Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet

Oakland Housing Authority, CA

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.

CLEANUP GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Oakland Housing Authority for a brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the Tassafaronga Village Revitalization Plan site at 1001 83rd Avenue, which encompasses three former public housing buildings and an adjacent pasta factory parcel. The site is suspected to have heavy metals, acetone, and petroleum hydrocarbons contamination from its use over the years as an auto repair shop, trucking service station, auto storage/salvage yard, and methamphetamine lab. Grant funds also will be used for community outreach activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Oakland Housing Authority was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Located on the Northern California coast, Oakland (population 399,484) has had chronic unemployment problems since the dismantling of a manufacturing industry that accompanied the end of World War II. The unemployment rate is 7.4 percent, and 19.4 percent of individuals live in poverty. Oakland's commercial and industrial zones comprise 8,000 acres, of which 1,000 acres are confirmed or potential brownfields. During the past 20 years, a large number of manufacturing jobs have been lost due to plant closures and relocations, which have led to unused, vacant, and underutilized properties. The brownfield that will be cleaned up using the awarded grant funds is located in East Oakland, where the individual poverty rate ranges from 13 percent to 33 percent, and the per capita income ranges from 31 percent to 57 percent of the city per capita income. After the brownfield is cleaned up, the Housing Authority intends to build a mixed-income residential development project that will contain up to 140 units and a pedestrian greenbelt. Brownfields redevelopment will sustain a neighborhood revitalization, eliminate a source of criminal activity, and bring much needed affordable housing to the area.

CONTACTS

For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields.

EPA Region 9 Brownfields Team
415-972-3092
http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/index.html

Grant Recipient: Oakland Housing Authority, CA
510-587-2112

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