Brownfields 

Success Story

From Brownfields to Green:

In Praise of Open Spaces

EPA Region 9

For nearly two decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 

worked to change the way the nation perceives and manages contaminated 

properties. Through its Brownfields Program, EPA has empowered communities 

across the country to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse brownfields 

to promote economic development. But brownfields redevelopment can do more 

than just rev up a community’s economic engine—it can provide an opportunity to 

repurpose underutilized properties as valuable open or greenspaces. 

Benefits of Open Space

Parks, playgrounds, trails, community gardens, natural habitats and open land can 

provide aesthetic, recreational and quality-of-life advantages that complement 

or even surpass economic benefits. With effective planning, brownfields can be 

converted into open greenspaces that benefit human health and the environment.

EPA recognizes that establishing and restoring open spaces is an important and 

viable reuse for brownfields. That’s why the Agency provides technical assistance 

and grants to help stakeholders transform brownfields into prized greenspaces. 

In Region 9, which represents Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands

and 148 tribal nations, EPA has helped dozens of communities create greenspaces 

on formerly polluted properties. 

Successful projects serve as models for other communities interested in 

incorporating open spaces into their brownfields redevelopment plans. Once 

cleaned up, these areas are safe for kids, animals and adults, and they offer 

benefits such as promoting healthy communities through active recreation, 

restoring habitats and providing environmental education. Open spaces can also 

increase neighboring property values. 

Here’s a look at some successful projects—from habitat restoration to creation 

of trails and parks—that reveal just how beneficial it can be to redevelop properties 

for natural open space or recreational purposes.

New open space at Cooley Landing Park 

in East Palo Alto, California.

Brownfields

Success Story

EPA’s Brownfields 

Program exemplifies 

how the Agency makes

a difference in 

communities. The 

transformation of 

brownfields into open 

space is the creation of

positive change with 

multiple benefits—to 

our neighborhoods, our 

health, our quality of 

life and the ecosystems

where we live. „

Enrique Manzanilla

Superfund Division Director

EPA Pacific Southwest Region

“
2

Habitat Restoration and Environmental 

Education

Cooley Landing Park and Education Center, East Palo Alto, California 

East Palo Alto is a disadvantaged community with a poverty rate twice that of the 

rest of the San Francisco Bay Area and a population consisting of 80% Hispanics and 

African Americans. The city also has a critical lack of open space, but from the ashes 

of an 80-year-old burn dump, a 9-acre nature park and education center rose, turning 

what was once a liability into a much-needed asset. After more than a decade of 

studies, research and community discussions, the Cooley Landing Park opened to the 

public in July 2012.

The Packard Foundation, EPA, Regional Water Quality Control Board, CalRecycle 

and others helped design and fund work to seal off soil contaminated with mercury, 

arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and other toxic chemicals. Workers 

encapsulated the contamination using an engineered cap with clean imported fill, 

and the site was reseeded with native plants and grasses. Partners, including the 

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, contributed land and biological expertise 

to plant native vegetation that would enhance the habitat for the endangered 

California clapper rail, salt marsh harvest mouse and other wildlife. The new plantings 

are accompanied by trails, benches and picnic areas with tables and recycling bins.

Ownership of the Cooley Landing property was transferred to the city by Peninsula 

Open Space Trust, an organization that purchased the property to preserve it as open 

space. In accepting ownership, the city agreed to maintain the property as open space 

for educational and passive recreational uses. With the opening of Cooley Landing 

Park, the city increased its public parkland by 72%, from 0.5 acre per 1,000 people 

toward the state’s goal of 3 acres per 1,000 people.

“Because the site had been a former burn dump and later closed to public access, 

the community was well aware that it was contaminated,” says Sharon Jones, the 

city’s deputy director of community and economic development. “Honest and direct 

communication with the community helped people understand that the site could 

be safe, and the benefits were obvious. Cooley Landing is the only park space within 

the immediate proximity. The site is accessible for automobiles, pedestrians and 

bicyclists. It is open to the public, dawn to dusk, daily and is free.”

