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White House Press Release
WHITE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE: Tuesday, March 17, 1998VICE PRESIDENT GORE NAMES 16 "SHOWCASE COMMUNITIES" UNDER "BROWNFIELDS" PROGRAMCommunities to Receive Funds and Other Aid As Models of Innovative Environmental Cleanup and RevitalizationCONTACT: 202-456-7035WASHINGTON, DC -- Vice President Gore today named the 16 cities to receive $28 million in targeted, Administration-wide assistance and serve as models of innovative environmental cleanup and economic revitalization. The announcement is part of the Administration's efforts to clean up Brownfields -- abandoned, contaminated properties -- and return them to thriving centers of America's communities. "Across the nation, abandoned industrial properties are robbing communities and neighborhoods of the opportunity to share in the nation's economic progress," the Vice President said. "This Administration has taken action to help cities and communities clean up these Brownfields and enable them to serve as sources of economic vitality, of jobs, and of community pride." The 16 communities -- designated as Brownfields Showcase Communities -- will receive about $28 million in funding and coordinated technical assistance from 15 federal agencies for environmental cleanup and economic revitalization as part of the Administration's Brownfields National Partnership -- the single, largest federal commitment to clean up and redevelop brownfields. The first Showcase Communities include: Baltimore, MD, Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX, East Palo Alto, CA, Eastward Ho! (Southeast FL), Glen Cove, NY, Kansas City, KS and MO, Los Angeles, CA, Lowell, MA, Portland, OR, The State of Rhode Island, St. Paul, MN, Salt Lake City, UT, Seattle, WA, Stamford, CT, and Trenton, NJ. Brownfields are abandoned pieces of land -- usually in inner city areas -- with real or perceived contamination from previous industrial use. These sites do not qualify as Superfund toxic waste National Priority sites because they do not pose a serious public health risk to the community. Due to the stigma of contamination and legal barriers to redevelopment, however, businesses do not buy the land and sites remain roped off, unproductive, and vacant. Developers choose to locate in "green" areas outside the city, while the urban centers continue to deteriorate. The Administration's Brownfields Redevelopment efforts are an important part of the President's overall community empowerment agenda, designed to create new opportunities and revitalization tools for our nation's communities. "By working to transform Brownfields into hubs of economic activity, we will create new jobs, new revenue, and new opportunity. This partnership brings together government, business, community leaders, and citizens to guarantee stronger and healthier neighborhoods for the 21st century -- places where our children can grow, our families can thrive, and the economy is sure to prosper," said the Vice President. Since 1993, the Administration has taken a series of steps to clean up and redevelop Brownfields and return them to productive use, including creating a national model to determine the best way to revitalize communities; providing $21 million in seed money to 121 communities for revitalization; removing legal barriers to redevelopment; and providing a targeted tax incentive to businesses that purchase and cleanup these sites. Communities from Cleveland to Sacramento are gaining new jobs, a new tax base, and new hope. The first 16 Brownfields Showcase Communities -- chosen from over 231 applicants -- are located in diverse areas across the country and vary in size and resources. As Showcase Communities, each city will receive a wide range of targeted federal resources and support and will serve as a model for future cooperative efforts among federal, state, and local governments and the private sector in cleaning up and revitalizing Brownfields. The Vice President chairs the Community Empowerment Board (CEB), which oversees various initiatives designed to bring together distressed communities to develop plans for revitalization. In May, 1997, Vice President Gore announced the Brownfields National Partnership -- a two-year federal investment of $300 million for Brownfields cleanup and redevelopment -- which will bring together the resources of more than 15 Federal agencies to collaborate and address local cleanup and revitalization issues. It will leverage $5 to $28 billion in private investment, help create up to 196,000 new jobs and save thousands of acres of undeveloped "green" areas from the bulldozer.
