Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
	Date of Announcement: March 2000 Amount: $150,000
Target Area: Mystic Valley Development Corporation (Malden, Medford, & Everett), MA Profile: The Pilot targets 200 acres of blighted industrial land for cleanup and redevelopment into a state-of-the-art telecommunications research and development park.

BACKGROUND

EPA awarded the Mystic Valley Development Corporatio supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. The three communities that established the cooperative - Malden, Medford, and Everett are located in an urbanized area five miles north of Boston. The area's manufacturing and industrial activities historically centered around the Malden River and abutting railroads. In recent years, manufacturing has declined in Malden by 13 percent, in Everett by 61 percent, and in Medford by 79 percent. Each community has a lower per capita income than the state average, and the average poverty rate in the project area is 9.1 percent.

The three cities have joined together on a project to construct a state-of-the-art telecommunications research and development park, called TeleCom City. The 200-acre area consists of blighted industrial land that once supported power generation and chemical production facilities. The stagnant area is at the fringe of each community, with no public access to the river. Perceived and real contamination hinders economic redevelopment of the area. More than 70 percent of the site is vacant or used for parking or open storage. The TeleCom City project is overseen by the Mystic Valley Development Corporation (MVDC), a tri-city legislative body established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and approved by the three cities. Funding support of more than $1 million has been granted by Massachusetts, with an additional $30 million committed to this project by the state.

OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES

The overall objective of the TeleCom City project is to convert 200 acres of underused, blighted industrial land into a telecommunications center that will advance the local and regional economies. To overcome fragmented ownership and liability constraints, the MVDC will obtain ownership control over the project area and establish a consistent set of zoning controls, which will allow for comprehensive environmental testing of the area without the constraints of parcel boundaries. In addition, significant public recreational activities and greenspace will be provided for the three communities and the general public through reclamation of the environmentally distressed Malden River area. The supplemental assistance Pilot will build upon the significant information gathered during the initial Pilot, focusing on filling data gaps for the Everett portion of the project and conducting further river sediment and riverbank sampling.

To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to:

• Conduct additional assessments of contaminant "hot spots" along the Malden River corridor;

. Assess the potential ecological and human health risks posed by exposure to any contaminants along the Malden River corridor;

. Perform assessments on the properties located in the Everett portion of the project; and

. Conduct community outreach with regard to this assessment work.

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

CONTACTS

Mystic Valley Development Corporation
(617) 381-7711

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 1
(617) 918-1209

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/