Dubuque's North Port Revitalization Highlighted by EPA as a Copyrighted
J uly 20, 2020
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 19.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: Dubuque's North Port Revitalization Highlighted by EPA as a
Transformative Brownfields Cleanup
SUM MARY: City Manager providing a copy of a news release from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighting Dubuque's North
Port Revitalization as a transformative BrowFields Cleanup.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Dubuque's North Port Revitalization Highlighted by EPA Supporting Documentation
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Y�"N 44 E P t. {a �.' 1r ' N E 'N 5 R �.' i� hS
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219
lowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations
Dubuque, lowa's North Port Revitalization Highlighted by EPA as a
Transformative Brownfields Cleanup
Contact Information: Emily Albano, 913-551-7860, albano.emily�a epa.gov
Environmental News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Lenexa, Kan., July 13, 2020) - Dubuque, lowa's North Port Revitalization initiative is
being highlighted today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The
initiative is one of several marquee Brownfields redevelopment projects in Dubuque that
continue to receive national recognition.
This week, EPA is commemorating the Agency's 50th anniversary by highlighting
successful Brownfields revitalization efforts, often in underserved and economically
disadvantaged communities.
The city of Dubuque, lowa, has used brownfields funding for a remarkable turnaround in
the North Port area.
"You can't argue with success. Communities in lowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska
are achieving key land revitalization goals by leveraging EPA's Brownfields
Program," said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford. "Dubuque's North Port
waterfront revitalization initiative took a contaminated industrial area and turned it into a
wonderFul business and entertainment destination."
"Time and time again in Dubuque, EPA Brownfields grants have helped the city and its
residents start down the path of impactful redevelopment," said City of Dubuque
Project Manager Steve Sampson Brown. "Many of our Brownfields sites historically
had too many unknowns, and private developers had no interest in spending their own
money to figure out what contaminants were present on these sites and how to deal
with them. Strategic utilization of assessment grant funding has allowed the city and
brownfield property owners to define the extent of contamination at these locations and
also establish a redevelopment framework that affordably allowed for many of these
blighted sites to be redeveloped. Once the extent of the contamination problem was
delineated, private developers became willing to get involved."
"The modest Brownfields grants have now leveraged over half a billion dollars in public
and private investment. It has brought educational, recreational, business, and
entertainment options to residents and visitors alike," said City of Dubuque Economic
Development Director Jill M. Connors. "We estimate 1 million visitors a year to the
North Port. Most importantly, it has reconnected our residents to the river. Dubuque has
since made use of nearly a dozen Brownfields grants to transform our downtown, which
was first populated in the early 1800s, into a clean, thriving mixed-use asset to our
community."
"Without redevelopment opportunities, urban and rural communities — even those with
deep historic roots — can eventually wither," said EPA Office of Land and Emergency
Management Assistant Administrator Peter Wright. "Brownfields remediation and
revitalization supports communities by investing in the redevelopment of existing
properties in the community."
Over the past three years alone, EPA has assessed 6,572 properties, completed
cleanups at 638 properties, and made 2,900 properties ready for anticipated reuse.
Over this same period, more than 43,000 jobs have been leveraged as a result of
Brownfields actions.
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Photo: Dubuque's North Port during the very early stages of demolition and cleanup of former industrial
sites. Credit: City of Dubuque, lowa
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Photo: Modest Brownfields grants have leveraged over$500 million of public and private investment to
date in Dubuque's North Port. Credit: City of Dubuque, lowa
Since EPA's Brownfields Program began in 1995, it has provided nearly $1.6 billion in
Brownfields funding to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted
properties to productive reuse. EPA's Brownfields funding has leveraged more than
$32.6 billion in cleanup and redevelopment from both public and private sources, which
in turn has produced more than 167,000 jobs. This is an average of nine jobs per
$100,000 of EPA investment and more than $17 in private funding for each dollar of
EPA Brownfields grant funding.
For example, Brownfields grants have been shown to:
• Increase Local Tax Revenue: A study of 48 Brownfields sites found that an
estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional local tax revenue was generated
in a single year after cleanup. This is two to seven times more than the $12.4
million EPA contributed to the cleanup of these sites.
• Increase Residential Property Values: Another study found that property values
of homes near revitalized Brownfields sites increased between 5 and 15%
following cleanup.
Background:
A Brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant
or contaminant. EPA's Brownfields Program empowers local leadership and
communities to transform underused and distressed properties into community assets
across America. Brownfields funds assess and cleanup vacant, underused, and
potentially contaminated properties so that property can be reused as housing,
recreation and open space, health facilities, social services, or commercial sites. There
are estimated to be more than 450,000 Brownfields in the United States.
For more information on EPA Region 7 Land Revitalization success stories, maps, and
resources, go to: EPA Region 7 Land Revitalization.
Follow us throughout July on Twitter (a�EPALand for the latest information on what's
happening as "Cleaning Up America's Land" month continues.
For more on EPA's 50'" Anniversary and how the Agency is protecting America's
waters, land and air, visit: www.epa.gov/50 or follow us on social media
using #EPAat50.