TamiamiTrailBrwnflds11-10-14

A Collaborative Partnership for Economic Growth
Tamiami Trail Brownfields
Revitalization Initiative Success Stories
In 2009, a local planning organization established the
Tamiami Trail Petroleum Brownfields Revitalization Initiative
to help remove the environmental component of investment
risk along a 70-mile stretch of US Highway 41 that runs
through Sarasota and Manatee Counties. The corridor,
which includes the Cities of Palmetto, Bradenton, Sarasota,
Venice and North Port, was plagued by more than 500
petroleum brownfields and a number of other contaminated
properties.
The assessment process began in March 2009 with an
initiative kick-off meeting held with several public and private
partners, followed by a US EPA and Florida Department of
Environmental Protection workshop entitled “Brownfields 101
& Tamiami Trail Petroleum Brownfields Initiative” in June
2009. Plans were developed to provide a road map for short-
term and long-term activities for the initiative. The
Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization
(MPO) became the organizing vehicle for community
outreach.
The joint task force conducted a full-scale inventory of USTs
along Tamiami Trail, identifying economic development
opportunities that overlap UST locations. They prioritized
UST locations that needed environmental assessment
and/or remediation services to position sites for reuse.
before before
> Eliminating health and safety hazards
> Eliminating eyesores
> Bringing new jobs into the community
> Increasing the productivity of the land
> Increasing property values and tax revenues,
such as from tourism
Benefits of Brownfields Redevelopment
The Challenges
> Over 241 petroleum and 19 solvent contaminated sites
in Manatee County
> Over 258 petroleum contaminated sites and 28 solvent
contaminated sites in Sarasota County
> Growing number of abandoned and underutilized sites
> Failed auto dealerships and other abandoned
businesses
> Interstate traffic diversion
What started as an EPA Brownfields Petroleum
Brownfields Corridor has blossomed into a
comprehensive Brownfields Coalition Partnership;
resulting in more than $35,000,000 in leveraged (federal,
state and local) funds and the award of a $1,000,000
EPA Brownfields Area-Wide Coalition Assessment Grant.
This partnership has also resulted in a wide variety of
Brownfields redevelopment success stories; including
viable community development, economic development
and open space/green space projects.
Brownfields are abandoned or under-utilized properties
with active redevelopment potential that are complicated
by either real or perceived environmental contamination.
Often, petroleum brownfields are old abandoned
Underground Storage Tank (UST) sites such as gas
stations.
In many communities, these vacant UST brownfields
properties represent untapped resources for economic
and community revitalization. However, real estate
activities that redevelop, renovate, or remove these
eyesores present investment lending risks. Sometimes
the mere possibility of contamination on a site results in
an environmental stigma that prevents interest in
redevelopment even with the possibility of the site being
clear of contaminants. These sites become a burden to
the community in the form of unpaid property taxes,
illegal dumping, unmaintained buildings, and potential
environmental health risks. The effort required to
investigate the absence or presence of contamination, as
well as to estimate cleanup costs, can be overwhelming.
With the help of federal and state funding and incentives,
hundreds of brownfields redevelopment projects across
the State and Country are improving the quality of life for
local communities; including higher property values,
improved employment opportunities, a larger and more
economically-stable customer base, as well as better
access to transportation, health care, schools and fresh
foods.
The Tamiami Trail Petroleum Brownfields
Revitalization Initiative

