"...it is essential that we have the capacity to 

consider every location that has the 

possibility of providing housing that is 

affordable to low- and moderate-income 

people. 

the Brownfields Pilot and the Minnesota 

Environmental Initiative], generously 

supported by the Environmental Protection 

Agency, we are able to do just that." 

TWIN CITIES, MN 

JUST THE FACTS: 

• The Twin Cities metropolitan area contains 3,000 

acres of identified brownfields. 

• While not all of the area's brownfields are suitable 

for residential reuse, the Brownfields Pilot verified 

through environmental assessments that several 

were free from contamination, allowing 

homebuilding plans to proceed. 

• The Brownfields Pilot has leveraged more than 

$415,000 for homebuilding projects thus far, as well 

as additional, in-kind environmental assessment 

work from a local consulting firm. 

The Excitement for Brownfields 

Is Building 

continued 8

The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council Brownfields Pilot, 

awarded by EPA, has partnered with the Minnesota Environmental Initiative (MEI) and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity to perform environmental assessments on 10 

brownfields in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, 

Minnesota. 

the sites for affordable housing. A 

signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Habitat for 

Humanity International to work in partnership to build energy-efficient homes on former brownfields throughout the 

country. win 

Cities area suffers from a shortage of affordable housing. 

Approximately 185,000 households in the metropolitan area 

with incomes below $30,000 spend more than 30 percent of 

their income on housing; such high housing costs have a disproportionate impact on lower-income workers who play critical 

roles in the community, such as child-care providers, bank 

tellers, home health aides, and preschool teachers. 

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit affiliate of the 

international Habitat for Humanity, produces affordable housing for families in need and has a mandate to dramatically 

increase the number of homes it builds each year. o achieve 

its goal, Twin Cities Habitat must identify large, affordable 

properties on which to build multiple homes. 

sometimes have presented environmental issues that Habitat 

had no capability to address, and in the past the organization 

had to pass on properties that had a hint of possible contamination. 

tial, as the nonprofit organization has considerable experience 

in conducting brownfields redevelopment projects. 

taken the organizational lead in this project, and the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council's EPA Brownfields Pilot grant has 

allowed potential properties to be assessed to ensure their 

suitability for residential use. 

Thanks to this collaboration [with 

This partnership is opening the door to reuse of 

On February 13, 2002, EP

Like many other cities in the United States, the T

T

Such properties 

MEI's role in the partnership has proven to be essenMEI has 
TWIN CITIES 

CONTACTS:

Minnesota Environmental Initiative 

(612) 334-3388 

U.S. EPA-Region 5 

(312) 353-2513 

Visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: 

http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

continued 8

The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council oversees redevelopment for 

the seven-county metropolitan area, which has a population of 2.2 

million, and has identified 3,000 acres of brownfields within that 

area. 

the Pilot has verified through environmental assessments that several properties are free of contaminants, which has allowed Twin 

Cities Habitat to proceed with homebuilding plans. 

funding these site assessments, the Brownfields Pilot has leveraged $415,361 for the project thus far, including in-kind contributions of environmental assessment work from a local consulting 

firm, Braun Intertec. 

To date, three single-family homes have been built on one property at 

Nebraska and Arkwright Streets in St. Paul by Habitat's WomenBuild 

project, which uses all-female volunteer crews. 

development project comprised of eight single-family homes. 

purchased by an immigrant woman whose teenage daughter encouraged her to apply for a 

Habitat home. 

meet the "sweat equity" requirement of contributing 300 hours of labor on the home, so her 

16-year-old daughter committed to do the sweat equity labor herself. 

provided the family's 300 hours by helping with the construction after school. 

soon be moving into their new home, and the mother, Yeshi Lemu, recently expressed, "We 

are excited to move into our new home on Nebraska Avenue because we will have so much 

more room. 

it will be much more affordable." 

A fourth home on Stevens Avenue in Minneapolis was also completed in fall 

2001. venue 

house is in the densely developed Whittier neighborhood 

of South Minneapolis, 

which has a population of 

15,247 residents, 46 percent of whom are minorities. 

of Whittier is lower than 

that of other Minneapolis 

neighborhoods. , 

there are many social services 

available in the neighborhood and 

there are nearby grocery stores and 

restaurants. 

Stevens Avenue home is the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Children's Theatre Company, and less than one block away is the recently developed Midtown Greenway, a bike 

path that runs through a rail corridor-turned-greenspace. 

While not all of these sites are suitable for residential reuse, 

In addition to 

This site is part of a Habitat 

One of these homes was 

The mother works full-time and was concerned that she would not be able to 

The young woman 

The family will 

Also, rent is very high right now in our city and when we are in our new home, 

The Stevens A

The median income 

However

Also within blocks of the 

Brownfields Success Story Solid Waste EPA-500-F-02-036 

Twin Cities, Minnesota and Emergency April 2002 

Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/ 
TWIN CITIES 

All of the Habitat homes are being built with energy-efficient r25 insulation in the walls and mechanical ventilation to maintain indoor air quality. 

of Minnesota recently raised its building code for singlefamily residences, so these homes are being built to the 

strictest standards in the nation. 

The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council Brownfields Pilot 

and its partners hope to create an easily replicable model 

that will allow other affordable housing builders to similarly 

expand their capabilities. 

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, has said, "As we at Twin Cities Habitat strive to meet the everincreasing need for affordable housing in our community, it is essential that we have the capacity to 

consider every location that has the possibility of providing housing that is affordable to low- and 

moderate-income people. 

Environmental Initiative], generously supported by the Environmental Protection Agency, we are able 

to do just that." 

Furthermore, the State 

Stephen Seidel, executive director of 

Thanks to this collaboration [with the Brownfields Pilot and the Minnesota 

Brownfields Success Story Solid Waste EPA-500-F-02-036 

Twin Cities, Minnesota and Emergency April 2002 

Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/