PILOT SNAPSHOT |
Date of Announcement:
August 1997
Amount: $200,000 |
| Profile: The Pilot targets approximately 2,500
acres of the former Stapleton International Airport as well
as 640 acres currently part of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal
to be purchased by Commerce City. |
BACKGROUND
EPA Region 8 has selected the Cities of Denver and Commerce
City for a Regional Brownfields Pilot. The Pilot targets approximately
2,500 acres of the former Stapleton International Airport (SIA),
as well as 640 acres currently part of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal
to be purchased by Commerce City pursuant to Federal legislation.
A groundwater plume, contaminated by chlorinated solvents, originates
from the Montbello Industrial Park and passes through the property;
the source of the plume is not related to SIA.
Northeast Denver is now experiencing a dramatic transformation
as several contaminated properties in the general vicinity of
SIA are being cleaned up and converted to productive use. Three
significant public sites, including SIA, are all undergoing historical
changes, as they close and are redeveloped. In addition, the Sand
Creek Brownfields Pilot borders this Pilot's targeted property.
Through these efforts, the area has demonstrated its commitment
to community involvement in planning for redevelopment.
The Pilot project will affect about 58,000 Denver area residents-all
of Commerce City and several northeast Denver neighborhoods (North
Park Hill, Northeast Park Hill, Montbello, and East Monclair).
The 1990 unemployment rates in these neighborhoods range from
8.52 to 15.6 percent, with 1989 poverty rates ranging from 13.2
to 28.2 percent. These neighborhoods have minority populations
from 44 to 96 percent, as compared to the 35 percent minority
population average for the City of Denver. For many years, these
residential communities have been impacted by the presence of
large military facilities, as well as by extensive industrial
development along the Denver-Commerce City boundary. Redevelopment
of SIA, which is directly adjacent to these disadvantaged communities,
will assist in the improvement of their economic status and environmental
conditions.
In the past few years, Denver has undergone a significant shift
in its job base. A majority of the new jobs anticipated from redevelopment
efforts related to this Pilot will be created for local residents.
The Pilot offers an opportunity to enhance the strengths of the
neighborhoods that have grown up around it by providing employment
and job-training opportunities, extensive parks, trails and open
spaces, and a diversity of housing options. The integration of
jobs and housing is part of an overall strategy to increase access
to the area and reduce vehicle miles and regional air quality
impacts.
OBJECTIVES
The Pilot's focus is to facilitate the revitalization and redevelopment of
the northern zone of SIA and the Commerce City parcel. The Pilot
aims to reverse environmental and economic trends and blighting,
increase assessed property value and private investment, increase
the quantity and quality of employment opportunities, and reclaim
potentially valuable property for mixed-use development. Specific
milestones critical to achieving this redevelopment include the
identification and review of baseline conditions at the sites
to establish the extent of contamination. The tasks planned through
the Pilot, including site assessment and the education of local
residents and specific community sectors, will benefit the entire
area through improved economic and environmental conditions.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The Pilot will:
- Review and evaluate the quality and extent of existing sampling and analytical data;
- Conduct a risk assessment to quantify the human health and ecological risks resulting from a groundwater plume of chlorinated solvents;
- Prepare a corrective measures study to evaluate and select appropriate remedial measures if the risk assessment indicates that the plume presents an unacceptable level of human health risk;
- Prepare informational outreach materials for appraisers, lenders, builders, potential buyers, and the general public to explain the health and ecological risks associated with this property; and
- Develop a strategy to provide regulatory relief, tax incentives,
and/or creative financing solutions for buyers, lenders, and
developers.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore,
activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
CONTACTS:
Myles Carter
City and County of Denver
Department of Aviation
(303) 342-2200
(ext. 2628)
Beth Conover
Stapleton Development Corporation
(303) 295-7900
Pat Smith
U.S. EPA - Region 8
(303) 312-6803
smith.patricia@epamail.epa.gov
Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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