EPA-560-F-08-003 brownfields January 2008

at-a-glance

Ohlone Community College District, CA 

OHLONE COLLEGE NEWARK CENTER Cleanup Grant 

Higher Education Takes the Green Route

ADDRESS: 39399 Cherry Street, Newark, CA 94560 

PROPERTY SIZE: 81 acres 

FORMER USES: Agricultural fields 

CURRENT USES: Ohlone College Newark Center for Health Sciences 

and Technology 

EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: PROJECT PARTNERS: 

The Ohlone Community College District 

received a $200,000 EPA Brownfields 

Cleanup Grant. 

City of Newark, CA; Dillard 

Environmental Services; Perkins & Will; 

Treadwell & Rollo; Turner Construction; 

Top Grade Construction 

For additional data and geographic 

information for this and other 

Envirofacts -

bms_query.html 

Enviromapper -

Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA’s: 

www.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/ 

www.epa.gov/enviro/bf 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Used for agricultural purposes since 1939, the Cherry Street property is currently being redeveloped into the new 

Ohlone Community College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology. The property was selected because 

of its proximity to a local high school and easy transportation access. The California Department of Toxic Substances 

Control (DTSC) oversaw the cleanup of soil containing pesticides in the northern 31-acres. The property was 

entered into the DTSC Voluntary Cleanup Program and used an EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant to remediate the soils 

to residential standards. The college president is committed to green architecture and sustainability and wishes to set 

an example to students learning environmental science at the college. The project broke ground in May 2005, 

implementing an environmentally friendly design. 

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 

• Soils cleaned up to residential standards. 

• First “green” community college campus in the nation. 

• Development aiming for LEED Gold Certification. 

OUTCOME: 

The Newark campus incorporates resource efficient features such as photovoltaic solar panels, geothermal heating 

and cooling, high-efficiency lighting, low water consumption, and extensive use of recycled materials. Additional 

funding was leveraged through a $150 million College District Bond, of which $100 million was dedicated to the 

Newark Center, with an additional $8 million leveraged from bond interest earnings. The project is projected to 

generate 30 percent of its energy needs through the solar-powered network. The Newark Center is being developed 

to meet requirements for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for 

sustainable buildings. Opening for classes on January 28, 2008, the facility is expected to serve up to 2,000 students 

per semester and leverage an additional 10-15 staff positions in addition to those existing at the current campus. A 

dedication ceremony will be held on January 31, 2008 as part of the nationwide Focus the Nation “Teach-In” event 

which will unite students, faculty and administration as they educate each other about environmental sustainability. 

The Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 9 at (415) 947-8000