In addition, the new Cooley Landing Park supports infill economic development 

in the nearby Ravenswood Business District, built on a former industrial site. The park 

beautifies the neighborhood and shows the city’s capacity to transform the district for 

the better, reusing existing brownfields and creating local jobs.

“This project is so important because we’ll actually have a place right here in our 

backyards where our kids can connect to nature,” says former East Palo Alto Mayor 

Carlos Romero. “Ultimately, if we want to save our planet, they need to have 

that connection.”

The Cooley Landing sign welcomes 

visitors to the park, reseeded with native 

plants and grasses. 

Cooley Landing, a former burn 

dump, closed to the public due to 

safety concerns.

The park is truly 

a jewel along the 

San Francisco Bay, 

with almost 360-degree 

views of nature 

preserves, marshes 

and the bay itself. „

Sharon Jones

Deputy Director

East Palo Alto Community 

and Economic Development

“
3

Snow Creek, Lake Tahoe, California

An old concrete plant near Lake Tahoe is going back to nature as part of a grassroots 

effort to improve water quality and restore a roughly 3-acre parcel of land with 

native habitat.

When Squaw Valley landed the 1960 Winter Olympics, the games spurred rapid 

development on Lake Tahoe’s north shore. To support that growth, a concrete plant 

was constructed approximately a mile north of the lake on a site with pine forests, 

wetland meadows and an ephemeral stream channel draining to Snow Creek. Over 

time, the concrete plant’s owners dumped large amounts of debris and byproducts on 

the property, affecting local soils and stormwater runoff into Snow Creek and 

Lake Tahoe.

By 2004, a communitywide project to improve water quality had implicated 

the concrete plant as a significant source of pollutants in the lake. Recognizing the 

site’s potential for improving water quality, local aesthetics and public open space, 

Placer County officials used a grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to purchase 

the property for restoration. A $600,000 grant from the EPA Brownfields Program, 

along with funding from California’s Cleanup and Abatement Account, helped finance 

the cleanup of the fill material, and additional grants went toward constructing trails 

and other recreational elements on the property. 

Through a cooperative agreement between EPA and Placer County, the Snow Creek 

Stream Environment Zone Restoration Project supported new stormwater treatment 

facilities and other water quality improvements, as well as efforts to increase 

biodiversity and native landscaping. Approximately 3.1 acres of riparian area were 

restored and approximately 0.25 acre of wetlands were reestablished to mitigate the 

disturbance caused by the concrete plant. A 1,800-foot multiuse trail, sidewalks and 

educational signage invite visitors to the new public open space and link to other 

nearby trails used for cross-country skiing, hiking and access to Kings Beach.

According to Kansas McGahan, a senior engineer with the Placer County Department 

of Public Works’ Tahoe Engineering Division, the cleanup and the site’s design 

integrate a variety of sustainable practices. Crews recycled the concrete and steel

from the plant. Wetland sod and willow trees were salvaged and replanted, and 

an old railroad car was reused as a bridge.

As part of the community outreach associated with the grant, 83 fifth-graders

from a local elementary school visited the project site to learn about wetlands 

restoration and water quality monitoring. Some of these students helped produce 

the interpretive signage displays installed along the boardwalk trail. The cleanup and 

restoration work was completed in 2014.

Debris piles from concrete production 

at Snow Creek before Placer County 

officials had it cleared away to restore 

the native wetlands. 

A boardwalk trail above the wetlands 

that strategically meanders to eliminate 

impacts on water quality and existing 

trees.

Community 

feedback has been 

overwhelmingly 

positive. Every time 

I am out at the project 

site, I see folks using 

the open space and

trails—kids on bikes, 

moms pushing strollers, 

runners, day care groups

and dog walkers. „

Kansas McGahan, P.E.

Senior Engineer

Placer County Department of 

Public Works

“
4

Trails

The Tracks at Brea Trail, Brea, California

The City of Brea is hard at work on a rails-to-trails project that will transform 

an abandoned Union Pacific railroad corridor and other city properties into a multiuse 

trail. The Tracks at Brea will consist of a 4.5-mile, east-west route across the city, 

featuring a two-way paved bicycle trail and a separate pedestrian path.

