This material has been funded wholly or in part by the 

United States Environmental Protection Agency under 

contract EP-W-07-023 to SRA International, Inc. It has 

been subject to the Agency’s review, and it has been 

approved for publication as an EPA document. Mention 

of trade names or commercial products does not 

constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. 

Prepared by: 

SRA International, Inc. (Contract No. EP-W-07-023) 

3434 Washington Boulevard 

Arlington, VA 22201 

Prepared for: 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response 

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization 

Washington, D.C. 20460 

Cover photo: A new community at Summerset at Frick Park, Pittsburgh, Pa with single family homes, condominiums, and apartments. 
Message from Regional Administrator 

More than a decade ago, EPA recognized 

that local communities were struggling 

to address contaminated (or potentially 

contaminated) properties that were causing 

blight in neighborhoods, and lowering 

property values and tax revenues. The private 

and public sectors hesitated to invest in 

these properties—which became known as 

brownfields—for fear of bearing responsibility 

for any pollution found. In response, EPA 

offered seed money to local communities 

to identify and assess contamination 

on brownfields. This helped to resolve 

uncertainties and prepare these properties for 

redevelopment. 

Since its inception in 1994, EPA’s Brownfields 

Program has evolved into a highly successful 

collaborative effort between federal, state 

and local partners and private investors. 

Making up the core of EPA’s Brownfields 

Program are the grants for assessment, 

cleanup, revolving loan funds and job training. 

To date, $548 million in EPA grants have 

assisted thousands of local community efforts 

to revitalize brownfield properties. 

Landmark legislation passed in 2002 

broadened EPA’s Brownfields Program and 

Brownfields are all around, in the smallest 

towns and largest cities; they comprise empty 

warehouses, decrepit factories, old coal 

mines, vacant gas stations and junk-strewn 

lots. They are located along waterfronts, 

near transportation hubs, in neighborhoods, 

suburbs and even the mountains. 

Partnerships form the cornerstone of every 

successful effort to revitalize contaminated 

organizations interested in revitalizing 

brownfields. 

Cleaning up contaminated sites is now easier 

and faster. We are proud of the progress 

we have made. Since 1994, 140 recipients 

in the Mid-Atlantic Region have shared over 

$52 million in brownfields grants, breathing 

new life into old properties. These grants to 

communities, states and non-profits have 

Brownfields:  Lands of Lost Opportunity Coming to Life Again

Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh (second from left) presents a check to the 

Johnstown Redevelopment Authority, Pa. for brownfields assessment and cleanup. 

provided liability protection to promote private 

sector participation in brownfields cleanup 

and development. The availability of other 

financial and technical tools and resources 

further enhanced the Brownfields Program’s 

value. These tools include a federal tax 

incentive, which encourages private sector 

investment; and state voluntary cleanup 

programs that allow properties to be cleaned 

up under state oversight, assuring developers 

and investors that they will never be held 

liable for past contamination. 

EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region is an ecologically, 

demographically and economically diverse 

area. Home to over 29 million people, the 

Region spans the Atlantic Ocean to the 

Appalachian Highlands, and includes the 

District of Columbia and the states of Virginia, 

West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and 

Pennsylvania. 

land in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Property 

owners, developers, local governments, 

and state and federal agencies each bring 

something unique to the table, and help 

to ensure that projects are adequately 

funded, protective of human health and the 

environment, and serve the communities in 

which they are located. Infrastructure needs— 

such as roads, sewers and storm water 

management—require the direct involvement 

of local and county governments. 

State brownfields programs provide incentives 

and guidance to promote redevelopment. 

As shown later in this report, EPA provides 

millions of dollars to support these programs 

and works closely with all our states to 

expedite redevelopment of brownfields. EPA 

is always seeking opportunities to develop 

partnerships with local, state and community 

resulted in the cleanup of 65 brownfields, and 

leveraged 7,218 jobs and over $525 million 

associated with assessment, cleanup and 

redevelopment in the Mid-Atlantic Region. 

The possibilities of reuse are endless. Former 

brownfields in the Mid-Atlantic Region 

are now new homes, businesses, schools, 

municipal facilities, stadiums, parks, trails, 

and riverfront promenades—projects that 

have stimulated economic development and 

community revitalization while improving the 

environment and protecting public health. In 

this report, we are proud to share highlights 

of Mid-Atlantic brownfields redevelopment 

successes. 

EPA Mid-Atlantic Administrator 

Donald S. Welsh 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


Bucks County, Pa. Bristol Riverfront North Brownfields mixed-use redevelopment project 

incorporates age-restricted residential units and first class office space. 

EPA’s Brownfields Mission

Brownfields are typically blighted former 

commercial and industrial sites that have 

been left idle or abandoned, causing both an 

economic and environmental drain on their 

communities. Fears of potential contamination 

and associated liability hamper redevelopment 

of these sites and make developing in pristine 

areas, called greenfields, more attractive. EPA 

estimates that between 500,000 and one 

million brownfields tarnish the landscape of 

communities across the country. 

The mission of EPA’s Brownfields Program is 

to resolve the environmental issues on these 

sites, relieve pressure to develop pristine open 

space and farmland, revitalize communities 

by creating jobs, and return property to 

productive use and local tax rolls. The 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields program provides 

technical and financial assistance to states, 

communities and other stakeholders in the 

Region to assess, safely clean up, plan for and 

sustainably redevelop brownfields. We also 

sponsor conferences, community workshops 

and property transaction forums to help foster 

brownfields redevelopment. 

The Mid-Atlantic Region was instrumental 

in bringing mining sites into the national 

Brownfields Program. At the heart of 

Appalachia, coal mining and steel production 

fueled economic growth during the early 

20th century. Today, our Region is left with 

thousands of abandoned mining sites that 

acidify rainwater runoff, polluting over 5,000 

miles of streams and rivers. 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

1997 

1998 

1999

2000

2001 

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

Number of Cleanups Completed 

Cumulative Mid-Atlantic EPA and Leveraged 

Cleanups Completed 

2 2 4

13

23

28

41

48

57

62 65

2007 

Cumulative Dollar Amount of Brownfields Competitive 

Grants in the Mid-Atlantic Region 

$60,000,000 

50,000,000 

40,000,000 

30,000,000 

20,000,000 

10,000,000 

0 $ $ $ $ 

$ 

$ $ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

1997 

1998 

1999 

2000

2001 2002 

2003 

2004 

1994 

1995 

1996 

2005 

2006 

2007

$ 

$ 

$ 

$52,348,790 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
2002, President George W. Bush signs the 

Brownfields law at a brownfields site in 

Conshohocken, Pa. 

The good news is that abandoned mining 

sites present tremendous revitalization 

opportunities. In June 1999, Central City, 

Pennsylvania received the country’s first 

Brownfields grant to address contamination 

from mining sites. Since passage of the 

Brownfields law, which officially recognized 

mine-scarred lands as brownfields, many 

other Mid-Atlantic communities have received 

funding and technical support to address 

mine-scarred land projects. 

EPA’s Brownfields Program is a model of 

environmental stewardship that protects 

the environment, promotes partnership, 

strengthens the marketplace, and sustains 

reuse. Continuing our success in the MidAtlantic requires collaboration among all 

levels of government, the private sector and 

non-governmental organizations. Recognizing 

that environmental protection can be the 

engine that drives economic redevelopment, 

EPA will continue to support brownfields 

redevelopment to protect human health and 

the environment, enhance public participation 

in local decision-making, and build safe and 

sustainable communities. 

Cumulative Dollars Leveraged for Mid-Atlantic 

Brownfields Projects 

1997 1998 

1999

2000

2001 2002 

2003 

2004 2005 

2006 

2007 

$600,000,000 

500,000,000 

400,000,000 

300,000,000 

200,000,000 

100,000,000 

0 $ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ $ $ 

$ $ $ 

$ 

$525,261,718 

Cumulative Number of Mid-Atlantic Brownfields 

Revitalization Jobs Leveraged 

7,218 

1997 

1998 

1999

2000

2001 2002 

2003 

2004 2005 

2006 

2007 

8000 

6000 

4000 

2000 

0 

“Partnerships form the cornerstone of every 

successful effort to revitalize contaminated 

land in the Mid-Atlantic Region.“ 

—Donald S. Welsh,

Regional Administrator

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


Mid-Atlantic 

Region

BROWNFIELDS

MILESTONES

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Baltimore, Md. 

