! How Two Ohio Counties Successfully Use U.S. EPA Funding to Revitalize! National Brownfields Conference, September 3, 2015 Sylvia Chinn-Levy Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning & Development Organization Akron, Ohio Janise Bayne Cuyahoga County Department of Development Cleveland, Ohio

Summit Brownfields Revitalization Program Summit County, Ohio PART I INTRODUCTION

Administered by the Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning & Development Organization (NEFCO), a regional council of governments Awarded two USEPA brownfields assessment coalition grants; total of $1.2 million to assess brownfields in Summit County, Ohio Other Coalition members: Development Finance Authority of Summit County and Summit County Public Health 13 properties assessed since 2012; leveraged $14.2 million in public and private investment Akron (pop. 199,038) is the central city, former home of tire manufacturing and current headquarters of Goodyear Tire CHAPTER 1 – BACKGROUND SUMMIT BROWNFIELDS REVITALIZATION PROGRAM

ROLLING ACRES MALL CITY OF AKRON

CHAPTER 2 VISION Economic end uses are a priority $36,800 in assessment funds leveraged over $1.4 million in private investment 11 full-time jobs created in a food desert A former machine shop in Akron is now a Save a Lot grocery store

CHAPTER 2 VISION Consideration of non- economic end uses added in 2014 Some brownfields will be developed into trail heads and recreational trail facilities for Summit Metroparks Demolition of a former gas station along the Cuyahoga River Gorge to develop a trailhead and parking

How we achieve our vision Transparency – A Brownfields Technical Advisory Committee, Sub- committee and Board inform and direct the program Fiscal responsibility – Procured firms submit proposals for each project; NEFCO staff runs all aspects of the program Partnerships – Local governments and end users have shared assessment costs CHAPTER 3 ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS

After picking the low-hanging fruit, what do you do? CHAPTER 3 STRATEGIC TOOLS

Existing resources help us to strategically use our grant funds Universities Local governments County health department (asthma, grocery store data) Western Research Land Conservancy’s vacant land survey Business lenders can identify small enterprises in need of assistance CHAPTER 3 STRATEGIC TOOLS

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a tool to identify properties for re-use by combining many types of information Community gardens, urban agriculture – neighborhood leaders, water sources, immigrants Environmental justice, health – high asthma rates, known brownfields, food deserts Open space, green infrastructure – vacant parcels CHAPTER 3 STRATEGIC TOOLS

Spatial data on food access and health issues helps prioritize locations that are most suitable for redevelopment for urban agricultural uses PRIORITIZE PROPERTIES

Suitability for revitalization based on a combination of several food, health, accessibility, and availability issues using GIS Suitability values will be calculated for each parcel Patterns of highly suitable parcels can then be examined at broader scales to identify clusters or neighborhoods that can then be used to further refine revitalization efforts For example, if a cluster of parcels that are highly suitable are identified in an neighborhood where there are more active civic groups, then the parcels that make up this cluster may be considered even more attractive for revitalization THINKING AT MULTIPLE SCALES

Corridor studies target problem areas CHAPTER 3 STRATEGIC TOOLS

Accountability is key Tap into the knowledge of your USEPA Program Officer Find a colleague to learn from Read/research/ask questions Create a nimble, flexible program Refine/improve CHAPTER 4 LESSONS LEARNED

Community Assessment Initiative Cuyahoga County, Ohio PART II INTRODUCTION

Brownfield Redevelopment in Cuyahoga County CHAPTER 1: HISTORY OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT

1991: Massive out-migration of population and industry through-out North East Ohio leaving vacant, abandoned, underutilized former industrial manufacturing sites behind. 1992: Study revealed unknown contamination/environmental issues and associated clean-up costs was the major hindrance to the reuse and redevelopment of these abandoned urban properties. 1993: Cleveland / Cuyahoga County Brownfields Working Group (BWG) was formed Cuyahoga County and City of Cleveland officials were working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in implementing “pilot” assessment and clean-up grants and revolving loan funds programs. 1994: Cuyahoga County Planning Commission (CPC) received a USEPA Assessment Demonstration Pilot. 1995: Clinton Administration initiated the Brownfields Action Agenda TIMELINE

1996: Cuyahoga County Planning Commission was awarded a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF). The focus of the BCRLF was the Midtown Corridor plan which was composed of 18 suburbs adjacent to the city of Cleveland. Potential projects to be funded through the BCRLF will be identified through the Brownfields Working Group and its public-private community-wide partnerships. 1997: Cuyahoga County Planning Commission (CPC) received a USEPA Assessment Demonstration Pilot awarded a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) pilot in on September The focus of the BCRLF was the Midtown Corridor plan which was composed of 18 suburbs adjacent to the city of Cleveland. TIMELINE

City of Cleveland Ohio was awarded one of the first Assessment Pilots. Cuyahoga County teamed up with two state agencies, two major local foundations and eight local private sector institutions to create a $15 million Brownfield Redevelopment Fund (BRF) to provide funding and skill-based resources to address brownfield redevelopment as well as being part of the overall economic development strategy to create jobs, increase the tax base and leverage private and public funds as gap financing in Cuyahoga County. Cuyahoga County officials implemented the “Community Assessment Initiative” (CAI). $225,000 original infusion of Foundation funding. This funding was subsequently used to assess six (6) sites. Three in city of Cleveland Neighborhoods and three in inner ring suburbs such as the Cities of Warrensville Heights and Bedford, Ohio TIMELINE