Comprising approximately 50 acres of linear open space, the project will create a 

significant public amenity within an urban corridor previously lacking recreational 

and open spaces. With connections to downtown, six schools, senior and community 

centers, a Boys and Girls Club, city parks, shopping and numerous employers, the 

project will offer alternative means for transport between neighborhoods, as well as 

opportunities for fitness and recreation. The long-term goal is to connect the Tracks at 

Brea to pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in neighboring cities.

Since 2010, EPA has awarded more than $1.5 million toward the project, including 

Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup Grants and revolving loan funds to address 

arsenic and hydrocarbon contamination on the former railroad properties. Funds also 

are supporting community outreach activities such as visioning workshops, a trails task 

force and a quarterly newsletter to solicit input from residents and businesses. The city 

also received more than $7.6 million in funds from various federal and state agencies 

for the project. 

“The Tracks at Brea trail will transform a blighted nuisance property into an amenity 

that encourages walking, biking and outdoor recreation,” says Kathie DeRobbio, 

economic development manager with the City of Brea. “The community’s response 

has been extremely positive and every Tracks-related issue that has been brought 

to the City Council has received a 5-0 vote in support of the project.”

Blue Greenway, San Francisco, California

The San Francisco Parks Alliance and the City of San Francisco are working in 

partnership with EPA, state and local government agencies, nonprofit groups and 

residents to spearhead an effort to create a 13-mile corridor of greenspace for 

recreation, public art installations and nature discovery along the southeastern shore 

of the city. Dubbed the Blue Greenway, the corridor will connect China Basin in the 

north to the Candlestick Point State Recreation Area in the south. The corridor weaves 

through historically underserved and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods 

and will provide much-needed recreational opportunities and open spaces for 

residents living along the city’s southern waterfront. 

The project began in 2003 with the goals of completing San Francisco’s Bay Trail 

and increasing public access to the waterfront. A steering committee led the public 

outreach and education campaign, consisting of community events, conferences, 

waterfront tours and public meetings, to engage residents and civic leaders. The 

process resulted in a vision and roadmap to implementation.

This area was the industrial heart of the city from the 1850s to the 1950s and included 

heavy industrial uses, sewage treatment plants and power generation facilities. As 

a result, the project area spans at least 12 brownfields. In 2010, the San Francisco 

Parks Alliance received a grant from EPA’s Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Program 

The Tracks at Brea 

trail will connect 

neighborhoods with 

shopping, places 

of employment, 

community centers 

and many other 

destinations, with 

a convenient and 

healthy means of 

transportation. „

Kathie DeRobbio

Economic Development 

Manager

City of Brea

“

An abandoned and contaminated 

railroad right-of-way cuts through the 

City of Brea. 

Soil remediation of a 1-mile corridor

in Brea to convert the area into a

linear park featuring bicycle and 

pedestrian trails.
5

to conduct a community outreach and planning process. That effort identified six 

brownfield sites that could be cleaned up and reused for open space and parks, 

helping connect gaps in the Blue Greenway.

In 2012, the city passed a park bond measure that included $16 million for the 

Port of San Francisco to create part of the bicycle and pedestrian path and make 

infrastructure improvements along the waterfront. Building on the work of the areawide planning process, EPA later awarded a $400,000 Brownfields Assessment 

Grant to the San Francisco Department of the Environment to identify and evaluate 

brownfield sites in the southeast area along the Blue Greenway corridor. This award 

supplements EPA contract support and site investigations for a key segment along 

the corridor in an area known as India Basin.

Using the results of EPA-funded site assessments, the city secured several privately 

held brownfield parcels in the India Basin area for parks and open space. The city 

will remediate those parcels and link them with other nearby shoreline parklands. 

This area is an integral segment of the greenway and will help promote connectivity 

between the waterfront and the Hunters Point Shipyard. The efforts at India Basin 

will also support training and create local jobs during the cleanup work and trail 

and park development.

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department received a grant from the

Coastal Conservancy to develop, in conjunction with the Trust for Public Land, 

a single conceptual plan for open space between India Basin Shoreline Park and 

India Basin Open Space, which includes the city’s newly acquired parcels. 

