Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
	Date of Announcement: March 2000 Amount: $150,000 Greenspace: $50,000
Target Area: City of Trenton, NJ Profile: The Pilot targets a number of sites throughout the city, including the Lenox site, the Roebling Complex, and sites along Assunpink Creek.

BACKGROUND

EPA awarded the City of Trenton supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot and additional funding for assessments at brownfields properties to be used for greenspace purposes. Trenton (population 89,000), located in central New Jersey, was a prominent nineteenth-century manufacturing center. Initially producing flour and steel, the city later attracted manufacturers of other products such as paper, wood, cotton, bricks, and pottery. As its manufacturing industry declined, Trenton was left with a host of abandoned industrial buildings that pose potential environmental threats.

OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES

Trenton will use the supplemental assistance to continue its brownfields efforts that focus on neighborhood revitalization and economic development. Trenton's goal is to identify the reuse potential of each brownfield site within the context of the larger neighborhood or economic strategy, work with the community to develop a more focused plan, and seek a developer who is willing to work within the community's vision. Trenton's aggressive redevelopment efforts follow the Master Land Use Plan, which was developed with significant community input.

The Pilot will use the greenspace funding to target brownfield sites along the Assunpink Creek. The city would like to acquire, assess, and ultimately develop these sites into a greenway that will provide recreational, economic, and educational opportunities to the community. The city believes that creation of the greenway will revitalize surrounding industrial parks, thus creating jobs for Trenton residents, and will increase open space to help protect the watershed and prevent recurrent flooding problems. Additionally, the greenway will create a link between neighborhoods, places of work and recreation, and historic sites.

To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to:

. Upgrade and maintain the Trenton brownfields database to prepare for integration into a planned statewide brownfields database;

. Develop redevelopment plans for the remaining portion of the Roebling Steel and Wire Works site;

. Create a national model for dealing with the revitalization of urban schools, as it impacts neighborhood development and economic opportunity at brownfield sites;

. Engage in comprehensive planning for integrating redevelopment efforts, identifying appropriate locations for new public facilities, addressing ownership issues, performing site assessments, and involving the community; and

. Conduct site assessments of the properties along Assunpink Creek, as part of the city's plan to develop the Assunpink Creek Greenway.

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

CONTACTS

Department of Housing and Development
City of Trenton
(609)-989-3603

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 2
(212) 637-4314

Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/brownfields/

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/