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2006 Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Former Gas Station Assessment Tacoma Pierce County Health Department Draft1. Applicant Information: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, 3629 South D Street, Tacoma, WA 98418-6813 2. Funding Requested a. Grant Type: Assessment b. Amount: $200,000 c. Contamination: Petroleum d. Assessment Scope: Community-wide 3. Location City: City of Honorable Bill Baarsma, Mayor Office of the Mayor Tacoma City of Tacoma 747 Market Street, Suite 1220, Tacoma WA 98402-3766 [phone] Fax [phone] [e-mail] County: Pierce County Honorable John Ladenburg, Pierce County Executive Office of the Pierce County Executive 930 Tacoma Avenue South, Room 737, Tacoma WA 98405 253-798-7477 Fax [phone] [e-mail] State: Washington Honorable Christine Gregoire, Govenor Office of the Governor State PO Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002 [phone] Fax [phone] http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/govemail.htm 4. Contacts Head of Federico Cruz-Uribe, M.D., MPH, Director of Health Organization: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department 3629 South D Street, Tacoma, WA 98418-6813 [phone] Fax [phone] [e-mail] Gregory M. Tanbara, Brownfields Coordinator Project Director: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department 3629 South D Street, MS-323, Tacoma, WA 98418-6813 [phone] Fax [phone] [e-mail] 5. Date Submitted: December 14, ...

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2006 Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposa   l Draft Former Gas Station Assessment Tacoma Pierce County Health Department 1. Applicant Information: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, 3629 South D Street, Tacoma, WA 98418-6813 2. Funding Requested   a. Gra nt Type: Assessment b. Amount: $200,000 c. Contamination: Petroleum d. Assessment Scope: Community-wide  3. Location   City: City of Honorable Bill Baarsma, Mayor Tacoma Office of the Mayor City of Tacoma 747 Market Street, Suite 1220, Tacoma WA 98402-3766 [phone] Fax [phone] [e-mail]    County: Pierce County Honorable John Ladenburg, Pierce County Executive Office of the Pierce County Executive 930 Tacoma Avenue South, Room 737, Tacoma WA 98405 253-798-7477 Fax [phone] [e-mail]    State: Washington Honorable Christine Gregoire, Govenor   State Office of the Governor PO Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002 [phone] Fax [phone] http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/govemail.htm    4. Contacts    Head of Federico Cruz-Uribe, M.D., MPH , Director of Health   Organization: Tacoma-Pierce  County Health Department 3629 South D Street, Tacoma, WA 98418-6813 [phone] Fax [phone] [e-mail]    Project Director:  T G a r c e o g m or a- y Pi M e . r   c T e a C n o b u a n r t a y ,     H B e r a o lt w h n   f D ie e l p d a s r   t C m o e o n r t d 3 i 6 n 2 a 9 t   o S r   outh D Street, MS-323,   Tacoma, WA 98418-6813 [phone] Fax [phone] [e-mail]      5. Date Submitted: December 14, 2005 6. Project Period: October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2008 7. Population: General Population of Jurisdiction: 745,411  Population of Target Area: 224,484 (target area) 1   8. Other: The City of Tacoma has a federally designated Renewal Community. Seventy percent (70%) of sites in targeted areas are in the City of Tacoma. A significant portion of the target area for this proposal coincides with areas that have had Official Recognition from the Department of Justice for its Weed and Seed strategy since 1997. 9. Cooperative Partners:   Tacoma Cross Karen Rich [phone] Promotes the development of Tacoma’s 12 District Neighborhood Business Districts. Represents small Association businesses in the business districts. Tacoma Virginia Eberhart [phone] Promotes citizen input in Tacoma city government Community Represents citizens and the 8 Neighborhood Councils. Council Regional Water Randy Black [phone] Advocates for groundwater protection and clean water Association of supplies. Represents private and municipal water Pierce County utilities in Pierce County. Tacoma Chamber Gary Brackett [phone] Local chamber of commerce that engages in business of Commerce recruitment and retention and advocates for business. Represents business members. Citizens for a Leslie Rose [phone] Local environmental group that advocates for fishable Healthy Bay and swimable waters in the Tacoma area. Represents citizens interested in the environment.                                                              1   US Census 2002  