The Partners
The successful program has been dependent upon
effective communication and cooperation among many
partners including the Sarasota/Manatee MPO (Project
Lead); Sarasota & Manatee Counties; Cities of Palmetto,
Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice and North Port; US EPA;
Florida Department of Environmental Protection; National
Park Service; Florida Department of Transportation and
the Tamiami Trail Scenic Highway Corridor Management
Entity; as well as 12 local community-based
organizations including chambers of commerce;
economic development councils; state College of Florida;
NAACP and community redevelopment agencies.
In 2011, hoping to build on its already successful
Brownfields Petroleum Partnership, the MPO applied for
and received a $1,000,000 US EPA Coalition
Brownfields Community-wide Petroleum and Hazardous
Waste Assessment grant. The grant has furthered local
economic development projects by enhancing technical
assistance, environmental assessment and cleanup
services for a wide range of Brownfield sites. With a
number of sites having already been assessed, cleaned
up and/or successfully redeveloped, the initiative's final
outcome to reuse these properties has been realized,
making for a more vibrant and attractive community in
many areas along the Tamiami Trail Initiative area.
EPA Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant Funding
The following activities were completed with the US EPA
Brownfields Community Assessment Grant:
> 4 Area-wide Brownfield Site Inventories – (along the
US 41 Corridor, Bradenton 15th St. Corridor, Newtown
Community Redevelopment Area, Englewood CRA)
> 31 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments
> 21 Phase II Environmental Site Assessments
> Environmental Cleanup Planning - Marion Anderson
Landfill, Sarasota, FL
> Reuse Planning - Wares Creek Community
Success Stories
The Tamiami Trail Petroleum Brownfields Revitalization
Initiative has truly touched thousands of community
members by changing the economic and physical
landscape in which they live. Several of the success
stories of the joint partnership are detailed in this fact
sheet and many are still in varying stages of completion.
Petroleum Brownfields
Success Stories
These projects were completed under the EPA
Petroleum Brownfields Revitalization Initiative with
Technical Assistance from the EPA Region 4 Petroleum
Brownfields program and coalition partners.
Former Historic Manatee River Hotel
After several years of being a boarded-up eyesore with
known and unknown environmental concerns, the former
“Pink Palace” hotel has been reinvented and is once
again a focal point of grandeur in downtown Bradenton.

The developer, who acquired the property in 2010, began
strategizing with various government partners to make
the development of the site into a reality. This partnership
would prove to be critical in restoring the grand hotel that
was once considered the crowning glory of Bradenton.
What developed was a series of strong public-private
partnerships for the Tamiami Trail Initiative. Through a
Targeted Brownfields Assessment provided through the
EPA Petroleum Brownfields Revitalization Initiative, a
Phase I Environmental Assessment was conducted that
identified environmental concerns based on petroleum
and hazardous material, mainly heating oil, asbestos and
lead-based paint. Funding for the remediation and
eventual restoration involved taking advantage of a
number of incentives, including Brownfields incentives,
offered through the Florida Brownfields Redevelopment
Act. Employment and historic preservation standards
were also used as well as historic preservation tax
credits.
Much of the renovation cost of the 119-room hotel was
offset from the incentives the developer was able to
utilize. The economic impact is estimated to have
created 40 permanent jobs as well as an additional
$500,000 per year in tourist and sales tax rebates. The
developer is also receiving $ 1.8 million in National Park
incentives; $1.5 million in property tax over 15 years;
$1.0 million up-front payment; and $100,000 in street and
sidewalk improvements from the City of Bradenton.
Since opening, along with a thriving business and
accolades from the community, the Bradenton Hampton
Inn & Suites Hotel's restoration recently won an
honorable mention award from the Florida Trust For
Historic Preservation for its detail of the stenciling on the
woodwork and windows.
Previously a BP Gas Station, the Baker's Super Station
was established in 1956 by Mr. and Mrs. Carlton and
Inez Baker, parents of Jeraline and Diane. The gas
pumps had not been used for fueling since 1999.
In the fall of 2011, the historic Baker's Super Service
station on Dr. MLK Jr. Way in Newtown, underwent its
first phase of transformation to have four underground
storage tanks (UST) removed. The USTs were removed
from the site and soil assessments were conducted for
solid and hazardous waste to determine the need for
additional cleanup or no further action. As a result, no
further action was required.
The owners' plan for the family-owned property is to
transform it into a community health facility that caters to
the wellness needs of low-income families. The Baker's
project was made possible through the collaborative
efforts of the US EPA, FDEP, Sarasota County, City of
Sarasota, and the MPO.
Funding for the project was provided by the US EPA's
Petroleum Revitalization Initiative and the Targeted
Brownfield Assessment Fund in which roughly $80,000
was utilized toward the site. This project benefits the
community by addressing environmental stigma,
improves public health, and promotes economic
development.
Baker's Super Service