Central City, Pa. 

receives the first 

Assessment Pilot 

Cape Charles/ 

Northampton 

County, Va. 

selected as 

The total value of 

EPA Brownfields 

Assessment 

grants awarded in 

the Mid-Atlantic 

reaches more 

President George 

W. Bush signs the 

Small Business 

Liability Relief 

and Brownfields 

Revitalization Act 

in Conshohocken, 

Pa., clarifying the 

Earth 

Conservancy, 

a non-profit 

group dedicated 

to restoring 

abandoned 

coal fields in 

northeastern 

Pa., receives 

Mid-Atlantic’s 

The Federal MineScarred Lands 

Demonstration 

Program created, 

three sites in 

the Mid-Atlantic 

selected: Stone 

Creek Tipple 

property, Lee 

County, Va.; 

Kelly’s Creek, 

Kanawha 

The Land 

Revitalization 

Update, a 

quarterly enewsletter for 

the Mid-Atlantic 

Region, is 

launched 

EPA’s new 

federal 

regulations for 

All Appropriate 

Inquiry take 

effect 

Bucks County 

Redevelopment 

Authority makes 

the Region’s 

first Brownfields 

Revolving Loan 

Fund loan for 

$975,000 

EPA announces 

$5 million in 

Brownfields 

grants to 

communities in 

the Mid-Atlantic 

Region 

Over the years, EPA’s Brownfields 

Program has grown from a single 

pilot project to a large-scale 

resource that assists thousands of 

communities with redevelopment 

efforts. This graphic represents the 

history and major milestones of the 

Mid-Atlantic Region’s Brownfields 

Program and traces the progression 

of our success. 

Richmond, Va 

receives first 

$200,000 

Assessment 

Demonstration 

Pilot grant in 

the MidAtlantic Region 

National 

Brownfields 

Program 

begins. The 

communities of 

Baltimore, Md.; 

Cape Charles/ 

Northampton 

County, Va.; 

Pittsburgh, Pa.; 

and Philadelphia, 

Pa. each receive 

a $200,000 

Assessment 

Demonstration 

Pilot grant 

Pittsburgh, 

Pa. hosts the 

first National 

Brownfields 

Conference 

EPA conducts 

the first 

Targeted 

Brownfields 

Assessment 

in the 

Mid-Atlantic 

Region 

Brownfields mining sites Community for brownfields 

Revolving Loan Community. within the Dark and dramatically Fund (RLF) grants EPA awards Shade Watershed expanding —Philadelphia, first Brownfields the funding Pa.; Baltimore, Job Training and eligibility Md.; Richmond, grant to Impact of properties Va. and within EPA’s 

Pittsburgh, Pa.; Services, Inc., of 

Philadelphia, Pa. Brownfields 

each receive RLF Program grants 

EPA partners 

with the U.S. 

Army Corps of 

Engineers to 

announce its 

Urban Rivers 

Initiative—two 

watersheds in 

Mid-Atlantic 

selected: the 

Anacostia River 

and the Elizabeth 

River 

selected as County, WVa.; EPA introduces 

a Showcase grant targeting a Showcase than $8.7 million liability structure first Brownfields and the CAN DO Cleanup grant 

EPA Mid-Atlantic 

sponsors 

community 

brownfields 

redevelopment 

conferences in 

Clarksburg, WVa.; 

Roanoke, Va.; 

Titusville, Pa.; and 

Hazleton, Pa. 

EPA announces its 

Land Revitalization 

Agenda, 

making reuse of 

contaminated sites 

a priority in all its 

cleanup programs. 

Little Elk Creek in 

Maryland selected 

as the MidAtlantic’s Area 

Wide One Cleanup 

Program pilot 

project 

Cranberry Creek 

site, Hazleton, Pa. 

EPA MidAtlantic and the 

Commonwealth 

of Pennsylvania 

sign a first of 

its kind One 

Cleanup Program 

Memorandum 

of Agreement 

outlining how 

the two agencies 

will coordinate 

efforts to clean 

up and redevelop 

contaminated 

sites 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


BROWNFIELDS Grant Types


Grants are the core of EPA’s Brownfields Program. They support revitalization 

efforts by funding environmental assessment, cleanup and local job training 

programs. Since 1994, 140 recipients in the Mid-Atlantic Region have shared 

over $52 million in Brownfields grants, breathing new life into old properties. 

The following sections provide examples of how EPA funds have contributed to 

successful brownfields redevelopment throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. 

Brownfields Assessment Grants

Assessment grants are available to state and local governments to support precleanup activities, such as environmental site assessments, creating brownfields 

inventories, planning for cleanup and redevelopment, and conducting community 

outreach activities. 

To date, EPA has awarded 90 Assessment grants totaling more than $23,783,000 

to communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region. 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
Over 200 new homes built on a former slag pile—Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

From Slag to Riches: New Housing on 

Pittsburgh’s Nine-Mile Run 

Nine Mile Run, a former riverside slag 

dump bordering the main access highway 

to Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs, is being 

transformed into Pittsburgh’s largest and 

most noteworthy residential development 

since World War II, Summerset at Frick Park. 

For years, the 238-acre Nine Mile Run served 

as a dumping site for slag, an industrial 

by-product of steel production. When slag 

dumping ceased in the 1970s, the property 

became a dumping ground for construction 

debris. These activities turned the onceforested area into two large waste piles that 

towered over nearby trees and contributed to 

the pollution of Nine Mile Run stream. 

Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority 

(URA) recognized the potential value of turning 

abandoned industrial areas such as these 

into residential and commercial developments 

and used an EPA Brownfields Assessment 

grant to assess Nine Mile Run. EPA’s grant 

prompted interest from other public and 

private partners. According to Marc Knezevich 

of the URA, “the availability of funding from 

EPA was instrumental in the project’s early 

stages.” 

Brownfields remediation at the Nine Mile Run 

site was a complex and challenging venture 

that revitalized the existing community. A 

task force comprised of the URA, Summerset 

Land Development Associates, the City of 

Pittsburgh, private developers and surrounding 

community groups was formed at the start 

of the project to facilitate open discussion 

and impart a sense of ownership to the 

community. 

Incorporating principles of smart growth 

and new urbanism, more than 200 singlefamily homes, townhouses, condominiums 

and apartments have already been built. 

These developments feature tree-lined, 

pedestrian-friendly streets; smaller lot sizes; 

sidewalks; energy-efficient building materials; 

and alleyways that follow the pattern of 

Pittsburgh’s historic neighborhoods. One 

of the residential developments has been 

designated as a PATH (Partnership for 

Advancing Technology in Housing) community, 

showing how revitalization of contaminated 

land can turn around an entire area. 

More than 700 new housing units, nearly 

100,000 square feet of new neighborhood 

commercial retail space, and more than 100 

acres of park land are still under development. 

Ultimately, infrastructure improvements at 

Summerset at Frick Park are expected to cost 

$50 million and private investment is expected 

to exceed $200 million. 

“The availability of funding 

from EPA was instrumental 

in the [project’s] early 

stages.” 

—Marc Knezevich of the

Urban Redevelopment Authority

Wheeling, West Virginia

Home Improvement in Wheeling 

The City of Wheeling, West Virginia made 

the revitalization of its center district a high 

priority. The loss of manufacturing and other 

economic drivers left the center district 

spotted with idle and underused brownfields. 

Two adjacent, 10-acre sites—one known as 

the Pavilack property and another formerly 

owned by CSX railroad—were particularly 

promising and became key targets for cleanup 

and reuse. 