2006 Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Former Gas Station Assessment Tacoma Pierce County Health Department   THRESHOLD CRITERIA Draft A. Applicant Eligibility The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) meets the definition of local government   contained in 40 CFR Part 31. TPCHD is a combined city-county health department formed under the authority granted by the State of Washington in Chapter 70.08.010 Revised Code of Washington. TPCHD was an eligible applicant and the recipient of a 2004-06 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant for its Former Gas Station Assessment Pilot. TPCHD is submitting this proposal for a 2006-08 EPA grant to expand on the work it started through its 2004-06 grant. B. Community Notification The target community for this project, specific affected groups, and the public were notified and provided the opportunity to comment on this proposal it was submitted to EPA. The targeted community and public received notice and the chance to comment through:  Posting the proposal on the TPCHD website;  A 3” x 4” advertisement published in The News Tribune (Tacoma’s principle daily newspaper with a readership of 377,000). The advertisement appeared December 1, 2005, summarized the proposal, and gave instructions for viewing and commenting on the full draft proposal. Comments were requested by December 9th; and  A public meeting was held on December 6, 2005. Organizations, agencies, and affected community groups were notified of the proposal and given the opportunity to comment on the proposal draft:  Members of the Neighborhood Advisory Board for Redevelopment (the advisory board formed for TPCHD’s Former Gas Station Assessment Pilot funded by a 2004-06 Brownfields Assessment Grant);  Commercial Real Estate Brokers Association;  Regional Water Association (trade association of local water utilities);  Economic Development Practitioners in Pierce County;  Foss Development Authority;  Washington State Department of Ecology;  Tacoma Community Council (representing Tacoma’s eight neighborhood councils); and  Tacoma Cross District Association (representing thirteen neighborhood business districts in the City of Tacoma) This TPCHD proposal reflects the comments received from all of these notification efforts. C. Letter from the State or Tribal Environmental Authority Attached (see Appendix A).

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 2 of 15   D. Site Eligibility and Property Ownership Eligibility This proposal is for a community-wide assessment. As such, specific sites that will receive grant- funded environmental assessments have not been identified at this time. Those that are chosen will meet EPA petroleum site eligibility requirements. The EPA requirements are incorporated in the project’s site selection process described in Section C.1. on page 7. EPA will determine final eligibility for each site. RANKING CRITERIA A. Budget The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) is requesting EPA funds to continue the Former Gas Station Assessment project that was first funded with a 2004-06 Brownfields Assessment Grant. The purpose of that and this 2006-08 grant is to reduce the number of former gas station brownfields in Tacoma and Pierce County Washington. This budget includes proposed grant funded costs for a two-year (2006-08) program of activities: Proposed 2006-08 Budget Former Gas Station Brownfields Assessment Budget Categories Program Tasks Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 (No in c d o i s r t e s c  i t  n p c r l o u g d r e a d m )  matic  A T d a vi s s k o   r 1  y Phase I/ II Outreach & Project  Board Assessments Education Coordination Total Personnel 27,200 12,800 4,600 10,400 55,100 Fringe Benefits 10,300 4,900 1,800 4,000 20,900 Travel 1  5,700 1,000 200 300 7,200 Equipment 0 0 0 0 0 Supplies 1,000 1,000 5,000 0 7,000 Contractual 2  3,000 100,000 5,000 0 108,000 Other 800 200 800 0 1,800 Total 48,000 120,000 17,400 14,700 200,000

Task 1. Staff the Neighborhood Advisory Board for Redevelopment – This stakeholder board guides project activities and recommends public policy related to brownfields development. The Neighborhood Advisory Board for Redevelopment (Advisory Board) was first convened for TPCHD’s 2004-06 EPA Assessment Grant. The 2006-08 EPA Assessment Grant will fund TPCHD’s efforts to build on this board’s capacity to: (1) Advocate for redevelopment of neighborhood brownfield sites in Pierce County; (2) Review former gas station brownfields inventories and recommend sites for assessment funding that present the highest redevelopment potential; (3) Identify barriers to redevelopment of neighborhood brownfield properties and make policy recommendations to local decision makers; (4) Act in an advisory role for the proposed project; and                                                   1 Includes brownfields conferences and training for staff and Neighborhood Advisory Board for Redevelopment members 2 Procurement procedures will comply with 40CFR 31.36

 