Comfort Cove of Bradenton, Florida
A new assisted living facility named Comfort Cove of
Bradenton will be located along the Tamiami Trail (U.S.
Highway 41) located in Bradenton. Comfort Cove plans
to open a 52-bed assisted living facility on a former
abandoned mobile home park site that was listed in the
inventory as a vacant parcel along the Trail.
The Sarasota / Manatee County MPO provided an
inventory of abandoned petroleum Brownfield sites
developed by the US EPA and the FDEP, Underground
Storage Tanks (UST) and Brownfields Programs to the
Living Suite Specialty Senior Services. EPA met with
representatives of the Living Suites Specialty Senior
Services about the Petroleum Brownfields Initiative and
suggested that they talk with the Sarasota / Manatee
County MPO because they are the owner of the
inventory.
The 22,708 square-foot, two-story building will provide
24-hour supervision. An in-house doctor and
occupational therapist facility will service the elderly and
people that are diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's
disease and other memory care needs. The facility will
create 30 full-time positions and approximately 50 part-
time positions.
The assisted living facility project compliments the
Petroleum Revitalization Action Plan and the Brownfields
program to promote revitalization and sustainability of
abandoned properties. This project is located in the
Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) boundaries,
in which revitalization projects qualify for rapid response
permitting and tax increment financing for other
amenities such as parks, street lights and installing
Sarasota County Technical Institute Newtown
In May 2014, 15 adults were handed more than just a
high school equivalent diploma by Sarasota County
Technical Institute (SCTI) officials. They were given a
new lease on life.
In Newtown, a predominately African American
community where the satellite campus of SCTI is
located, unemployment hovers at an estimated 25
percent compared to Sarasota's County's 9 percent.
Many community members rely on public transportation
and cannot travel a great distance to attend school in
order to increase their skills in an ever decreasing job
market.
Through US EPA Petroleum Brownfields Initiative
funding, a Phase I Targeted Brownfields Assessment
was conducted on a former vacant YMCA facility that
would later become the SCTI Newtown satellite campus.
The campus located at Osprey Avenue and Martin
Luther King Jr. Way opened its doors in 2010. Within two
years, more than 300 people who need job training, a
certificate, or a diploma have enrolled.
The use of the facility provides a location to address the
high unemployment and literacy rates in North Sarasota.
The City of Newtown Community Development utilized
Newtown Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Tax
Increment Funds (TIF) to refurbish and prep the SCTI
Newtown Campus for modernized training capabilities.
The City of Sarasota Youth program took on the task of
providing a facelift with a new, vibrant paint job.

Venice Former Ringling Brothers Airport
Redevelopment Opportunity
Sixty-five acres of prime development land, part of which
once served as the winter home and training facilities for
the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus,
may soon see new life.
In April of 2014, after sitting idle for over two decades,
the City of Venice sought letters of interest to lease and
develop an 11-acre parcel of land at the Venice
Municipal Airport. From 1962 to 1992, the land was
used by the circus for its annual world premiere.
Since the circus pulled up stakes and its former facilities
deteriorating, reuse for the land has been a long source
of debate within Venice. City leaders have pushed for
developing the area, which borders US Highway 41 and
the Intracoastal Waterway and is less than a mile from
the Gulf of Mexico. In January, the Venice City Council
voted to strike a phrase from an ordinance that
previously barred commercial and residential
development of the 65 acres of land.
The City of Venice was able to access funds through the
MPO's US EPA Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant
to complete a Phase I and II Environmental Site
Assessments, Asbestos surveys and the removal of a
small underground storage tank to quantify
environmental risk on the property. Additionally, the City
EPA Brownfields Coalition
Grant Success Stories
These successful projects were funded by the EPA
Brownfields Community Wide Coalition Grant awarded
to the Sarasota/Manatee MPO in 2011.
has completed asbestos abatement activities and has
completed partial demolition activities of unsafe site
structures to prepare for potential reuse and redevelopment.