The city used an EPA Brownfields Assessment 

grant to assess the Pavilack property, which 

was home to a steel foundry, an axle finishing 

plant, and a junkyard. Cleanup required 

asbestos removal and demolition of several 

buildings, and placement of a soil and asphalt 

cap to contain residual contamination. The 

CSX property was assessed with private 

funds in the late 1990s, which determined 

that the property did not require cleanup. Both 

of these sites were cleaned up under West 

Virginia’s Voluntary Cleanup Program. 

New Lowe’s Home Improvement Center—Wheeling, WVa. 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


In 2006, phase one of an $18.5 million 

redevelopment project on the two former 

brownfields was completed: a 160,000-

square-foot Lowe’s Home Improvement 

store that created 175 jobs. The developer 

is acquiring adjacent land and planning two 

additional redevelopment phases that are 

expected to leverage as many as 1,000 jobs. 

Shenandoah, Virginia

Parks Revitalize Communities Too 

The 66-acre Big Gem Cast Iron Furnace site, 

located in the center of Shenandoah, Virginia, 

was once the principal producer of iron in 

the area. Like many manufacturing plants, 

it suffered from the effects of economic 

downturn and closed. Over time, the site’s 

buildings were demolished and the land 

reverted to forest. In 1995, the property was 

donated to the city for redevelopment, though 

the extent of the site’s residual contamination 

remained uncertain. 

Using an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant, 

the town investigated the property and found 

that minimal cleanup would be required. 

EPA’s funding allowed the town to develop a 

comprehensive landscaping and architecture 

plan for the site, promote community 

outreach, and solicit local resident input on 

reuse options. 

The town installed ground water monitoring 

stations and a filtration system to make a 

pond on the site safe for recreational use. 

Nearly $180,000 was leveraged from the 

Town of Shenandoah, the Virginia Department 

of Forestry, the U.S. Department of Housing 

and Urban Development, and Wrangler Jean 

Company, to create a community park. Phase 

I included the creation of a picnic area, a 

fishing pond, bridge and gazebo. Future 

redevelopment efforts will create an access 

A view of the creek at Big Gem Park—Shenandoah, Va. 

“EPA’s funding and project support played a large role in 

allowing us to create a vision that enhances and benefits 

our community.” 

—Judy Jewell, Economic Development Director for Shenandoah

road to the property and a parking lot. When 

finished, the park will also have sports fields, 

an amphitheater, and walking trails. 

According to Judy Jewell, Economic 

Development Director for Shenandoah, “The 

Big Gem project is really designed to add to 

the quality of life of our residents... EPA’s 

funding and project support played a large role 

in allowing us to create a vision that enhances 

and benefits our community.” 

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Brownfields to Ball fields 

Named for the major league baseball player 

and humanitarian, Roberto Clemente Park 

in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was built in the 

1960s as part of an urban renewal initiative. 

Over the next few decades, the park and 

surrounding neighborhood fell into disrepair. 

Neglect, poor management and an increasing 

concentration of poverty and blight in the 

surrounding neighborhood turned this 3.5-acre 

park into an underutilized, trash-ridden and 

vandalized parcel of urban parkland that 

became a neighborhood liability rather than 

Roberto Clemente Park—a distressed neighborhood in Lancaster, Pa., gets a new walking 

path, playground, and baseball fields. 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
an asset. It was not until 1998 that the Inner 

City Group, a coalition of 12 neighborhoodbased non-profits, decided to clean up the 

3.5-acre park as part of a larger bid to restore 

the community. 

After encountering buried debris in the 

park during initial cleanup efforts, the 

coalition asked the Lancaster County 

Planning Commission for help. The 

Commission delegated a portion of its EPA 

Brownfields Assessment grant to conduct 

an environmental investigation of the 

property, which was previously home to 

varied industrial uses, including a scrap yard 

and a dry cleaning facility. The assessments 

revealed arsenic and lead contamination in the 

soil and trichloroethylene in the ground water. 

Many rural areas in the Appalachian region face devastating and widespread environmental 

problems caused by their mining heritage. 

“Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this 

world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”

—Roberto Clemente

Following a risk assessment, 60 cubic yards 

of soil were excavated and deed restrictions 

were placed on the property. 

With $700,000 in redevelopment funding, the 

revitalized park was dedicated in 2005. The 

park includes a walking path, playground and 

baseball fields for adult and youth leagues 

and plays host to a number of community 

activities. 

By providing a safe, clean and attractive 

gathering place, the park fosters community 

pride and neighborhood harmony, youth 

development, socialization and recreation. 

The success of the restored Roberto 

Clemente Park has encouraged the Inner 

City Group to continue aesthetic and 

economic improvements to the surrounding 

neighborhood. 

Central City, Pennsylvania

Using Brownfield Resources to Reclaim 

Appalachia’s Coal Mines 

Many areas in the Appalachian region face 

devastating and widespread environmental 

problems caused by their coal mining 

heritage. The Dark Shade Watershed, which 

encompasses the Borough of Central City 

and Shade Township, Pennsylvania, is one 

of those areas. Through EPA’s Brownfields 

Program, these communities are finding new 

ways to promote the cleanup and reuse of 

mine-scarred lands. 

After the coal mining operations of many 

Appalachian communities shut down following 

World War II, local economies like Central 

City’s began to decline, and poverty levels 

climbed to well above national averages. 

Many of these communities also suffered the 

environmental effects of acid mine drainage 

(AMD), which is the seeping or surging of 

acidic, metals-laden water from abandoned 

coal mines. AMD coats streambeds with 

contaminated, orange sediment that can 

devastate entire watersheds. 

To address these problems, non-profit 

community groups and the communities of 

Central City and Shade Township formed a 

partnership to explore innovative ways of 

cleaning up the Dark Shade Watershed. The 

result was the creation of a “watershed 

approach”—the designation of the entire 

watershed as one contaminated and targeted 

property. 

“We’re a small community, and when we started the process to clean up the Dark Shade 

Watershed, people said, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter; we’re too small to be important.’ But, we 

showed them that even small communities like ours can create successful partnerships 

and get assistance to clean up these sites. Small communities shouldn’t be intimidated 

by the ‘big government agencies.’” 

—Sharon Harkcom, Project Manager, Central City

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


The project was awarded the first EPA 

Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant to 

address mine-scarred land. The innovative 

watershed approach, along with EPA’s 

funding, enabled the two communities to 

leverage more than $431,000 in financial 

support for cleanup and restoration from the 

Office of Surface Mining, the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Department 

of Community and Economic Development and 

coal companies. 

Dark Shade Creek is being restored as a 

recreational tourist draw for fishing, whitewater rafting and eco-tourism. The use of 

partnerships and assistance from EPA and 

other federal, state and local entities is often 

critical to the success of projects like these in 

small communities. 

“Everything has to start somewhere,” said 

Sharon Harkcom, project manager with 

Central City. “We’re a small community, 

and when we started the process to clean 

up the Dark Shade Watershed, people said, 

‘Oh, it doesn’t matter; we’re too small 

to be important.’ But we showed them 

that even small communities like ours can 

create successful partnerships and get 

assistance to clean up these sites. Small 

communities shouldn’t be intimidated by the 

‘big government agencies;’ EPA has been 

a great partner and critical to getting our 

brownfields and environmentally impacted 

properties cleaned up. We couldn’t have done 

it without their project support and financial 

assistance.” 

Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grants

Revolving Loan Fund grants capitalize a revolving pool of funds to pay for cleanup 

activities on brownfields. Private and public developers can apply for low- or nointerest loans from the funds for cleanup activities. A portion of the loan fund can 

also be used to provide grants, which do not require repayment, to pay for cleanup 

on publicly owned or non-profit-owned properties. Applicants must contribute 20 

percent in matching funds. 

To date, EPA has awarded 29 RLF grants totaling more than $23.3 million to 

communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region. 

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Returning to the Waterfront 

Using $1 million from an EPA Brownfields 

Cleanup RLF, a $200,000 EPA Brownfields 

Cleanup grant, and a $5 million loan from 

the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment 

Authority (PENNVEST), the Redevelopment 

Authority of Bucks County and private 

developers are cleaning up a former industrial 

property on the Delaware River in Bensalem, 

Pennsylvania. 