Parks

Old Fort Lowell, Tucson, Arizona

The commanding officers’ quarters at an old U.S. Army supply base in Tucson are 

being reimagined as a museum that will feature exhibits about military life on the 

Arizona frontier and tell the story of the site’s long history. 

Fort Lowell operated as an Army supply base between 1873 and 1891, and was the 

most important supply center for southern Arizona forts during the Apache campaigns.

In 1878, Fort Lowell was designated the regimental headquarters for the 6th Cavalry. 

The fort is located within a prehistoric Hohokam village known as the Hardy Site, which 

dates between 650 and 750 AD and 1000 and 1300 AD.

Initially, the fort consisted of 30 adobe buildings, including three officers’ quarters, 

kitchens, privies, offices, a bake house and a guard house. After the post was 

abandoned in 1891, the property was repurposed as a tuberculosis sanitarium and 

later housed a steel and tank manufacturing company. In 2006, the city acquired the 

5-acre Fort Lowell building complex in a land swap with a developer to preserve 

the historic structures and Native American artifacts found on the property. The goal 

was to incorporate the site into the existing Fort Lowell Historic Park across the street.

Through an intergovernmental agreement, the city partnered with Pima County’s 

Cultural Resources and Historic Preservation Division to implement the historic 

preservation efforts in a master planning process that included opportunities for 

public participation, interpretation of the existing cultural resources and recreational 

opportunities for the entire 78-acre park.

Earth Day participants along the Blue 

Greenway discuss recreation ideas 

during the area-wide planning process.

The officers’ quarters after site cleanup. 

Debris and old equipment in front of 

the officers’ quarters at Old Fort Lowell 

before remediation efforts began. 
6

Nearly 70 years of manufacturing operations, including cutting, bending, welding and 

grinding of steel and storage of diesel and gasoline in above and underground tanks, 

resulted in contamination of approximately 3 acres on the property. Environmental 

site assessments revealed elevated levels of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, 

arsenic and lead. During the assessment, crews removed two underground storage 

tanks and investigated a cesspool, two dry wells and an old septic system. A $200,000 

Brownfields Cleanup Grant from EPA, along with funding from the city and county, 

helped to remediate the site and allow for redevelopment.

“An advisory board made up of local residents played a crucial role in oversight and 

public approval for this project,” says Lisa Cuestas, brownfields coordinator with the 

City of Tucson’s Environmental Services Department. “If your site is historic and/or 

prehistoric, you need to account for the archaeology monitoring, costs and extended 

time periods involved with reporting requirements and approvals from the State 

Historic Preservation Office and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.”

The restoration and preservation efforts in the officers’ quarters are underway. Future 

funding through a bond election will support continued preservation and educational 

activities, including integrating historic interpretation of the fort’s remains with other 

resources on both sides of Craycroft Boulevard.

McGill Ball Park, White Pine County, Nevada

Before one of the oldest ball parks in Nevada could receive a much-needed facelift, 

officials in the town of McGill had to address a few environmental safety concerns. The 

ball park had been constructed by mining company Nevada Consolidated Copper 

in the early 1900s to provide its employees with a place for recreational activities. 

Since then, the ball park has had a rich history of hosting state tournaments for 

town leagues and the local high school. In 1961, the ball park became the property 

of the White Pine County School District when the company ceased operations. Then, 

in 1994, the county’s board of commissioners was granted the property via quitclaim.

Upgrades over the years to modernize the ball park included installing lights and a 

roof over the grandstands; however, these early renovations involved use of building 

materials now proven dangerous to human health and the environment. As a result, 

the county’s plan to rehabilitate and preserve the field and its grandstands, which were 

constructed in the 1940s, had to begin with an environmental assessment.

White Pine County’s board of commissioners exercised its relationship with the 

Rural Desert Southwest Brownfields Coalition to access approximately $18,000 in 

EPA brownfields funding for Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments 

in 2012. These studies confirmed the presence of asbestos, lead-based paint and 

polychlorinated biphenyls on the property, due to the types of building materials 

used at the McGill Ball Park. The county commission later received approximately 

$26,000 from Nevada’s brownfields program to sample, analyze, remove and dispose 

of eight pole-mounted transformers that were no longer in use. Another grant, totaling 

approximately $26,000 from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, will 

also help fund the renovations at the park.