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 3 of 15   (5) Conduct other activities as appropriate to further the board’s goal of advancing cleanup planning and redevelopment of neighborhood brownfields sites in Pierce County. The Advisory Board has included representatives from the following stakeholder groups:  Community/Neighborhood associations;  Local business associations;  Commercial property owners;  Commercial realtors and developers;  Commercial real estate lenders;  Municipal and county economic development departments;  Regulatory agencies including Washington State Department of Ecology and TPCHD;  Pierce County Assessor;  Regional Water Association in Pierce County; and  Local environmental organizations. The Advisory Board began its work in 2004-06 by identifying the areas in the project’s target community that it would focus on for its first round of assessments. The Advisory Board’s efforts here were the key to the pilot’s success in working with property owners and initiating site assessments. In 2006-08 the Advisory Board will continue meeting quarterly to discuss issues related to the redevelopment of neighborhood brownfields inventoried by TPCHD. They will receive updates on assessments underway and make recommendations on sites that should receive assessment funding using the site selection criteria described in Section C.1. (page 7). Another main function will be to recommend public policy that reduces barriers for neighborhood brownfields redevelopment. This work was started during the 2004-06 grant. TPCHD hopes the Advisory Board will provide a useful model for project oversight and stakeholder communication that can be applied in other communities. TPCHD staff and Advisory Board members will also seek best practices from other parts of the country that they can incorporate. In this vein, Advisory Board members will be invited to attend state and national forums to share their experiences and learn from others. TPCHD staff time and Advisory Board related expenses for recruitment, orientation/training, coordination, research, reporting, conferences, professional development, facilitation services, and supplies will be billed to this task, not to exceed $48,000. Task 2. Phase I/II Assessments - American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Phase I/II assessments will be conducted on a minimum of six or as many as fifteen petroleum brownfields sites. The number of assessments will depend on the complexity of sites chosen for assessment. Only sites that meet the site selection criteria described in Section C.1. on page 7; receive a high ranking (Section C.2., page 8); and are approved by EPA will be considered for assessment funding under this task. The funding planned for this task is $120,000. This includes costs for staff time for marketing the program to property owners, contracted environmental services, contract management, and miscellaneous supplies. Task 3. Community Outreach and Education – This task focuses on expanding the public understanding of brownfields and their redevelopment. Task 3 includes further development of the

 

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 4 of 15   project’s printed and electronic educational materials. A minimum of four public meetings will be held during the project to report progress and seek public input. The costs here include contracted expenses for graphic and/or web design, printing, and staff time for public meetings and support materials. The total amount billed to this task will not exceed $17,400. Task 4. Project Coordination – Includes activities necessary for accomplishing program goals but not included in Tasks 1 through 3. Examples are coordinating with pollution prevention, conservation, remediation, and economic development programs; updating information on former gas stations; and EPA reporting. The budget for this task totals $14,700. B. Community Need A central goal of this proposal is to address a serious health/environmental issue for the community - the need to better secure a critical source of drinking water for the City of Tacoma. The Tacoma Wellhead Protection Zone, the area around wellheads that is critical to the quality of the city’s well- supplied drinking water supply, is a zone where some of the highest concentrations of former gas station brownfield sites in Pierce County occur. Eliminating as many of these brownfields as soon as possible would be a benefit to the project’s target community and the larger population. TPCHD’s target community for this grant was selected by carefully considering how addressing this health/environmental issue can be combined with the potential social and economic benefits this assessment grant offers. In the end, TPCHD’s target community contains a high concentration of brownfields, is racially diverse, and is experiencing above average rates of unemployment and poverty. Carefully focusing on this target community allows this proposal to address significant needs in the target area while reducing a threat to the health of the general population. In addition to being an area with significant needs, the target community also presents great opportunities for a highly successful EPA grant. There are assets in this area to be leveraged - a richly diverse ethnic community, business and economic development organizations, active citizen groups, economic development tools, and a number of recent high-profile development projects nearby that are creating optimism and development momentum. These assets make the target community unique in the way it provides fertile ground for this EPA funded proposal. This is the right time and place for this grant. 1. Target Community Description – This proposal’s target community is located in parts of Pierce County and the City of Tacoma in Washington State. Pierce County is Washington’s second largest county with a population of 750,000 3 . It is a major regional trade and service center with a diverse economy of both manufacturing and agriculture. Three major military installations are located in the county. Tacoma’s population is nearing 200,000 4 . It is the largest city in Pierce County and third largest in the state. The busy Port of Tacoma makes the city an international gateway to the Pacific Rim and the world. The city has growing tourism and service sectors and most recently has become a magnet for hi-tech companies. The target community consists of the census tracts in Pierce County and Tacoma where higher concentrations of former gas station brownfields have been found. These areas contain 224,484 people and are roughly centered in south central Tacoma in Pierce County.