Known as the Riverfront South Brownfield 

Redevelopment Project, this 26-acre property 

was used for shipbuilding, warehousing and 

manufacturing from 1917 until 1997. In the 

1940s, the U.S. government used the property 

to produce sulfuric acid, hydrogen fluoride and 

cryolite. When manufacturing ceased in 1997, 

machinery and buildings were removed from 

the property. 

Since the property is located within a State 

Enterprise Zone, it was prioritized for cleanup 

and redevelopment. An environmental 

investigation conducted in 2004 with state 

funding revealed volatile organic compounds, 

polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides and 

metals in the ground water. Some of this 

contamination was draining into the Delaware 

River. The Redevelopment Authority loaned 

$1 million in EPA RLF funds to a private 

developer to initiate cleanup of the site. 

The estimated $4.5 million cleanup is being 

conducted under EPA’s One Cleanup Program 

agreement with Pennsylvania. 

The site’s eventual redevelopment will 

incorporate smart growth and new urbanism 

concepts, creating 500 housing units; office, 

retail and restaurant components; and 

pedestrian-orientated streets. Plans include 

Cleanup of contaminated properties along 

the Delaware River, Bensalem, Pa. 

four acres of public greenspace along the 

Delaware River that will complement natural 

aesthetics and provide an area for recreation, 

as well as new walking and biking trails that 

will connect the area to nearby parks. 

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Insuring Success for Brownfields 

Redevelopment 

The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, a Triple-A minor 

league team associated with the Philadelphia 

Phillies, has a new home in Allentown. The 

team’s new, $34.3 million, 7,000-seat 

stadium was built on a 26-acre brownfield. 

The site was an electronics manufacturing 

plant from the mid-1940s through 2003. 

Following the plant’s closure, all of the site’s 

buildings were demolished, and the property 

became a vacant eyesore for the community. 

Environmental assessments revealed buried 

electronic parts and high concentrations of 

chlorinated solvents, mercury, nickel and 

silver. 

0

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
New home for Allentown’s Iron Pigs Triple A minor league baseball . 

To assist in the cleanup, Lehigh County 

received a sub-grant from the City of 

Allentown’s Brownfields RLF program to pay 

for environmental insurance, which proved 

crucial to the project’s success. Due to the 

site’s industrial history, the potential for 

unforeseen conditions requiring additional 

remediation and increased project costs was 

quite real. 

The $77,000 insurance policy provides 

coverage for any unexpected remediation 

“The environmental insurance covers previously 

unknown environmental issues that could have 

halted construction.” 

—Bill Ahlert, Chairman

Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Initiative board

costs that arise during excavation and 

construction. The policy will continue to 

protect the county against any hidden 

expenses—up to $1 million—should any new 

conditions arise during a 10-year period ending 

2016. 

“The environmental insurance covers 

previously unknown environmental issues that 

could have halted construction,’’ explained Bill 

Ahlert, chairman of the city’s Lehigh Valley 

Land Recycling Initiative board. 

When the Iron Pigs’ new stadium opens 

in April 2008, it will not only offer the 

community new recreational options, it will 

produce 30 full-time and many other parttime jobs. These new jobs and associated 

commercial activity will stimulate additional 

economic development in the area. 

“We see this project as a hub around which 

economic development will occur. It’s a 

perfect reuse for a former industrial property 

because we’re taking a good portion of land 

and turning it into greenspace,” said Glenn 

Solt, manager of capital projects for Lehigh 

County. 

Brownfields Cleanup Grants

Cleanup grants pay for site-specific cleanup on publicly owned or non-profit-owned 

properties. Applicants must own the property and contribute 20 percent in matching 

funds. 

To date, EPA has awarded 16 Cleanup grants totaling more than $3,260,000 to 

communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region. 

The former Cambria mill complex received National Landmark status in 1989—Johnstown, Pa. 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Former Steel Mill Preserving History and 

Creating Jobs 

Johnstown was once a hub of Pennsylvania’s 

steel country. At the industry’s peak, steel 

mills covered 12 miles of the city’s riverfront. 

Much of that activity was part of the Cambria 

Iron Works complex, which was established in 

1848 and bought by Bethlehem Steel in 1923. 

As decades passed, Pennsylvania’s steel 

industry fell into a period of steady decline, 

and in 1992, Bethlehem Steel closed all of 

its Johnstown mills. The former Cambria mill 

complex received National Landmark status 

in 1989. 

After Johnstown’s mill closings, 

unemployment rose to 25 percent and many 

left the city in search of work. In an effort to 

restore the historic mill complex and revitalize 

the city, the Johnstown Redevelopment 

Authority (JRA) acquired multiple buildings 

within the complex and several acres of 

vacant land. The community used EPA 

Brownfields Assessment funds and $600,000 

in Brownfields Cleanup funds to assess the 

site and initiate cleanup. 

In support of this project, JRA secured 

grants totaling nearly $7.3 million from 17 

other sources, including the National Park 

Service, the U.S. Economic Development 

Administration, and the Appalachian Regional 

Commission. 

Because of the historic mill’s National 

Landmark status, none of the original 

buildings were torn down. Rather, many 

of the original structures were restored, 

including a carpentry shop now being used 

by a wood refinishing company, and an 

1850’s blacksmith shop that has attracted 

The former Sterling Steel Company mill, McKeesport, Pa., whose redevelopment is estimated 

to leverage 500 jobs and $17 million in investment. 

the interest of several artisans. The restored 

complex is now a tourist draw and source 

of community pride, as well as being 

home to light industry, including two small 

manufacturing operations. Approximately 

100 people work in these renovated historical 

buildings on the site, which also features an 

urban walking trail system and grounds for 

festivals and other public events 

McKeesport, Pennsylvania

A Rusting Steel Mill Primed for New Uses 

A 14-acre site in McKeesport, Pennsylvania 

was originally home to the Sterling Steel 

Company in 1889, the first U.S. facility 

to produce stainless steel. However, as 

technology advanced and newer facilities 

emerged over the next 90 years, the 

company’s mill gradually became obsolete and 

operations ceased in 1981. 

Located on the Monongahela River, the 

property was acquired by GLS, a private 

company, in 2000. Due to environmental 

contamination, GLS was unable to make 

site improvements so they approached 

the City of McKeesport for help. At the 

city’s recommendation, the Redevelopment 

Authority of Allegheny County (RAAC) got 

involved and secured EPA funding for site 

assessments by working with the West-toWest Coalition, an economic development 

organization representing 22 Monongahela 

River Valley communities. Assessments 

identified petroleum and asbestos 

contamination on the former mill site. 

In 2004, RAAC purchased the site from GLS 

and received an EPA Cleanup grant. RAAC 

raised an additional $3 million in funding for 

the cleanup from federal and state Community 

Development Block Grant funds awarded to 

Allegheny County. Remediation is complete, 

though capping of contaminated areas will 

not be finalized until a reuse for the site is 

determined. 

RAAC is evaluating reuse proposals that 

include a waste-to-energy facility as well as 

a transfer station for recycling wood waste. 

Because of its location near the river and 

nearby rail lines, the site’s future use will 

likely be industrial. Ultimately, redevelopment 

of the former Sterling Steel property is 

estimated to create as many as 500 industrial 

jobs and generate $17 million in investment 

from county, state and private sources for the 

City of McKeesport. 

Brownfields Cleanup grants first became available in 

2003 with the passage of the 2002 Brownfields Law.



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
Brownfields Job Training Grants

EPA provides funds to communities and non-profit organizations to train local 

residents to take advantage of the jobs created through the assessment and cleanup 

of blighted land. Through Job Training grants, EPA works to ensure that residents of 

brownfields communities do not bear a disproportionate burden of the consequences 

of these sites, and can benefit during the reuse process. To date, EPA has awarded 

13 Job Training grants to communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region, with 396 trainees 

completing training and 297 obtaining employment. 

