turn of the century, the main economy of Fort Lauderdale (population 149,377) was exporting agriculture to northern states. Since the 1920s, tourism and port-related activities have expanded and most of the city has experienced incredible growth in finance, commerce, international trade, and tourism. The Northwest Progresso Flagler Heights community, however, continues to be an exception to that growth. More than 15 percent of the neighborhood's residents are unemployed, 94 percent are African American, and 34 percent live below the poverty level. The neighborhood has been designated a state Enterprise Zone and a city community redevelopment area.

The Pilot targets four sites comprising approximately 190 acres in Northwest Progresso Flagler Heights. Due to its location away from the beaches and waterfront, this neighborhood became home to the city incinerator, a wastewater treatment plant, industrial factories, and numerous junk yards. Often residences are located adjacent to these operations. The targeted sites represent a former commercial strip mall; a portion of the former wastewater treatment plant and the incinerator; a large, deteriorated industrial area containing junkyards, salvage operations, auto repair and body shops; and a 10-acre site that includes 76,000 square feet of building space used for warehouse, manufacturing and industrial purposes. All of the sites are known to be contaminated.

OBJECTIVES

Redevelopment of the neighborhood is a priority for the city, which is building partnerships in the community, seeking additional funding sources, and involving community members in the planning process. The Pilot will help the city further its brownfields program and its efforts to involve the community, businesses, property owners and other stakeholders in the revitalization of the city's central core. The Pilot will complement the city's broader redevelopment strategy to create needed jobs, increase the tax base, eliminate the brownfields stigma, and prevent further environmental degradation. The environmental assessments provided by the Pilot represent a critical first step in cleaning up and redeveloping this neighborhood and bringing it up to par with the rest of the city.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Performing Phase I and II assessments at four targeted sites in the project area;

• Preparing cleanup and redevelopment plans for the four sites;

• Preparing a property inventory of other brownfields in the project area; and

• Conducting public and community outreach to educate, inform, and secure input from stakeholders.

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

CONTACTS

Economic Development Department
(954) 468-1535

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/