SHOWCASE COMMUNITIES" BALTIMORE, MARYLAND ($1.5 million) Between 1970 - 1990, Baltimore lost fifty percent of its port and manufacturing jobs, leaving behind more than 1,000 acres of brownfields. Over the past several years, with the help of an EPA Brownfields pilot grant, participation in EPA's Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund program and designation as a Federal Empowerment Zone, Baltimore's Brownfields Initiative has cleaned up over 30 brownfields and brought life back to neighborhoods across the city. As a Showcase Community project, Baltimore will receive up to $1.5 million to further enable the city to create community-based private/public partnerships to cleanup, redevelop and revitalize its neighborhoods. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ($2.4 million) In 1993, the City of Chicago created its Brownfields Initiative to link environmental cleanup with industrial real estate development. With the help of an EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant, HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantees and designation as a Federal Empowerment Zone, Chicago has already leveraged $57.6 million from public and private sources to return the city's abandoned industrial properties to productive use. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Chicago will receive up to $2.4 million from the participating Federal agencies to enhance its ability to move forward on cleanup of brownfields, develop public policies that encourage responsible land reuse, and serve as a model for cities across the country. DALLAS, TEXAS ($1.1 million) The City of Dallas is returning brownfield properties into productive use for the community. With over six sites in the cleanup and redevelopment process, hundreds of jobs created and over $110 million funds leveraged from private and public sources, Dallas is a model for cities across the nation of working in partnership with government to clean up and redevelop abandoned industrial properties and revitalize local neighborhoods. The City has partnered with several Federal agencies in this effort, including: the Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarding a $1.5M grant to assist in the McCommas Bluff Brownfields Project; HUD providing $155,000 Community Development Block Grant funds for this same project; and EPA's Brownfields Pilot grant to assess environmental cleanup needs throughout the city. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Dallas will receive up to $1.1 million to further expand opportunities for cleanup and redevelopment throughout the city and help the city to serve as a leader in revitalization. EAST PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA ($1.6 million) As an historically agricultural community, the City of East Palo Alto has begun efforts to cleanup and redevelop its brownfield areas and broaden its economic base. The city is focusing its redevelopment efforts on three areas, including the Ravenswood Industrial Area which is targeted to generate over $1 million per year in tax revenues. With the help of an EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant, the city is beginning construction on its brownfields projects. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, East Palo Alto will receive up to $1.6 million in federal resources to assist its efforts to transform the city from a community described as "in need" during the 1996 Vice Presidential debates, to a national example of successful public/private partnerships and revitalization. GLEN COVE, NEW YORK ($1.4 million) The City of Glen Cove plans to redevelop 146 acres of former heavy industrial and manufacturing properties along the City's waterfront district. Attracting new businesses to these restored sites is expected to create 1,700 full-time jobs and over $200 million in annual sales. With the help of an EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant, a $15,000 grant from NOAA, a HUD Community Development Block Grant and a partnership with the State of New York, the city is leveraging resources to begin its restoration efforts. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Glen Cove will receive up to $1.4 million to assist its efforts to return the waterfront to a vibrant area and source of revenue from commercial fishing, industry, tourism and recreation. KANSAS CITY, MO & KS ($2.5 million) These two cities are working together to cleanup and redevelop a bi-state urban core area known as the Central Industrial District which straddles the Missouri and Kansas state line and has convenient access to interstate, rail and barge transportation. The area was once a national center for stockyard, meat packing, agricultural, railroad and manufacturing industries, but floods and economic changes displaced much of its industrial base and half of its jobs. With the help of EPA Brownfields Pilot Grants, designation as a HUD Enhanced Enterprise Community, and assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service, the cities are working together to cleanup and revitalize their neighborhoods. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, these cities will together receive up to $2.5 million in additional federal funds as they work toward a regional plan to integrate the brownfields redevelopment strategy into the many economic, physical and social aspects of each city's plans, including the $234 million restoration of historic Union Station. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA ($3.3 million) Cleaning up and redeveloping the thousands of brownfields in Los Angeles is critical to rebuilding its inner city areas. The Los Angeles Brownfields Program is part of a strategic plan to maximize opportunities created by the Alameda Corridor project-a comprehensive revitalization effort which will improve traffic patterns, reduce congestion, improve air quality, and enhance the area's marketability. The city has already leveraged $8 million in funding to begin cleanup and construct a new prison site and the South Central Renaissance Industrial Park. The city has also committed $1 million in Community Development Block Grant Funds to establish a Brownfields Revitalization Fund, and is designated a Federal Empowerment Zone. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Los Angeles will receive up to $3.3 million in funding to help its inner city revitalization efforts. LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS ($2.8 million) Once one of New England's major industrial and manufacturing centers, over the last few decades the City of Lowell has seen a steady decline in its manufacturing base, leaving behind dozens of abandoned industrial facilities and a staggering economy. With the help of an EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant, designation as a Federal Enterprise Community, and a partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the city has leveraged over $100 million to redevelop the North Canal Brownfields area, which will be home to two sports facilities, restored historical architectural sites and added space for the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. The city has identified 17 industrial properties requiring environmental cleanup. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, the city will receive up to $2.8 million in additional Federal resources to continue its efforts toward economic revitalization and further re-position itself for the 21st century. PORTLAND, OREGON ($1.1 million) Portland is Oregon's oldest and largest industrial, shipping, and commercial center, and has the highest concentration of brownfields in the state. The city's commitment and success in Brownfields redevelopment is demonstrated by several revitalization projects, including a $20 million science and industry museum and a $260 million sports area. To help its revitalization efforts, Portland has created several federal partnerships, including an EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant, a Federal Enterprise Community and other partnerships with the U.S. Department of Transportation and Economic Development Administration. