Opportunities and Challenges for Rural and Small Communities Brownfields

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Opportunities and Challengesfor Rural and
Small Communities Brownfields
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The Issues of Being Rural?

• Population up to 50,000
• Definition of rural differs according to agency
  and location
• Planning processes differ transportation,
  emergency,etc.

3
Challenges for Rural Brownfields

• Rural geography with abundant green space,
  inaccessibility
• Rural demographics sparse population, out
  migration, poverty
• Limited and inconsistent resources capital and
  technical expertise
• Inadequate infrastructure
• Local community leaders incomplete knowledge
  about brownfields
• Public perception, misinformation and fear

4
Overcoming Rural Challenges

• Local champion
• Community involvement at every step
• Pursue several different funding sources
• Educate community leaders through local media,
  site visits, forums, planning sessions
• Present best practices from nearby redevelopments
• Use regional, state and national development
  organizations
• Take risks and be innovative, flexible and have a
  redevelopment vision

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Challenge
Commitment is what transforms a promise into
reality. -- Abraham Lincoln
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Rural Brownfields Opportunities

• Economic development
• Community revitalization
• Job creation and retention
• Increases community tax base
• Enhances tourism development
• Builds community partnerships

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Rural Should Take Advantage

• Now more than ever, rural applicants need to be
  involved with the new grant process for the EPA
  Brownfields Program
• New definition of brownfields including mine-
  scarred lands and petroleum contaminated sites
• New funding and technical assistance sources,
  e.g. EPA cleanup, University Centers working with
  regional economic organizations like regional
  councils
• Technology

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A Regional Rural and Small Communities
Brownfields Tour
EPA Region 5 West Shoreline Region Muskegon
Michigan Five counties 120 cities and towns
600,000 people converge on Heritage Landing for
an annual music festival, which was a former
foundry.
Amazon building, former knitting mill, soon to be
affordable housing
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A Regional Rural and Small Communities
Brownfields Tour
EPA Region 1 New London Development Corp.,
CT City population 27,000
Relocating historic homes for the redevelopment
of mill sites into the Pfizer Global Development
Facility and Fort Trumbull waterfront park
redevelopment A Social Justice Initiative
accompanies the redevelopment project.
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A Regional Rural and Small Communities
Brownfields Tour
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A Regional Rural and Small Communities
Brownfields Tour
EPA Region 1 Windham Region Brattelboro,
VT Population 46,453 in 27 communities
The Windham Regional Commission used geographical
information systems (GIS) to map watersheds and
industrial sites to determine priority
brownfields redevelopment sites.
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A Regional Rural and Small Communities
Brownfields Tour

• Socorro, Texas ( 30 miles Southeast of El
  Paso)
• Population 23,000
• Project start date 1998 from a Regional EPA
  Brownfields Pilot Grant
• Cost To date 653,000 (not including insurance)
  389,000 was the cost alone
  for legal, architectural and engineering fees.
• The Rio Vista Farm
• The Farm is being redeveloped into a community
  center. The site already offers senior services,
  health services, courthouse and English Second
  Language (ESL) courses.
• Look familiar? This site was the movie set for
  Traffic, starring Michael Douglas, Catherine
  Zeta-Jones and Benicio Del Torro. The film
  received four Academy Awards. The City received
  about 10,000 for leasing the site one month and
  the film company paid for the redevelopment
  permanent improvements.
• This is just one of approximately 75 sites
  within the region which received EPA Brownfields
  Pilot grants in 1998 2001.

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National Association of Development Organizations
(NADO) Research Foundation
Kelly Novak NADO Research Foundation Rural
Brownfields Awareness Project 400 N. Capitol St.,
NW Suite 390 Washington, DC 20001 Phone
202-624-7809 Fax [phone] Email
knovak_at_nado.org