EPA Training, Research and Technical Assistance Grants Announced
National Vacant Properties Assistance
New OSWER Administrator Nominated
Resources, Research and Reports
Supreme Court Ruling in Kelo

EPA Training, Research and Technical Assistance Grants Announced

EPA has named six organizations to receive a combined $1.4 million in brownfields training, research and technical assistance grants. The purpose of these grants is to focus attention on environmental and human health conditions in socio-economically disadvantaged communities to stimulate economic and beneficial uses of brownfields projects.

EPA will fund successful applicants for periods ranging from 1–5 years up to a total of $300,000 each. These grants are available to eligible government applicants and non-profit organizations including public and non-profit private universities. The grantees are: The University of North Carolina Charlotte; the National Center for Neighborhood and Brownfields Redevelopment, Rutgers University; the American Planning Association; the University of Louisville; the Northeast Midwest Institute; and Duke University.

National Vacant Properties Assistance

A consortium of national organizations will provide expert assistance to seven cities working to reclaim vacant and abandoned properties and restore vitality and livability to neighborhoods.

With funding from the Surdna Foundation, the National Vacant Properties Campaign will bring national experts to help adopt strategies for reclaiming their streets and neighborhoods. The cities are Baltimore, Md., Bridgeport, Conn., Buffalo, N.Y., Indianapolis, Ind., Richmond, Va., Spartanburg, S.C., and Tucson, Ariz.

Vacant and abandoned properties occupy about 15 percent of the area of the typical large city, more than 12,000 acres on average. The value of the technical assistance ranges from $15,000 to $70,000 per city, and could include roundtable discussions with national experts, consultations from cities leading effective local programs, and implementation of specific strategies.

New OSWER Administrator Nominated

President Bush has nominated Susan P. Bodine to be Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER). Bodine currently serves as the staff director and senior counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives on the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. She and her staff are responsible for managing the committee’s work on environmental matters, such as the Clean Water Act, Superfund, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Tom Dunne, currently OSWER’s Acting Assistant Administrator, will continue to serve in his existing capacity as Bodine’s nomination is considered.

Resources, Research and Reports

City/County Collaborations on Brownfields by The Joint Center for Sustainable Communities and the National Association of County Organizations (NACo): This collection of 10 case studies reviews how multi-jurisdictional approaches to brownfield redevelopment have been accomplished. The variety of techniques used by the different groups illustrates the myriad possibilities for cooperative brownfield development, and that no single solution will necessarily work for all localities.

State Brownfield Financing Tools and Strategies by the Northeast Midwest Institute: This report notes successful examples of state tools and strategies for filling capital gaps in brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects.

Schools, Community and Development; Erasing the Boundaries link to by The Enterprise Foundation: Efforts to rebuild communities and revitalize schools are examined in this white paper. It describes the results of efforts in four neighborhoods in Baltimore, St. Louis and Atlanta to connect community-based revitalization initiatives with school reform programs in the same neighborhoods.

The Conservation Easement Handbook, Second Edition by The Land Trust Alliance (LTA) and Trust for Public Land: A new edition of this resource on conservation easements. Intended for attorneys, land trusts and conservation professionals developing easement programs, the revised and expanded handbook offers 21 chapters containing information on drafting easements and managing an easement program. It provides how-to tips and checklists for land trust staff and board members, detailed drafting guidelines for attorneys, and a CD-ROM containing many sample documents. Purchase the handbook for $49.95 online.

Urban Redevelopment Success Stories by The National Association of Realtors: Features a series of case studies that examine seven redevelopment projects across the country that have served as catalytic projects for urban revitalization in their communities. Although this “second tier” of America’s cities employs a range of economic development strategies, some have been particularly successful in sponsoring catalytic development projects with housing that have transformed urban areas once known for run-down buildings and high crime rates.

Supreme Court Ruling in Kelo

The U.S. Supreme Court, in one of the most important decisions in decades, ruled 5–4 in the closing days of its session that it was proper for a city to condemn private property that was not blighted in order to further its economic redevelopment plans.

In Kelo v. City of New London, Connecticut, the court determined that the taking of private property as part of a larger economic development plan for a 90-acre area located in the City of New London qualified as a valid public use under the both the federal and state Constitutions, and rejected the call to require a heightened standard of judicial review in reviewing takings for economic development.

The use of eminent domain powers after Kelo will be subject to more restrictive state law standards and by Kelo itself. Thus, local governments and developers will still need to proceed carefully when the use of condemnation is contemplated as part of a redevelopment project until the meaning of Kelo is given further shape by state courts or legislatures.

Read Kristina Dalman’s analysis of the case and her June 2005 article on eminent domain.