                                                  3 2004 Population Estimates, US Census Bureau    4   2004 Population Estimates, US Census Bureau  

 

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 5 of 15   This target community is ethnically diverse and experiencing higher poverty and unemployment rates. Table 1 categories census tracts in Pierce County into two types of areas. These “high impact” and the “low impact” areas denote the concentration of former gas station sites in the census tract. This table also summaries demographic information on these and other areas. Table 1. Distribution of ACT Sites and Target Area Demographics 5    Impact Area  F St o S a i r t t e i m o s e   n r     Pop T u o l t a a t l i   on White  M R i a n c o i r a i l t   y  Hispanic  Low (0-4 ACT sites/tract) 91 476,336 387,322 89,014 22,506 % Population in Area 81.3% 18.7% 4.7% % Pierce County Totals 12.4% 68% 70.5% 58.8% 58.3% High ( ≥ 5 ACT sites/tract) 645 224,484 162,047 62,437 16,115 % Population in Area  72.2% 27.8% 7.2% % Pierce County Totals 87.6% 32% 29.5% 41.2% 41.7%

Pierce County Totals 736 700,820 549,369 151,451 38,621 % Population in County    78.4% 21.6% 5.5% Washington State %  81.8% 19.2% 7.5% United States %  75.1% 24.9% 12.5%

This proposal’s target community consists of the census tracts classified as “high impact” areas. These are census tracts 6 that contain five or more former gas station sites identified through TPCHD’s Abandoned Commercial Tank Project (Project ACT) 7 . Census tracts with less-than-five ACT sites are characterized as “low impact”. These “high impact” areas (the proposal’s target community) generally follow the historic commercial transportation routes in and close to Tacoma. These areas also happen to lie primarily in and around the Tacoma Wellhead Protection Zone. Notice that the target community contains the vast majority of these ACT sites (88%). A significant portion of Pierce County’s population (32%) lives in the target community. Calculating exposure rates highlights a substantial difference: the target community has a rate of 28.7 sites per 10,000 residents and low impact areas a rate of 1.9 sites per 10,000. Demographic and economic information for the target community shows the area is ethnically diverse with higher rates of unemployment and poverty. High impact areas are 27.8% racial minorities and 7.2% Hispanic. The low impact areas are considerably less diverse (18.7% racial minority, 4.7% Hispanic). In all but one dimension, the high impact area is more diverse than Pierce County, Washington State, and the nation. That one dimension, Hispanic, is the fastest growing segment in the county. Finally, note that a large proportion (41%) of Pierce County’s ethnic minority population lives in this target community where 88%, or almost 650, of the former gas station brownfields are found.                                                   5 Countywide and target area demographics were analyzed using U.S. Census Bureau data for the year 2000. 6   Using census tracts to define the target community allows us to draw important demographic comparisons between the high and low impact areas. 7 Briefly, ACT used commercial listings obtained from historic Polk Business Directories dating back to the 1910’s to compile an inventory of over 700 former gas station sites. See Section C.2. on page 8 for a description of TPCHD’s site inventory project.

 