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Portland will receive up to $1.1 million in additional federal funding to help create jobs and enhance environmental quality through the cleanup and redevelopment of the North Macadam District, the South Waterfront Redevelopment Area, the River District, and the Central Streetcar Project. ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA ($1.1 million) Based on earlier successes, Saint Paul expects that cleanup and redevelopment of the city's 1,000 acres of brownfields will create as many as 13,000 new jobs and $25 million in annual property tax revenues. The state's voluntary brownfields investigation and cleanup program is one of the first in the county. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, St. Paul will receive up to $1.1 million in federal resources to continue evaluating options and facilitating community based planning sessions at two brownfields sites-a former steel factory and an abandoned industrial site along the shore of the Mississippi River. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH ($1.1 million) Salt Lake City's brownfields initiative-the Gateway Project-is a comprehensive effort to connect the west and east sides of Salt Lake City by rejuvenating the 650-acre, blighted industrial district that currently divides it into livable, mixed-use urban neighborhoods. While this area is just three blocks from the vibrant Main Street, it is plagued by environmental contamination, severe crime, and poor accessibility. The city has developed a master plan that includes new infrastructure, "green" areas, job creation, crime prevention, and cultural anchors such as the Delta Center sports arena and the Triad Center business complex. The city is scheduled to host the 2002 Winter Olympics' figure skating competition at its new sports arena. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Salt Lake City will receive up to $1.1 million in federal resources to help redevelop its blighted, abandoned industrial areas into livable urban neighborhoods. SEATTLE/KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON ($1.1 million) Eighty years of intense industrial use has left much of the Duwamish industrial corridor abandoned and unusable, with contamination resulting from discharges, spills, dust, and dredging. It is the most highly concentrated industrial area in the State of Washington and encompasses more than 8,500 acres. With the help of an EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant and designation as both a Federal Enterprise Community and Washington State Community Empowerment Zone, the Duwamish Coalition Project has leveraged roughly $1.9 million to stimulate redevelopment of contaminated, vacant, or underutilized industrial lands along this corridor. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Seattle and King County will receive up to $1.1 million to continue cleaning up contamination and bringing new industries, jobs and economic value to the region's industrial center. SOUTHEAST FLORIDA (EASTWARD HO!) ($2 million) The Eastward Ho! Brownfields Partnership is a coalition of public, private, and non-profit community organizations, including local, state, regional and federal government agencies, that serve as one arm of a larger strategic plan to direct future growth toward southeast Florida urban areas and away from the threatened Everglades. The Eastward Ho! Corridor extends approximately 115 miles along the coast, contains two EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant projects, four state brownfields pilot projects, one Federal Enterprise Community, three State designated Enterprise Zones, one state designated Sustainable Community, and numerous Community Development Block Grant target areas. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, the Eastward Ho! Brownfields Partnership will receive up to $2 million in federal resources to continue its efforts to develop progressive cleanup and redevelopment strategies that protect the environment and stimulate economic growth. STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT ($979,000) As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Stamford will receive up to $979,000 in funding as well as targeted assistance from 15 federal agencies to cleanup and revitalize three local brownfields in two low-income neighborhoods along the city's harbor. The project will foster cleanup at a 40- acre former gas plant to make way for commercial and housing complexes, a sports arena, a fire station and a ferry terminal. A 17-acre former fuel and oil depot will be targeted for clean up and converted to park land, housing complexes and office space. And, a 22-acre former manufacturing complex and foundry will be cleaned up and rebuilt for housing, retail and industrial use. Redevelopment of these sites is expected to leverage $370 million in private investment, and create 600 construction and 1,300 permanent jobs. Stamford is currently a State Enterprise Zone; a State Neighborhood Revitalization Zone; Community Development Block Grant Target Area; and a HUD HOPE VI Project Area. THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND ($1.8 million) The City of Providence has taken action to cleanup and revitalize the many neighborhoods along the Woonasquatucket River and Blackstone River corridors. With the help of an EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant, and Federal Enterprise Community and State Enterprise Zone designations, the city has committed $3 million for park and green space improvements. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, the city will receive up to $1.8 million in federal resources to cleanup and redevelop two brownfields-the Riverside Mills site, a 6-acre former oil storage and illegal dump site in the Olneyville neighborhood, and the Lincoln Lace and Braid site, a vacant 9-acre former industrial area in the Hartford section of the city. Restoration of these two sites will have an immediate positive environmental and economic impact in the surrounding neighborhoods, and will provide the essential links for creating a "greenway" along the river and into downtown Providence. TRENTON, NEW JERSEY ($2.1 million) As an old industrial city, Trenton's urban fabric is laced with brownfields sites, both in concentrated industrial areas and interspersed within residential neighborhoods. With the help of an EPA Brownfields Pilot Grant and as a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund pilot, the city has already cleaned up and redeveloped more than 30 brownfields, covering nearly 100 acres. One of these properties has leveraged an estimated $90 million to construct a new shopping center and office complex, creating more than 400 jobs. The City's partnerships with state and federal agencies have been key to the city's ability to move forward with its brownfields revitalization strategy. As a Brownfields Showcase Community, Trenton will receive up to $2.1 million in federal resources to further demonstrate that a small city with limited resources can undertake a citywide brownfields cleanup and redevelopment effort and yield real environmental and economic benefits to its communities.
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