1999

2000

2001 

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

Cumulative Number of Mid-Atlantic Job Training Graduates 

450 

400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

396

292

15

57

102 109

235 254

131

Brownfields Job Training program participants learn a variety of skills as part of training 

curricula. 

Brownfields Job Training 

grants produce skilled 

environmental technicians 

to help clean up brownfield 

properties. 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


The job training program in Baltimore, Md., has graduated nearly 100 students. 

Baltimore, Maryland

Wilmington, Delaware

A New Line of Work for Wilmington’s 

Undereducated and Underemployed 

Residents 

Decades ago, the City of Wilmington, 

Delaware was a thriving manufacturing city 

of shipbuilding, rail car manufacturing, steel 

mills and tanneries. Today, approximately 25 

percent of the city’s land is brownfields. 

Complementing two EPA Brownfields 

Assessment grants awarded to the city, the 

Delaware Department of Natural Resources 

and Environmental Control (DNREC) received 

two EPA Brownfields Job Training grants 

to train undereducated and underemployed 

residents of Wilmington’s Southbridge 

and East Wilmington neighborhoods. With 

a combined population of approximately 

8,000, these neighborhoods have poverty 

rates of nearly 18 percent, and the highest 

unemployment rates in the city. 

The environmental aspect of DNREC’s job 

training program is run by the Delaware 

Technical and Community College. It includes 

instruction on Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA) construction safety 

and outreach, asbestos and lead based paint 

mitigation, forklift operation, HAZWOPER 

certification, and a general brownfields 

course. 

One of the unique aspects of DNREC’s 

training program is the a-la-cart training 

it provides to participants. This provides 

participants with the opportunity to gain 

necessary certifications without completing 

the full 126-hour program. The success of this 

approach is evident since more than half of 

the trainees opted to take only portions of the 

course. To date, 88 participants in DNREC’s 

environmental job training program are 

employed in the environmental field—doubling 

the original goals for training and placement. 

Suiting up for Level A hazardous waste 

response. 

Baltimore’s Job Training Program Targets 

Veterans 

Like any mid-sized city, Baltimore has 

neighborhoods and communities with higher 

than average unemployment and poverty 

rates. As a result of declines in the industrial 

and manufacturing industries, the city has 

more than 60 known brownfields that are 

three acres or larger. Within these properties 

lies great potential for job generation, through 

both redevelopment and the demand for 

skilled environmental technicians to help 

address them. 

To meet this demand, Civic Works, a local job 

training provider, has used three Brownfields 

Job Training grants to create and deliver 

an environmental training program, B’more 

Green. Based on Department of Labor studies 

indicating that as many as 25 percent 

of Maryland’s veterans are unemployed, 

B’more Green includes a 15-day program 

specifically designed for veterans. Civic 

Works’ latest class of veterans included those 

from campaigns as recent as Operation Iraqi 

Freedom and from as far back as Vietnam. 

Civic Works has graduated over 100 students 

to date, with a job placement rate of nearly 

94 percent. 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
Targeted Brownfields Assessments

In addition to grants, EPA conducts site assessments on brownfields to assist 

communities with redevelopment planning. A Targeted Brownfields Assessment 

(TBA) is a Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 environmental assessment conducted by EPA to 

determine the nature and extent of environmental contamination on a brownfield. 

Since 1996, EPA has conducted TBAs on more than 24 brownfields within the 

Mid-Altantic. Half of these properties have been redeveloped for new uses or have a 

redevelopment plan underway. 

EPA also provides grants for state environmental response programs that address 

the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields. These Mid-Atlantic state 

programs have conducted over 200 EPA-funded assessments, clearing the way for 

redevelopment on dozens of properties. 

To apply for TBA assistance from EPA, please go to our website: http://www.epa. 

gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/regional/eligibility.htm 

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Communities that do not 

receive EPA Brownfields 

grants may be eligible for 

TBA assistance. 

All Aboard!—Scranton’s Historic Train 

Station is Revitalizing its Downtown 

Dating back to the 1890s, the 4.5-acre, 

Central New Jersey Railroad’s (CNJRR) 

freight station in Scranton, Pennsylvania had 

once been the central hub for the region’s 

railroad traffic. Located adjacent to the 

Lackawanna River, the site was home to a 

14,000-square-foot, Queen Anne-style train 

station used primarily for freight hauling until 

the mid-1950s. More recently, the facility 

was used as a warehouse, until it was 

ultimately abandoned in the 1990s. The City 

of Scranton took ownership of the property, 

which was placed on the National Register of 

Historic Places and remained one of the area’s 

most recognized structures. 

In 2000, CNJRR Station, LP purchased the 

station to redevelop the historic structure 

Plans for new commercial and retail facilities 

in Scranton’s Pa. former train station. 

Cumulative EPA-Led Targeted Brownfields Assessments 

in the Mid-Atlantic Region 

1996 1997 

1998 

1999 

20002003 

2004 

2005 2006 

2007 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

24 

for commercial and recreational purposes. 

To determine the level of cleanup required, 

EPA Mid-Atlantic conducted environmental 

assessments under the TBA Program. Cleanup 

and redevelopment, which are expected to 

total more than $4.5 million, will be funded 

through a $2 million grant from the State of 

Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance 

Capital Program, and the remainder from 

private investment. 

Scheduled for completion in 2008, restoration 

of the site will retain the structure’s historical 

integrity while creating new commercial and 

retail facilities—including a restaurant and 

23,000 square feet of office space that will 

bring as many as 250 jobs to the area. 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A Former Quarry Becomes an Environmental 

Education Center 

Using “green” technologies, an urban 

brownfield in a typical Philadelphia 

commercial corridor will be transformed into a 

new, neighborhood-based learning center for 

environmental studies. 

At the request of the City of Philadelphia, EPA 

conducted a TBA on this former industrial 

site, revealing contaminants such as arsenic 

and lead in the soil. 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


The planned site of the Overbrook 

Environmental Education Center is located 

within a larger area targeted by the city 

for revitalization, and reuse of the property 

will be an important element in this overall 

effort. Grants provided by the Pennsylvania 

Department of Environmental Protection 

(PADEP) and the City of Philadelphia are 

contributing to the cleanup and redevelopment 

of the property. Juveniles Active in Science 

and Technology (JASTECH) will operate 

the center as a “living laboratory” offering 

environmental programs for students 

throughout the region. 

The Overbrook Center will be built using 

sustainable design and construction practices. 

It will include a bio-retention basin, an urban 

garden consisting of native plants, and 

green roofing (which uses plant growth as 

insulation). The planned 46,000-square foot 

education center will preserve over 60 percent 

of the site as open greenspace and retain 

over 75 percent of its storm water to avoid 

burdening the neighborhood’s aging sewer 

system. When cleanup and construction are 

“There’s no way to learn about the environment 

without being in the environment.” 

—Jerome Shabazz, an Overbrook parent and Executive Director of

JASTECH Development Services

complete, the center will provide an urban 

oasis complete with native plantings, outdoor 

biology labs and green architecture. The 

Overbrook Center was presented a storm 

water best management practices award by 

the Academy of Natural Sciences. 

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Bank Sees Green on a Former Industrial Site 

The former Stainless site in Perkasi, 

Pennsylvania was a vacant, 2.80-acre 

commercial property located in an industrial 

and residential area. The property was used 

industrially since 1912. The most recent 

industrial owner, Stainless, Inc., operated 

a steel fabrication facility there from 1967 

through the mid 1980s, when operations 

ceased. 

The property first became an environmental 

concern in 1990, when an oily discharge 

running into a small stream bordering the 

site was reported to the Bucks County 

The Overbrook Environmental Education 

Center received a storm water best 

management practices award from the 

Academy of Natural Sciences. 

Department of Health. Initial site assessments 

performed by Stainless, Inc. revealed an 

underground storage tank containing fuel 

residue and water, and a subsurface vat 

containing solvents. Though some remedial 

actions were taken, trichloroethylene (TCE) 

levels remained high in the site’s soil and 

ground water. 

