Brownfields Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet

OVERVIEW

EPA has selected the City of Hartford as a Brownfields Pilot. Of the more than 1,100 acres in the city that were once in productive use, 30 percent have been abandoned since 1986. More than 750 buildings, presenting unknown environmental hazards, are vacant as the result of industrial migration from the city. The industrial exodus has presented serious economic and social problems for the city. In 1995, 62 percent of the city's population of 125,100 was identified as living below federal low-to-moderate income guidelines. Between 1989 and 1995, the number of jobs fell by 22 percent. The city believes that to reverse this decline it must be able to offer inner city sites of comparable acreage and accessibility as those offered by suburban locations for redevelopment.

The pilot will target blighted and deteriorated sites in three Hartford neighborhoods-Sheldon/Charter Oak, Upper Albany, and Clay Arsenal. Unemployment rates in these target areas range from 15 to 24 percent, and minority population rates range from 80 to 99 percent. Although each of these neighborhoods has attempted to address economic problems through community-based efforts, the perception of environmental contamination has impeded redevelopment. The city believes that, without site investigations, potential purchasers will continue to avoid the unknown environmental risks at these brownfields.

OBJECTIVES

Hartford's goal is to attract manufacturing and commercial industries to brownfields sites. Pilot objectives are to select three brownfields sites for redevelopment, conduct environmental assessments at the three sites, develop site-specific redevelopment strategies, and conduct community outreach.

ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this pilot include:

• Prioritizing and evaluating brownfields sites to determine their redevelopment potential, and selecting three target sites;
• Conducting preliminary environmental assessments at the three target sites;
• Developing site-specific redevelopment strategies for these sites;
• Developing a model for community residents participating in brownfields redevelopment planning; and
• Educating the community about barriers to redevelopment.

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

CONTACTS:

Madelyn Colon
Hartford Redevelopment Agency
(860) 543-8655

John Podgurski
U.S. EPA Region 1
(617) 573-9681
podgurski.john@epamail.epa.gov

Visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/