Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
	Date of Announcement: March 2000 Amount: $150,000 Target Area: City of Birmingham, AL
Profile: The Pilot targets the Birmingham Enterprise Community, Kingston Neighborhood, and the Ensley Community for environmental and economic revitalization.

BACKGROUND

EPA awarded the City of Birmingham supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Birmingham will expand its current brownfields project area to incorporate the Kingston Community, the Birmingham Enterprise Community, and the Ensely Community. The Kingston Community is home to the former Stockham Valve Company. This area has great potential for redevelopment due to its rail access and close proximity to the freeway, airport, and downtown. However, it has remained vacant due to the perception of environmental contamination of the area. Birmingham's federally designated Enterprise Community is home to one of Birmingham's most disadvantaged communities. The project plans to assist with the current socioeconomic problems of this community by redeveloping abandoned industrial buildings and revitalizing the community. The Ensley Community includes one of the city's most notorious brownfields redevelopment sites, the former USX property. Although this 448-acre property is suspected of contamination, there is a great deal of redevelopment interest in this property due to its size and central location.

OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES

The City of Birmingham's goal is to return abandoned industrial lands and buildings in the target areas to productive, environmentally conscious uses. The Pilot will use the supplemental assistance to continue to increase redevelopment activities of these communities, provide additional employment opportunities for community residents, identify new land for business development, and increase tax revenues for the City of Birmingham and the North Birmingham Community.

The Community Enterprises Division of the Mayor's office (CED) will have general supervision of the Pilot. The Birmingham Environmental Clearinghouse (BEC) will be responsible for coordinating daily activities. Residents and members of the business and environmental professional communities will assist in achieving the Pilot's objectives as well.

To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to:

• Develop an inventory of sites in the target areas;

• Perform Phase I assessment of the selected sites;

• Evaluate and perform ASTM Phase II assessment of selected sites;

• Develop a cleanup and redevelopment plan for each site; and

• Leverage resources from stakeholders already interested in redeveloping these areas.

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

CONTACTS

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/