Following these initial assessments, the Bucks 

County Redevelopment Authority (BCRDA) 

purchased the Stainless property with the 

intention of cleaning and preparing it for 

resale. The site entered Pennsylvania’s Act 

2 voluntary cleanup program and received 

funds for treatment of TCE in the soils. While 

performing the cleanup, a nearby facility 

conducting its own required monitoring 

program, found TCE in its ground water 

samples. 

All parties (the state, EPA, BCRDA, the 

impacted facility, and the community) lacking 

authority to investigate the source of the TCE, 

requested a TBA. The results of the TBA led 

to an EPA Removal Assessment investigating 

the entire area, finding multiple plumes. 

Meanwhile the TBA investigation and process 

assured protection of human health and the 

environment, and allowed the cleanup and 

reuse of the Stainless site to continue. 

Following cleanup, the site was purchased 

by First Savings Bank and is now home to 

the bank’s 40,000-square foot green office 

building. The building is Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design (LEED) certified 

and includes lots of natural light, efficient 

windows and other features which save 25 

percent in heating and cooling costs. 

First Savings Bank’s 40,000-square foot green office building, Perkasie, Pa. 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
Land Revitalization Programs 

When EPA started cleaning up hazardous 

waste sites close to 30 years ago, citizens 

feared harmful health impacts and reduced 

real estate values. Developers shied away 

from contaminated sites. Now, communities 

want these properties returned to productive 

use, and reuse planning has become as 

important to the process as assessment and 

cleanup. 

In 2003, EPA announced its Land 

Revitalization Agenda to promote the 

productive reuse of all contaminated 

land, including Superfund and Resource 

Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 

sites. Reuse of contaminated sites promotes 

economic and social benefits to communities, 

results in faster and more protective cleanups, 

and helps retain greenspace. EPA’s Land 

Revitalization Initiative seeks to resolve 

barriers to reuse and promote the reuse of 

sites that are being or have been cleaned up. 

The Mid-Atlantic Region’s Land Revitalization 

Program integrates cleanup and reuse as 

mutually supportive goals, emphasizes 

sustainable site reuse, develops partnerships 

to support reuse, and measures the economic 

and environmental benefits of reused 

properties. 

In 2005, EPA surveyed more than 500 of 

the most severely contaminated hazardous 

waste sites in the Mid-Atlantic Region, 

encompassing more than 230,000 acres. 

Today, 93 percent of this land is in use or 

planned for reuse. More than half of the 

Region’s former Superfund sites have new 

life as parks, wildlife areas or recreation 

areas. At other contaminated sites where 

federal cleanups were required, new industrial 

facilities, apartment houses, office buildings 

and retail stores have been built. 

EPA and its state partners can help property 

owners and communities revitalize these 

sites by providing information to potential 

stakeholders, coordinating with other 

regulatory programs, incorporating reuse 

plans into cleanup designs, helping to resolve 

liability concerns, and expediting cleanup to 

support reuse. 

The Mid-Atlantic Region’s Land Revitalization 

Action Team works with buyers and 

developers to clarify EPA’s role in the cleanup 

of a site and any financial or environmental 

obligations that remain. EPA can also review 

proposed revitalization plans to make sure 

they are compatible with EPA’s cleanup plan 

for a site and protect human health and the 

environment. 

The Mid-Atlantic Region’s quarterly enewsletter, the Land Revitalization Update, 

is a great source of information for news, 

resources and policies affecting the reuse 

of brownfields and other contaminated 

properties in the Mid-Atlantic Region. To 

view issues of the Land Revitalization 

Update go to: http://www.epa.gov/region3/ 

revitalization/newsletters.htm 

The Mid-Atlantic Region’s Land Revitalization 

program also focuses on complex, area-wide 

contamination problems to help revitalize 

broad geographic areas, such as watersheds, 

using collaborative and integrated 

approaches. Following are examples of 

collaborative approaches that cross traditional 

organizational and regulatory boundaries 

to coordinate multiple agency processes, 

streamline requirements and leverage 

resources. 

The Money Point area of the Elizabeth River Basin in Chesapeake, Virginia is a 35-acre area 

that once thrived with shipping terminals, factories and wood treatment plants. 

The Mid-Atlantic Region’s Land Revitalization Action Team works with buyers 

and developers to understand EPA’s role in the cleanup of a site and any 

financial or environmental obligations that remain on the property. 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


Interagency Collaboration at Little

Elk Creek, Maryland

Little Elk Creek in Cecil County, Maryland 

was selected as an EPA One Cleanup 

Program Area-Wide Pilot in 2003. The Little 

Elk Creek pilot project used a collaborative, 

cross-programmatic approach to address 

a widespread ground water contamination 

concern at an underutilized industrial park and 

ensure that the site’s development and reuse 

met the needs of the surrounding community. 

The project’s partners—EPA Mid-Atlantic, 

Maryland Department of the Environment 

(MDE), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), Cecil County, City 

of Elkton, University of Maryland, and local 

property owners—collaborated to improve the 

interaction and information sharing between 

federal and state cleanup programs. The 

community formed the Little Elk Creek Reuse 

Committee to develop reuse recommendations 

for sites within the Little Elk Creek area. 

This coordination of project partners enhanced 

data and resource sharing and greatly sped 

up the assessment and cleanup processes, 

reduced redundancy, saved time and money, 

and avoided missteps. At one of the sites, 

EPA and MDE are coordinating with the 

developer of a new housing development, 

allowing the developer to proceed with 

planning and construction of over 1,000 

new homes as EPA conducts cleanup on the 

property. 

Restoring Habitat to Revitalize Urban

Rivers—Delaware River Estuary

The Delaware River Estuary, the largest 

freshwater port in the U.S., is highly 

industrialized; it is the third largest 

petrochemical port in the country, with 

millions of gallons of crude oil transported 

on the river daily. As a result, it is the most 

impacted area of the Delaware River system 

in terms of contaminants and habitat loss. 

To improve the region’s ecological health and 

support the revitalization and redevelopment 

of coastal communities, EPA partnered with 

NOAA, the States of Pennsylvania, New 

Jersey, and Delaware, and the Partnership 

for the Delaware Estuary to identify habitat 

restoration opportunities along the Delaware 

River Estuary. 

A web-based regional database and mapping 

tool targets brownfields and other waste 

sites to promote the restoration of critical 

habitats along the Delaware River. This web 

site helps property owners and developers, 

community groups and federal, state, and 

local governments identify contaminated sites 

and underutilized properties and view existing 

restoration projects and potential sites for 

restoration. It also provides an overview of 

coastal habitats, natural resources critical 

to maintaining a healthy river and sources 

of contamination. To use the online tool, 

please visit: http://mapping.orr.noaa.gov/Web 

site/portal/Delaware/ 

Darby Creek, a tributary to the Delaware 

River, is targeted for ecorestoration, 

Philadelphia, Pa. 

The Urban Rivers Restoration Pilot

Initiative Spurs Cleanup of One of

the Most Contaminated Areas of the

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

The Urban Rivers Restoration Pilot projects 

designated by EPA and U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers address the challenges of urban 

river cleanup, protect public health, and 

promote economic sustainability. 

One of these projects, the Money Point area 

of the Elizabeth River Basin in Chesapeake, 

Virginia, is a 35-acre area that once thrived 

with shipping terminals, factories and wood 

treatment plants. Legend has it that the 

locals dubbed the area Money Point for the 

jobs and wealth it created. However, the 

area now suffers from high concentrations 

of contaminants that have killed most of the 

aquatic life. 

