10 Veterans Boulevard · New Orleans, LA · 70124 · 504.483.8500 |
Program History
The RPC’s Brownfield Redevelopment Program started in 1999 with a pilot grant from the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through their Brownfield and Land Revitalization Program to build the
foundation of our program and address Brownfield sites with potential hazardous waste contamination. Two
additional grants provided funding to expand on our initial efforts, including a Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan
Fund Grant to provide funding for environmental cleanups and a Petroleum Assessment Grant to address sites
with potential petroleum-related contamination. Brownfield Redevelopment Program activities are detailed below
by grant. Additional information on specific sites may found on the Property Profiles page.
Original Brownfield Pilot and Supplemental Assessment Grants
RPC began our Brownfield Redevelopment Program in 1999 as a Brownfield Pilot grantee with a grant of
$200,000. The main focus of the grant was to create the Southeast Louisiana Brownfield Consortium and compile
a Brownfields Cookbook, a template for Brownfield assessments and redevelopment. The Brownfield Consortium
with a membership of 130 local, regional, and state partners has met on a variety of topics and provided input
into RPC’s Brownfield Redevelopment Program. The Brownfield Cookbook, A Redevelopment Guide was completed
in September 2001 and is a resource for Brownfield redevelopment projects in the region. During the
development of the Cookbook, over 30 sites were identified as potential Brownfields sites.
Our original grant was supplemented in 2001 with an additional $119,000, which was used to conduct six (6)
Phase I and one (1) Phase II environmental site assessments (ESAs). A total of 823 acres were assessed
throughout the region, including Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Tammany Parishes.
Two of the sites continue to move towards redevelopment. The Falstaff Brewery site in New Orleans, where the
results of the Phase I ESA resulted in the cleanup of lead and asbestos contamination, opened in 2008 with 147
mixed-income housing units and seven commercial units. The Progressive Church site, an 18-acre site in Marrero,
Jefferson Parish, assessed under this grant and our Petroleum Assessment Grant, was cleaned up using a loan
from our Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund and an EPA cleanup grant. Groundbreaking for the
redevelopment of the site is scheduled for Spring 2009.
Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Grant (BCRLF)
In 2003, RPC was awarded a $500,000 Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) grant. This funding
provides low-interest loans for the environmental cleanup of Brownfield sites. When the loans are repaid, the
funds are then made available for additional cleanup loans, maximizing the impact of the initial grant. Part of the
grant can also be used to provide services related to cleanup, such as redevelopment planning. Under RPC’s
BCRLF, redevelopment plans were created for three sites: the Jefferson Lake Canal Site in Plaquemines Parish,
and the Old Paris Road Landfill Site and Old Incinerator & Main Yard Site, both in St. Bernard Parish.
In 2008, RPC provided a $300,000 loan to Progressive Church for the cleanup of the site of their future Family Life
Center, daycare/school facility, and senior housing community. The site was assessed using funding from RPC’s
Original Pilot and Petroleum Assessment Grants. The Phase II environmental site assessment determined the
presence of asbestos in surface soils on the northern part of the site, and a limited area of hydrocarbon and
metal contamination. Progressive Church completed the cleanup of the site in 2008, receiving an LDEQ certificate
of completion on September 10, 2008. Located in Marrero on the west bank of Jefferson Parish, this project is
expected to generate at least 150 new jobs for the area. Once the loan has been repaid, RPC will revolve the
funds to assess and cleanup other Brownfield sites in our region.
Brownfield Petroleum Assessment Grant
In 2004, USEPA opened up the Brownfield grant opportunities to include sites with petroleum-related
contamination, which were previously excluded from receiving Brownfield funding. RPC was awarded a $200,000
grant to expand our assessment program to include sites with potential petroleum-related contamination. Under
this grant, RPC conducted various outreach activities, inventoried petroleum sites within our region, and
completed Phase I and II environmental site assessments (ESAs).
Our most notable accomplishments include the Phase I ESA of the Chronicles Site in Harvey and the Phase II ESA
of the Progressive Church site (noted above) in Marrero, both in Jefferson Parish. RPC also organized the
Southeast Louisiana Portfields Initiative in partnership with EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). In addition and in
partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, RPC customized the USTriage software model to catalog and rank
potential brownfield sites based on physical, economic, and environmental criteria.