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 6 of 15   Table 2. Comparison of Unemployment Rates Unemployment is high in the target community. In Table 2, the September Area Un S e e m pt p e lo m y b m er e   n 2 t 0   0 R 5 a   te  2005 unemployment rates for  5 T % a ) c   o w m er a e     Tacoma 5.9% (5.9%) and Pierce County (5. well above the state and national rates. Pierce County 5.5% The rate (5.0%) that characterizes the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA Combined Statistical Area 5.0% broader Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia corridor Washington State 5.1% is considerably lower than individual rates United States 5.1% for both Tacoma and Pierce County. The US Dept of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics for September 2005 target community, which lies entirely in Pierce County and primarily in Tacoma, has a high rate of unemployment by all comparisons. Table 3 offers information on the Table 3. Percentage of Persons with Income Below Poverty Level   higher poverty rate in the target % Income % Under 5 community. While 2002 poverty Area  Belo L w  e P ve o l v   erty Y P e o a v r e s r   t & y    L B e el v o el w     rates for Washington (11.4%) and Pierce County (9.8%) were below Target Community (high impact area) 14.8% 1.5% the national (12.4%), the poverty Low impact area 8.0% 0.9% rate in the target community stands Pierce County 9.8% 1.1% at 14.8% and 1.5% for children Washington 11.4% 1.2% under five. The target community United States 12.4% 1.4% poverty rates are significantly U.S. Census Bureau, 2002 higher than to other local, state and national measures. 2. Benefits to Target Community – The project will systematically improve two things: (1) reduce the number of former gas station brownfields that pose a threat to a local source of drinking water; and (2) create the stimulus for developing underutilized commercial properties in the target community. TCPHD will use assessment grant funding to leverage other resources that already exist in the community. These benefits make this an excellent time for EPA to make an investment in this targeted community. The project will produce a minimum of six, or as many as 15, Phase I /II environmental assessments on former gas station brownfields in and around the Tacoma Wellhead Protection Zone. These assessments represent important first steps in securing this valuable source of drinking water from the potential hazard posed by over 600 of these brownfields. Prioritizing the sites that represent the best combination of protecting public drinking water and creating economic benefits will maximize the impact of the limited number of the site assessments this project can fund. TPCHD’s target community, the site selection criteria in this proposal, and the project’s Neighborhood Advisory Board for Redevelopment create a system that promotes the greatest opportunities for combining job creation and economic development with removing threats to a vital natural resource. 3. Impacts of Brownfields on Target Community – The impact of these brownfields on the target community is significant. Extent of Brownfields - Data gathered by TPCHD’s ACT Project identified 736 former gas station sites in Pierce County. Six hundred forty-five of these lie in the target community. Most are parcels of a quarter acre or less located on arterial streets in an urban setting.

 

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 7 of 15   Tank removal or site cleanup documentation does not exist for approximately 370 of these sites. Without records, the health and environmental risks posed by these sites is unknown. However, the Washington State Department of Ecology estimates that soil and/or groundwater contamination is found in 50% of the tank removals. The TPCHD Underground Storage Tank Program, which has regulated tank removal and site cleanup in Pierce County since 1989, estimates the rate is closer to 75%. A high rate is reasonable to expect because many former gas stations were operated and then closed long before modern standards became common practice. This means there maybe almost 280 properties that constitute an environmental and health hazard to the community. There has been no systematic approach to addressing this issue. Current processes for identifying potentially contaminated property are not proactive. Most sites come to light as a result of a complaint investigation (i.e. a release spreads to surface or groundwater) or when an environmental assessment is ordered as part of a real estate transaction. If neither of these occurs, contamination may remain undetected, spread, and pose a threat to land and water resources. This proposal constitutes a proactive approach. Economic Impact - Real or perceived contamination at former gas station sites leaves them unattractive for redevelopment. Although liability concerns are one of the most discussed barriers, resolving them alone is not enough to promote development. There are legal avenues for protecting prospective purchasers, yet many of these sites still remain underutilized. Effective redevelopment requires more than just protection from future liability. There needs to be educated support from public, private, financial, regulatory, neighborhood, and political interests. This proposal seeks to build a larger understanding of brownfields among both private and public stakeholder groups. Health and Environmental Impacts - Most Pierce County residents receive their drinking water from the EPA-designated Central Pierce County Sole Source Aquifer. The number of former gas station sites in the area represents a real concern to public health and the environment. This project proposes take the first step toward reducing the number of potential sources of drinking water contamination especially in the area identified as the Tacoma Wellhead Protection Zone by completing a minimum of six environmental assessments on former gas station sites. C. Site Selection Process The project’s process for selecting sites for grant-funded assessments consists of carefully crafted criteria combined with a wealth of excellent data produced by the ACT Project in 2004. The process was first used in TPCHD’s 2004-06 Former Gas Station Assessment program. It will continue to provide the project staff the ability to focus their marketing energies on high value prospects for assessment. 1. Process and Criteria – These have been constructed to maximize the benefit of the limited number of grant-funded assessments that will be conducted. The selection process incorporates criteria established by the EPA and community input through the project’s Advisory Board. All sites selected will meet EPA criteria and the priorities set by the Advisory Board. Generally, site criteria includes, but is not be limited to:  Ranking assigned to the site following previous inventory and prioritization activities (described in Section C.2. below);  Site is not subject to a corrective action order under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) §9003(h);