The Pilot supports the Elizabeth River Project 

(ERP), a non-profit group, in its efforts to 

motivate property owners along the river 

to make voluntary improvements. In 2006, 

ERP’s Money Point Revitalization Task Force 

completed a 10-year Watershed Action Plan 

to clean up the river, conserve and restore 

habitat, and foster environmental stewardship 

with local industries. The Elizabeth River 

Project, in conjunction with 150 project 

partners, is now implementing its Watershed 

Action Plan to help guide cleanup priorities for 

the river. 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
Mid-Atlantic State Programs 

EPA works closely with its state partners to promote the assessment, cleanup and 

reuse of brownfields. Each of the states in the Mid-Atlantic Region receives annual 

grants (Section 128(a) State and Tribal Grants) from EPA to support brownfields and 

voluntary response programs. Below is a summary of each state’s various programs 

and incentives that aid brownfields projects, as well as contact information for each 

state. 

EPA Mid-Atlantic Brownfields State Grants 

$40,000,000 

35,000,000 

30,000,000 

25,000,000 

20,000,000 

15,000,000 

10,000,000 

5,000,000 

0 $ 

1997 1998 

1999 

2000

2001 2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$37,807,514 

District of Columbia

The District of Columbia’s Brownfield Revitalization Amendment Act of 2000 established 

the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), a brownfields program, and authorized tax and other 

incentives for the cleanup and development of contaminated property. 

In addition to the VCP, the District also enacted the Voluntary Remediation Action Program, 

which permits parties that are not responsible for a tank leak—such as a prospective purchaser— 

to remediate a site and obtain a No Further Action letter from the District. 

For more information on the District’s VCP and Brownfields Program, please contact the District 

Department of the Environment, Land Remediation and Development Branch at (202) 535-2289. 



Since 1997, EPA has 

given nearly $38 million 

to Mid-Atlantic State 

programs to support 

brownfields work. 

A new condominium building at the corner 

of 13th and M Streets, NW is the crown 

jewel of the neighborhood. 

Prior to its redevelopment, the property 

had many different uses, including a 

supermarket, gas station, apartment 

building, print shop, take-out restaurant, 

liquor store and dry cleaner. Petroleum 

and solvents, both in the soil and 

groundwater, were cleaned up in 2005. 

The redevelopment of this .8-acre parcel is 

a valuable addition to this highly developed 

residential and commercial area. 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
Delaware’s Brownfields and VCP 

Programs have helped with the costs 

associated with the recent redevelopment 

of more than 35 acres of the South 

Wilmington riverfront. 

The properties include Christina Landing 

Towers & Townhomes, which had a 

long history of dumping commercial and 

industrial wastes. Plans for this site call 

for construction of 63 luxury townhouses, 

273 upscale apartment units, and a 280-

space parking garage. 

The nearby Justison Landing property 

has been in continuous industrial use 

since the late 1700s by the steel, rail and 

power industries. Over the years, the site 

became strewn with brick, rock, coal and 

ash, wood, slag, foundry wastes, and 

other debris. The property is currently 

undergoing redevelopment as an ultra 

modern mixed use residential, commercial 

and retail project. 

Another of the area’s properties, the 

Howard Street Commercial Development/ 

Christina Landing Retail Center, is 

currently being redeveloped for commercial 

and retail use. This site had a history 

of industrial uses, including a yard that 

processed scrap metal, old appliances 

and electrical transformers that may have 

contained PCBs. When completed, the 

property will contain a grocery store with 

supporting retail stores. 

Delaware

Delaware established its VCP in 1993 and its Brownfields Program in 1995. The 2006 

Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act Policy on Brownfield Grants authorized the appropriation 

of $5,000,000 annually from the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act Fund (HSCA Fund) for the 

purpose of reimbursing up to $1,000,000 in cleanup costs for eligible brownfields redevelopment 

projects. 

Up to $225,000 may be awarded to any single private brownfields redevelopment project for 

approved costs incurred for assessment, investigation, cleanup activities, or oversight charges. 

Of this amount, the first potential $125,000, being a dollar to dollar reimbursement, and the 

second potential $100,000 being a fifty cents to the dollar reimbursement. 

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) administers the 

Brownfields Program and gives funding preference to redevelopment projects with public 

benefit—such as affordable housing (e.g., for low- to middle-income buyers), LEED Certified 

Green Buildings, and development consistent with smart growth principles. To apply for funding 

and for Brownfield certification, go to: (www.dnrec.state.de.us/dnrec2000/Divisions/AWM/sirb/ 

Brownfield/doc/BF_Cert_App.doc). 

Delaware’s Brownfields Tax Credit Program offers employment and capital investment tax 

credits to parties that clean up brownfields and encourage new business on them. Companies 

that invest at least $200,000 in a facility on a former brownfield and create at least five new 

jobs are eligible to receive tax credits, including: 

• $650 per each $100,000 of new investment; 

• $650 for each new job created; and 

• a 15-year graduated gross receipts tax credit. 

Credits for employees and investment increase by $250 if the business locates on a brownfield 

in a targeted area. 

DNREC promotes the cleanup and development of state brownfields by ensuring timely 

and effective cleanups with protective, equitable and sustainable remedies and long-term 

stewardship for properties that have a remedy in place. The state’s Brownfields Advisory 

Committee, representing broad public interest and community perspectives, advises DNREC on 

its Brownfields Program including the development of rules, policies and procedures. For more 

information on Delaware’s VCP and Brownfields Program, please contact James Poling at (302) 

395-2600 or at jim.poling@state.de.us. 

0

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
Maryland

Established by the state legislature in 1997, the Maryland Department of the Environment’s 

(MDE) Voluntary Cleanup Program provides state oversight for voluntary cleanups of properties 

contaminated with hazardous substances and provides liability protection for inculpable parties. 

MDE’s Brownfields Site Assessment Initiative uses federal funding to conduct site assessments 

on privately and publicly owned brownfields. 

The Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program, established in 1997 as part of Maryland’s 

smart growth policy, focuses on the efficient use of existing infrastructure as an alternative to 

developing on open space. The “Maryland Smart Sites” Web site (www.mdsmartsites.org) 

provides a list of properties that meet the needs of businesses and developers and support 

Maryland’s smart growth efforts. An online source for information on publicly owned 

redevelopment opportunities across the state, Maryland Smart Sites aims to market these 

opportunities in conjunction with an array of existing state, local and federal incentives. 

Properties that qualify for remediation assistance from the Maryland Department of Business 

and Economic Development’s Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program (BRIP) are eligible to 

receive a property tax credit as well. They must participate in the state’s VCP and the property 

must be located in a jurisdiction that has elected to participate in the BRIP. For five years after 

cleanup, VCP-participating qualified brownfield projects can receive a real property tax credit 

between 50 and 70 percent of the new increment of taxes on the increased value of the site. 

Properties located in any of the state’s 28 designated enterprise zones may take advantage of 

the tax credit for up to 10 years. The brownfields credit, combined with other available state 

property tax credits, may not exceed 100 percent of the tax on the increased value of the site. 

Property owners responsible for contamination may not take advantage of the tax incentive. 

For more information regarding Maryland’s Voluntary Cleanup Program, please contact Luke 

Wisniewski, Maryland Department of the Environment, at (410) 537-3493. For more information 

regarding the Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program, please contact Jim Henry, Maryland 

Department of Business and Economic Department, at (410) 767-6353. 

A property long regarded as an industrial 

landmark, the General Motors van 

assembly plant in East Baltimore shut 

down operations after 68 years. Duke 

Realty was awarded a purchase contract 

to clean up the site and invested more than 

$140 million to redevelop the property into 

a commercial business park. The project 

is expected to create thousands of new 

jobs over the next ten years and aims to 

bring one of Baltimore’s largest and most 

prominent industrial properties back to life. 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


Capitalizing on the success of the adjacent 

Clipper Magazine Stadium, Armstrong 

World Industries, Franklin and Marshall 

College, Lancaster General Hospital, and 

EDC Finance Corporation are rejuvenating 

47 acres of industrial property Armstrong 

no longer needed for its manufacturing 

operations. 

The mixed-use redevelopment project 

includes the creation of a collegiate 

athletic complex, community recreational 

access, and Lancaster General Hospital 

clinical and therapeutic facilities, 

administrative offices, and a nursing 

college—creating hundreds of jobs and 

fueling additional economic development 

in Lancaster City. This high-profile 

revitalization project has been designated 

as one of PADEP’s Brownfield Action 

Team projects and is participating in the 

One Cleanup Program with PADEP and 

EPA. 