The RPC’s Brownfield Redevelopment Program started in 1999 with a pilot grant from the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through their Brownfield and Land Revitalization Program to build the
foundation of our program and address Brownfield sites with potential hazardous waste contamination. Two
additional grants provided funding to expand on our initial efforts, including a Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan
Fund Grant to provide funding for environmental cleanups and a Petroleum Assessment Grant to address sites
with potential petroleum-related contamination. Brownfield Redevelopment Program activities are detailed below
by grant. Additional information on specific sites may found on the Property Profiles page.
Original Brownfield Pilot and Supplemental Assessment Grants
RPC began our Brownfield Redevelopment Program in 1999 as a Brownfield Pilot grantee with a grant of
$200,000. The main focus of the grant was to create the Southeast Louisiana Brownfield Consortium and compile
a Brownfields Cookbook, a template for Brownfield assessments and redevelopment. The Brownfield Consortium
with a membership of 130 local, regional, and state partners has met on a variety of topics and provided input
into RPC’s Brownfield Redevelopment Program. The Brownfield Cookbook, A Redevelopment Guide was completed
in September 2001 and is a resource for Brownfield redevelopment projects in the region. During the
development of the Cookbook, over 30 sites were identified as potential Brownfields sites.
Our original grant was supplemented in 2001 with an additional $119,000, which was used to conduct six (6)
Phase I and one (1) Phase II environmental site assessments (ESAs). A total of 823 acres were assessed
throughout the region, including Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Tammany Parishes.
Two of the sites continue to move towards redevelopment. The Falstaff Brewery site in New Orleans, where the
results of the Phase I ESA resulted in the cleanup of lead and asbestos contamination, opened in 2008 with 147
mixed-income housing units and seven commercial units. The Progressive Church site, an 18-acre site in Marrero,
Jefferson Parish, assessed under this grant and our Petroleum Assessment Grant, was cleaned up using a loan
from our Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund and an EPA cleanup grant. Groundbreaking for the
redevelopment of the site is scheduled for Spring 2009.
Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Grant (BCRLF)
In 2003, RPC was awarded a $500,000 Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) grant. This funding
provides low-interest loans for the environmental cleanup of Brownfield sites. When the loans are repaid, the
funds are then made available for additional cleanup loans, maximizing the impact of the initial grant. Part of the
grant can also be used to provide services related to cleanup, such as redevelopment planning. Under RPC’s
BCRLF, redevelopment plans were created for three sites: the Jefferson Lake Canal Site in Plaquemines Parish,
and the Old Paris Road Landfill Site and Old Incinerator & Main Yard Site, both in St. Bernard Parish.
In 2008, RPC provided a $300,000 loan to Progressive Church for the cleanup of the site of their future Family Life
Center, daycare/school facility, and senior housing community. The site was assessed using funding from RPC’s
Original Pilot and Petroleum Assessment Grants. The Phase II environmental site assessment determined the
presence of asbestos in surface soils on the northern part of the site, and a limited area of hydrocarbon and
metal contamination. Progressive Church completed the cleanup of the site in 2008, receiving an LDEQ certificate
of completion on September 10, 2008. Located in Marrero on the west bank of Jefferson Parish, this project is
expected to generate at least 150 new jobs for the area. Once the loan has been repaid, RPC will revolve the
funds to assess and cleanup other Brownfield sites in our region.
Brownfield Petroleum Assessment Grant
In 2004, USEPA opened up the Brownfield grant opportunities to include sites with petroleum-related
contamination, which were previously excluded from receiving Brownfield funding. RPC was awarded a $200,000
grant to expand our assessment program to include sites with potential petroleum-related contamination. Under
this grant, RPC conducted various outreach activities, inventoried petroleum sites within our region, and
completed Phase I and II environmental site assessments (ESAs).
Our most notable accomplishments include the Phase I ESA of the Chronicles Site in Harvey and the Phase II ESA
of the Progressive Church site (noted above) in Marrero, both in Jefferson Parish. RPC also organized the
Southeast Louisiana Portfields Initiative in partnership with EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). In addition and in
partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, RPC customized the USTriage software model to catalog and rank
potential brownfield sites based on physical, economic, and environmental criteria.
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Regional Planning Commission 10 Veterans Blvd New Orleans, LA 70124 (504) 483-8500 www.norpc.org brownfields@norpc.org |