 

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 8 of 15    Determination from the Washington State Dept of Ecology or EPA that petroleum contaminated brownfields site criteria are met 8 ;  Extent the property owner is willing and interested in the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of their property;  Recommendation from the Advisory Board (see Task 1, page 2);  TPCHD receipt of an assessment funding request and an access agreement from the property owner;  Interest or commitment to redevelop the site by a financially viable party;  How redevelopment plans will minimize risks to public health during and following construction (i.e. the redevelopment will address smart growth and sustainable development principles, and provide habitat and/or open space);  Site represents a risk to public health in its current state and redevelopment will reduce or eliminate this risk;  Extent to which redevelopment of the site reflects community need and interests; and  Extent to which redevelopment will promote economic development in the community. 2. Previous Inventory/Prioritization Activities - TPCHD completed an inventory of former gas station sites in Pierce County in 2004. The Abandoned Commercial Tank Project (Project ACT) included a physical site inventory, risk assessment, education and outreach campaign, and developed opportunities for increased stakeholder involvement on site identification, cleanup, and redevelopment issues. Information on 736 former gas station properties was compared with state and local cleanup information. The result was a list of 370 former gas station brownfield sites where gas stations were once located and for which there is no record of remediation. This list, its related site information, the associated GIS mapping database represent critical tools for this project that have already been developed for this project. After the inventory was completed, sites were ranked using criteria developed for three areas: environmental, site characteristics, and economic. These are shown in Table 4. Table 4. Project ACT Site Ranking Criteria (Preliminary). Environmental Criteria   Site Criteria   Economic Criteria    DRASTIC Rating 9    Site has not been redeveloped  Located in a “high impact” area  Location in the South  Visual indicators of tank presence (fill pipes,  Located in a neighborhood Tacoma Groundwater  vent pipes, pump islands, etc.) business revitalization district Protection District  Lack of tank removal/cleanup documentation  Site is idle, unoccupied  Proximity to wellhead  Proximity to infrastructure pathways such as  Property eligible for or currently protection areas  storm and sewer collection systems in tax foreclosure

These criteria formed the basis for the site selection process the Advisory Board used to identify its first group of sites for TPCHD’s 2004-06 EPA Assessment Grant. 3. Access Issues For Private Properties – Some grant-funded assessments will be conducted on privately owned sites. These sites will qualify for assessments only if the owner is                                                   8  Site is “relatively low risk” compared to other “petroleum-only” sites in the state; no viable responsible party exists; and  assessment funding will be used by a party that is potentially not liable for the petroleum contamination 9 DRASTIC is the EPA acronym for rating groundwater pollution potential by using: Depth to recharge (D), Net Recharge (R),   Aquifer media (A), Soil media (S), Topography (T), Impact of the Vadose Zone (I), and Hydraulic Conductivity of aquifer (C).

 