Pennsylvania

Since 1995, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (PADEP) Land Recycling 

Program (Act 2) has been instrumental in encouraging the voluntary cleanup and reuse of 

contaminated commercial and industrial sites. Nearly 2,700 properties have been remediated 

and 76,000 jobs created or retained since the inception of the program by utilizing the four 

cornerstones of Act 2: uniform cleanup standards, liability relief, standardized reviews and time 

limits, and financial assistance. 

Since 2003, Pennsylvania has invested $230 million in brownfields revitalization, helping to 

clean up and redevelop 950 abandoned industrial sites covering more than 6,000 acres, while 

creating and retaining 27,000 jobs. Investment and cleanup activities in the last four years alone 

represent nearly 40 percent of all properties remediated under the Act 2 program. 

To accelerate this effort, the Brownfield Action Team (BAT) program was launched in 2004. 

BAT serves as a single-point-of-contact system to streamline permitting processes and 

redevelopment efforts for sites that local officials target as priorities. The BAT works closely 

with other state agencies to provide cleanup and financing strategies. BAT projects typically 

receive PADEP permits and other authorizations in half of the usual time. Since its launch, BAT 

has helped 33 projects in 22 counties to redevelop more than 4,500 acres of brownfields. 

Also in 2004, Pennsylvania signed a historical Memorandum of Agreement with EPA, enabling 

Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling Program to serve as a “one-stop shop” for EPA and Pennsylvania 

standards that guide the cleanup of brownfields. 

Pennsylvania’s brownfields have been redeveloped into everything from parks and walking 

trails to commercial offices, retail and entertainment complexes, and single- and multi-family 

residential developments. These achievements build on the commonwealth’s already strong track 

record of making environmental protection work for the business community. 

For more information on Pennsylvania’s Brownfields Program, please contact Jill Gaito, 

deputy secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Community 

Revitalization and Local Government Support, at (717) 783-1566 or at jgaito@state.pa.us. 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
Virginia

Since 1997, Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Voluntary Remediation 

Program (VRP) has provided a framework for remediating brownfield properties. The VRP 

is a non-enforcement cleanup program that provides a formal mechanism for DEQ oversight 

while providing flexibility to the participant. The VRP uses a risk-based approach that provides 

reasonable cleanup goals and allows for institutional and engineering controls to be considered 

as remediation approaches. Eligibility is limited to properties where remediation is not mandated 

pursuant to a federal or state regulatory program. When the remediation is satisfactorily 

completed, DEQ issues a “certification of satisfactory completion of remediation.” This 

certification provides assurance that the remediated site will not later become the subject 

of a DEQ enforcement action unless new issues are discovered. The DEQ also provides site 

assessment services as an incentive for the reuse or redevelopment of brownfields. 

The General Assembly of Virginia enacted House Bill 2141 in 1997, which amended the Code 

of Virginia and created a property tax incentive. The code created a separate class of property, 

the environmental restoration site, for VRP participants. The section allows the local governing 

body of any county, city or town, by ordinance, to exempt or partially exempt environmental 

restoration properties from local taxation annually for a period up to five years. Upon the request 

for a determination if a property is the subject of remediation activities conducted in the VRP, a 

letter will be sent to the requesting party certifying whether the property meets the criteria of 

an environmental restoration site. Such certification can then be presented to the local governing 

body for any special tax considerations. Properties that are enrolled in the VRP may also be 

eligible for federal tax incentives. 

DEQ’s goal in implementing its brownfields program is to provide innovative, business-oriented 

provisions that are substantive, user friendly and timely. A “Brownfields Manual” published by 

DEQ facilitates brownfields cleanup and redevelopment by offering an overview of the process, 

frequently asked questions and flowcharts to help quickly and easily assess a project’s eligibility. 

For more information on Virginia’s VCP and Brownfields Program, please contact Kevin Green, 

DEQ’s Division of Waste Program at (804) 698-4326 or at klgreene@deq.virginia.gov. 

Since the early 1920s, the 1.4-acre 

Clarendon Triangle site in the City of 

Arlington had been host to a mix of 

residential and commercial uses. The 

property was occupied by several gasoline 

distribution stations, a car wash, an 

automobile dealership, and an office 

building. By the late 1980s, the site 

became dilapidated and largely vacant. 

Starting in the late 1990s, the surrounding 

Arlington area began to experience 

significant revitalization due to market 

forces and local “smart growth” initiatives. 

Before construction was initiated, 

a Corrective Action Plan to address 

documented petroleum contamination was 

formulated and approved. As a result, 

areas of contamination were properly 

addressed and successfully resolved. 

The redevelopment of the Clarendon 

Triangle site played a significant role in 

transforming a once-blighted area into a 

functional community combining the best 

of urban residential and functional retail 

uses. 

Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 


The decline and legacy of three primary 

economic sectors, coal mining, steel 

production and glass production, have left 

vast areas in West Virginia with real or 

perceived contamination. Revitalization 

of mine-scarred lands and other former 

industrial sites is complicated in some 

areas by declining populations, absent 

responsible parties, and transportation and 

logistical challenges. Small communities 

often lack the personnel and expertise 

to successfully compete against larger 

urban centers for brownfields resources. 

To overcome these hurdles and support 

rural areas, the West Virginia State 

Legislature developed a model approach 

by establishing two Regional Brownfield 

Assistance centers to support community 

efforts to turn brownfields into productive 

land again. 

West Virginia

West Virginia’s Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act (VRRA) limits enforcement 

actions by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), provides financial 

incentives to entice investment, and limits liability under environmental laws and rules for those 

who remediate brownfields sites under the program. The VRRA and its implementing regulations 

were developed by a diverse group of stakeholders to encourage voluntary remediation and 

redevelopment. This process has led to a strong program that is protective of communities and 

the environment while promoting economic development in West Virginia. The VRRA provides for 

flexibility in the voluntary cleanup of under-utilized properties and marks a turning point in state 

environmental policy. 

In 2005, the West Virginia State Legislature created two regional Brownfields Assistance 

Centers to support community efforts to turn brownfields into productive land again, one serving 

northern counties and the other serving southern counties. Both assistance centers are state 

mandated and funded, and work closely together in conjunction with WVDEP and the West 

Virginia Development Office. 

The Centers conduct general citizen and local government education efforts on brownfields; 

solicit grants and low-interest loans for assessment, cleanup and job training; and provide 

support for preliminary legal and planning work. Requests are prioritized from communities 

that are already working on community-wide development planning and may be interested in 

integrating brownfields redevelopment into those plans. Additionally, the Centers can acquire 

property and act as a developer, and may enter into partnerships and agreements with other 

public or private entities to manage and coordinate remediation and redevelopment activities. 

For more information on West Virginia’s VRRA and Brownfields Program, please contact Ken 

Ellison, WVDEP’s Division of Land Restoration at (304) 926-0455. 



Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands 
EPA Mid-Atlantic Contact Information

For more information about redevelopment projects described in this report,

please contact:

Tom Stolle Christopher Thomas

Brownfields Coordinator Land Revitalization Coordinator 

U.S. EPA U.S. EPA 

3HS51 3HS51 

1650 Arch Street 1650 Arch Street 

Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 

(215) 814-3129 (215) 814-5555 

stolle.tom@epa.gov thomas.christopher@epa.gov 

For more information on how to apply for EPA Brownfields grants, please go to EPA’s MidAtlantic Brownfields Web site: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/ 

Land Revitalization Newsletter

For more up-to-date information on Brownfields and other Land Revitalization projects, please 

visit the Mid-Atlantic Region’s Land Revitalization Newsletter Web site: 

http://www.epa.gov/region3/revitalization/newsletters.htm 
United States Mid-Atlantic Brownfields EPA 903-K-08-001 

Environmental Protection and Land Revitalization February 2008 

Agency Program www.epa.gov 

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