Cleanup activities at the ball park were completed in 2014, with the removal of the 

transformers and asbestos- and lead-containing materials.

Archaeological markings around an 

unearthed metate (millstone) and 

pestle during soil excavation activities.

When completed, 

the ball park will 

become a centralized 

community gathering 

location that can be 

utilized for regional 

and state baseball 

tournaments, craft 

fairs, farmers markets 

and community 

concerts. „

Amy Fanning

Comptroller

Nye County

“

The grandstands at McGill Ball Park 

prior to abatement and renovation 

activities.
Keys to Success

These examples underscore a number of keys to success in advancing brownfield 

assessment, remediation and redevelopment projects.

Partnerships. Coordination among local, state and federal government agencies 

is key. Development of broad partnerships across multiple stakeholder groups, 

including property owners, EPA grant recipients, regulators, consultants, community 

groups, nonprofit organizations and other interested parties, helps expedite work 

toward common goals. 

As evidenced at Cooley Landing Park in East Palo Alto, California, partners bring 

complementary support and skill sets to the table, from funding and cleanup logistics 

to native habitat restoration and long-term maintenance of the restored land. 

In general, the more participants involved in the upfront planning, the smoother 

the project will go.

Community Engagement. Reaching out to the community generates local interest 

and support for the project, and ultimately helps ensure that the redeveloped property 

meets community needs and expectations. Community groups and residents can 

serve as sources of valuable input in visioning and design charettes. Especially in 

economically disadvantaged areas, community involvement provides an opportunity 

for all interested residents and stakeholders to have a voice in their community’s future.

As demonstrated by the habitat restoration project at Snow Creek in Lake Tahoe,

California, involving schools and youth groups is a great way to promote environmental

education and inspire young people to play a role in redevelopment activities.

Patience and persistence, too, are critical. “The process takes a while to make sure 

things are done right the first time,” says Amy Fanning, comptroller with Nye County, 

Nevada. “Keeping the community informed at each milestone—and celebrating 

even small successes—helps maintain momentum and cooperation from your 

community partners.”

Leveraging Resources. All the grantees reported that leveraging funding from a variety

of sources makes these types of projects possible—and affordable. A combination of 

public and private sector funding can help finance assessment, remediation, purchase 

and redevelopment activities. These funding sources could include property owners, 

developers, investors and nonprofit organizations, as well as local, state and federal 

government programs that offer tax credits, tax abatements, tax increment financing, 

grants, subsidies, bonds or loans.

Combining federal and state brownfields money with funds generated through bond 

elections proved successful in the Old Fort Lowell and Blue Greenway projects. Both the

Snow Creek and Blue Greenway projects leveraged grants from nonprofits to advance 

their efforts. Reach out to your state brownfields program or municipal economic 

development agency for more information on financing brownfield redevelopment.

Potential Benefits of 

Brownfields Redevelopment 

as Open Space

Health

• Removal or reduction of exposure 

to contamination 

• Increased access to open space 

• Active recreational opportunities

Environmental

• Habitat and ecosystem restoration

• Improved land and water quality

• Reduced heat island effects

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions

• More sustainable environment

Social

• Improved aesthetics

• Creation of public space 

• Provision of trails, art and amenities

• Environmental education opportunities

• Improved neighborhoods

• More vibrant, livable communities

• Enhanced quality of life

• Addressing of environmental justice issues

Economic

• Job creation

• Increased transportation options

• Improved property values

• Spurred economic development

EPA 560-F-14-214

January 2015

For more information:

Visit the EPA Brownfields website at www.epa.gov/brownfields or 

contact Region 9 Brownfields Coordinator Noemi Emeric-Ford at (213) 244-1821 or 

Emeric-Ford.Noemi@epa.gov.

EPA Brownfields Grant funds are not used for redevelopment of sites 

assessed or cleaned up with Brownfields funds, and projections for 

future reuse and redevelopment of sites and anticipated benefits are 

subject to change based on local conditions.