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 9 of 15   interested in the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of the property. TPCHD is using this grant to continue its successful efforts in marketing the value of brownfields assessment and development to property owners. TPCHD is confident that access issues that surface with interested property owners will be resolved. The project staff will continue working closely with both the property owner and TPCHD’s environmental assessment contractor. Doing this ensures the contractor is best able to provide excellent service and that the property owner better understands the scope of the work and how it will be accomplished. Interested property owners will be required to enter into an access agreement giving TPCHD and/or its contractors permission to conduct the ASTM Phase I/II assessments. TPCHD has extensive experience developing and exercising access agreements with private property owners. TPCHD completed 640 such agreements to investigate lead and arsenic contamination as part of the Tacoma Smelter (ASARCO) Plume Project. D. Sustainable Reuse of Brownfields This proposal seeks to support a host of broader environmental goals through its design, partnerships and its affiliation with TPCHD. 1. Prevent Pollution & Reduce Resource Consumption – While eliminating hazards from former gas station properties is the primary goal of this proposal, it will operate as part of a larger effort to prevent pollution. The program funded by this grant will be working next to TPCHD’s array of other water quality/watershed, hazardous waste, and solid waste programs. They have the ongoing responsibility to evaluate the need for action to control pollution from pesticides, landfills, septage, contaminated sites, and other sources of pollution. This project will be working in concert with all of these programs to pursue its goals with a comprehensive approach to pollution prevention. This program will work to reduce resource consumption. The real estate and business development aspects of this assessment grant provides the opportunity to promote environmentally friendly construction and energy conservation. The staff and the Advisory Board will use this opportunity to promote green building, native landscaping, and conservation programs like those offered by Tacoma Public Utilities. 2. Promoting Economic Benefits - The site assessments provide an economic benefit by reducing environmental uncertainties surrounding former gas stations. This is a critical first step towards developing these properties for their highest and best use. Solid assessment information enables the property owner to move forward with development. The site selection process has been carefully crafted to identify sites that represent the best candidates not only for their individual development potential, but also their potential to be a stimulus for development for other properties nearby. The Neighborhood Business Districts and the local economic development agencies are involved on the Advisory Board help do this. Their involvement will focus site selection with the idea that sites should act as a spark for additional vitality in the evolving commercial areas of the county like the Neighborhood Business Districts. 3. Promoting a Vibrant Community – The goals of this project are consistent with local plans for promoting vibrant communities. The project’s target community lies entirely within the framework of comprehensive urban growth plans adopted by Pierce County and the City of Tacoma. These plans are part of a larger framework - Washington State’s Growth Management Act (GMA) - which guides local comprehensive planning, including a focus on

 

2006 Draft Brownfields Assessment Grant Proposal Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Former Gas Station Assessment Page 10 of 15   population growth in urban areas, transportation, and sustainable economic development. Both the City of Tacoma and Pierce County comprehensive plans include specific elements for sustainable economic development and resource protection – key elements for vibrant communities. This project supports these plans by promoting the development of these former gas station sites which usually represent “in-fill” development. TPCHD will be working closely with Tacoma’s Neighborhood Business District Revitalization Program (NBDRP). Created in 1991, NBDRP’s goal is to bring positive growth and sustainable improvements to the established neighborhood business centers – especially with regard to their neighborhood character and pedestrian friendly atmosphere. You will notice that the Neighborhood Business Districts, which are the principle outgrowth of the NBDRP, figure prominently in the site selection criteria for grant-funded assessments. The Advisory Board staffed by this grant will examine issues related to brownfields development - strategies for promoting smart growth, new urbanism, recreation areas and parks, public transportation, and others. Planning and environmental health staff from TPCHD will support this effort. 4. Reusing Infrastructure – All sites considered for assessment through this grant are located in areas with well-developed urban infrastructure. There will be no cases where existing infrastructure would not be used. Most of the site candidates are served by public transportation.  5. Preventing Future Brownfields – Pierce County has an established framework of regulatory requirements to help prevent future brownfields. The Washington State Department of Ecology, City of Tacoma Public Works, and TPCHCD put considerable effort into monitoring business compliance. The activities of this grant work to further this effort. New businesses and property development stimulated by this grant would be required to meet up- to-date requirements of local building and zoning codes and the safe handling of hazardous materials. It is important to note here that the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District (STGPD) was formed by the City of Tacoma to place special emphasis on regulating businesses and property owners in area around this aquifer. The STGPD is one of the principle high impact/high priority areas this EPA assessment grant will focus on. 6. Commitment to Green Construction and Energy Efficiency – TPCHD will focus on building a commitment to green construction and energy efficiency through the project’s Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will act as a forum for advancing these ideas in the community and will find ways to encourage the use of these principles in the development stimulated by this grant. E. Creation and/or Preservation of Greenspace/Open Space We expect some of the areas targeted in this grant will provide opportunities for enhancing the target community’s greenspace/open space. There is interest from neighborhood groups and Tacoma Metropolitan Parks (the local public parks district) to do just that. A case in point - a former gas station site in South Tacoma is being developed into a neighborhood park. The leading proponent is the Tacoma South End Neighborhood Council who will be an active participant in this proposed project for 2006-08 and is a current member of the Advisory Board. They are interested in developing other sites into parks.