2003: Cuyahoga County Brownfield Working Group estimated 4,500 acres of brownfields concentrated in the county’s urban core. 2004: March: USEPA awarded the City of Cleveland a Jobs Training grant in the amount of $200,000. June: Cuyahoga County was awarded a $400,000 brownfields assessment grant funds ($200,000 Hazardous substance/ $200,000 petroleum) by USEPA. 2005: NorthCoast Brownfield Coalition, formed for the USEPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (BRLF). INTO THE NEW CENTURY 2000’S

2006: Cuyahoga County was awarded $400,000 assessment funds [final injection of the cooperative agreement award to the county in 2003]. (11 sites totaling 63 acres also heavily concentrated in the city of Cleveland (80%) with the remainder utilized to assess sites in the inner ring suburbs of Maple Heights, Parma, Walton Hills and South Euclid). 2007: City of Cleveland was awarded its 4th USEPA Community-wide assessment grant totaling $400,000 ($200,000 hazardous substance/ $200,000 petroleum) to fund assessments at priority sites in its Industrial/Commercial Land Bank that had been established in : Cuyahoga County was awarded a second community-wide assessment grant cooperative agreement in the amount of $400,000 ($200,000 Hazardous substance/ $200,000 Petroleum)

2009: USEPA rolled out a new product was titled “Assessment Coalition Grants” to be used for a minimum of 5 sites, up to $1 million. Cuyahoga County as applicant for the Northcoast Brownfield Coalition (includes the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Cuyahoga Port Authority), applied/received one of the original Coalition Grants awarded one of the first Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grants. Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation (CCLRC) was formed - a separate entity from County or Coalition. CCLRC made a separate application for Assessment funding to USEPA to help with their program Therefore, neither Cuyahoga County or any of the NorthCoast Brownfield Coalition members applied for funding for FY : CCLRC received $400,000 in assessment funding for their program 2012: Coalition Expended $1,000,000 of Coalition funding on 42 project sites. Our coalition applied for additional funding in FY11, FY12 FY13 & FY14. Our coalition was fortunate to receive non-USEPA supplemental funding in 2012 and 2013 to assist with Phase I’s, Phase II’s and Asbestos Surveys on 20 sites ***NCBC Received Assessment Coalition Grant totaling $500,000.***

CHAPTER 2: VISION Provide assistance and expertise in returning brownfield sites to viable community and economic assets while protecting the County’s remaining open spaces. Property Tax Revenue Jobs Created/Retained Economic Growth Forgivable Loans Clean Ohio Grants USEPA RLF Phase I ESA Phase II ESA Risk Assessment Redeveloped Sites Identify/ Assess Sites Cleanup Sites

o Commercial/Industrial - Office buildings - Traditional - Incubator/Post-incubator - Medical - Manufacturing - Energy production o Targeted Housing/Retail o Greenspace/Parks/Urban Gardens PRIORITY BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT

Map prepared by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Sources: Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office, 2014 Cuyahoga Dept. of Development

Map prepared by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Sources: Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office, 2014 Cuyahoga Dept. of Development

CHAPTER 3 RESULTS ProgramProjects Jobs Created Jobs Retained AcresLeveraged Funding Community Assessment $383,558,164 Brownfield Loans $219,255,529 USEPA BRLF $30,029,661 Clean Ohio $356,100,000 HUD BEDI $274,000,000 CRF $57,841,553 R & M $38,380,433 LSA $98,000,000 TOTALS , $1,457,165,340

CHAPTER 3 RESULTS AFTER BEFORE

ROCKEFELLER REFINERY NO. 1 TO INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION SITE

FORMER BREWERY TO GREEN SPACE AND FUTURE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

THE NORTHCOAST BROWNFIELD COALITION Formed Members: Cuyahoga County (lead applicant) City of Cleveland First Suburbs Consortium (15 inner-ring suburban communities) Applied for $3 million to create Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (Clean- up Purposes) Additional Members: Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition (CNDC) Present: Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) 2009 Present: Cleveland – Cuyahoga Port Authority (2009) Present: Northeastern - Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD)

This multi-agency group: Accepts, Reviews and Recommends Brownfield Assessment Application projects Based on Following Criteria: Community and Economic Benefits Redevelopment, Financial Risk and Health Outcomes. CHAPTER 3 - TOOLS

COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT INITIATIVE ASSESSMENT APPLICATIONS

Commercial Industrial Green –Non-Profit

Resources

Where you live, learn, work & play impacts your health What we know…. Residents in low-income areas live far fewer years in comparison to higher-income areas – “Place-based” disparity These disparities are seen for chronic disease, low birth weight births, environmental issues etc. Big gap in life expectancy

Cuyahoga County Board of Health: Local Level Perspectives Land Use & Resource Distribution Inability to access healthy food Physical Inactivity Poverty Housing Conditions Vacant Properties Poor Health Outcomes

Cuyahoga County Board of Health: Local Level Perspectives Northcoast Brownfield Coalition Local Municipalities Board of Health Re- Development Community

Cuyahoga County Board of Health: Local Level Perspectives Northcoast Brownfield Coalition Local Municipalities Board of Health Re- Development Community Land Use & Resource Distribution Access to Healthy Food Physical activity Green Industry Housing Safe Neighborhoods Quality Health Outcomes

OUR CONTACT INFORMATION Janise Bayne Brownfield Program Manager Cuyahoga County Department of Development Cleveland, Ohio Sylvia Chinn-Levy Brownfield Program Manager Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning & Development Organization (NEFCO) Akron, Ohio