Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet

Chicago Heights, IL

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.

ASSESSMENT GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Chicago Heights for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct six Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments and to support community outreach activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Chicago Heights was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located south of Chicago in Cook County, Chicago Heights (population 32,776) is a state-designated Enterprise Zone based on poverty, unemployment, and economic growth factors. More than 60 percent of Chicago Heights residents are minorities, and nearly 18 percent have incomes below the poverty line. During the 1990s, the city experienced serious deterioration of its older neighborhoods. Today, more than half of the parcels in the city are city-owned, tax-delinquent, and vacant. The city has identified 32 brownfields with redevelopment potential. Seven of the sites are in the target area within walking distance of two new proposed commuter rail stations. Brownfields assessment is expected to pave the way for redevelopment of the target sites, increasing property values in the area and encouraging additional redevelopment.

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 5 Brownfields Team
312-886-7576
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

Grant Recipient: City of Chicago Heights, IL
708-756-5318

The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.