Bradenton Save-a-Lot
The proposed Save-a-Lot grocery store being built in the
coming months will be a virtual food and shopping oasis for
community members of Bradenton.
The project area around 13th Ave. West and 1st St. was
being called a “food desert” by government leaders and
community members alike. A food desert is defined as “an
urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-
quality fresh food or where many poor people live and may
have access to plenty of food but none of it healthy or
affordable."
The 16,000-square-foot Save-a-Lot will be the anchor tenant
for a nearly 100,000-square-foot retail strip mall with eight
retailers. The mall is sorely needed in the economically
distressed community where many citizens don't have
automobiles to shop elsewhere. It will also create 25 long-
term jobs and 60 temporary construction jobs as well as
provide reasonably priced shopping and healthy, affordable
fresh food.
The plaza is to be named "The Minnie L. Rogers Plaza and
Retail Center'' in honor of the late community leader, Minnie
L. Rogers, who had led a drive to build a community center
on the property in the 1930s.
The development, 13 years in the making, had several
challenges including adjacent, unsightly railroad and gas
stations; funding challenges, and the removal of
environmental stigma from the proposed redevelopment
area and surrounding areas. The City of Bradenton
accessed the MPO's EPA Brownfields Coalition Grant
funding that funded Phase I and Phase II Environmental
Assessments and also provided verification that the site was
in fact a Brownfields redevelopment enabling the project to
qualify for new market tax credits. After the environmental
assessments were performed, the acreage was cleared for
redevelopment. The project passed its final hurdle in August,
when the Bradenton City Council finalized an agreement
that deeds the property, appraised at $750,000, to the
Central Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which
has spearheaded the redevelopment.
The project was a joint effort on the part of the federal, state
and local government and community agencies as well as
community members. The terms of the city council
agreement include a $300,000 pre-development loan to the
developer, which includes a $60,000 upfront payout for
design and engineering plans. Plans are to use Community
Redevelopment Block Grant funding for that purpose. The
CRA land sale at $750,000 returns $745,000 to the
developer, who is also receiving $1.36 million from the
Federal New Markets Tax Credit Program. The CRA is also
to invest $45,000 annually for 10 years in incentives.
Proposaed Palmetto Dog Park
The City of Palmetto is considering turning over two-
acres of land that once housed storage for CSX Railroad
into a playground for man's best friend.
In 1998, the City of Palmetto purchased the 2.1 acres for
$90,000 from a former realtor for CSX Railroad. As with
many brownfields sites, the City was hesitant about
buying the land once used as a storage area for CSX
railroad ties, which are soaked in creosote and create
higher than normal levels of arsenic in the ground.
The City accessed the MPO's EPA Brownfields Coalition
Assessment Grant Funds to conduct a current Phase I
Environmental Site Assessment that led to the City
investing additional funding to complete the full
assessment and remedial planning for the future park.
This park will also potentially include a trail, linking into a
network of existing City trails. This makes the project a
Healthfields project with opportunities for increased
recreation and physical activity that can reduce negative
health impacts like diabetes and obesity.
Preliminary testing in 2010 showed higher than normal
levels of arsenic in the ground. However, the land is a
snapshot image of old Florida with moss-covered trees
providing a canopy atop a clear, meandering creek
winding down toward the Manatee River. Perfect for the
City's plans to transform it into a dog park, once the
parcel has been environmentally assessed and
mitigated.

Robinson Preserve Expansion,
Manatee County, FL
In the summer of 2013,
Manatee County began
expanding the popular 487-
acre Robinson Preserve by
adding 150 acres of land. It's
restoring the land to a natural
state and opening to the
public for passive recreation
and education. The 150-acre
proposed addition is primarily
upland habitat which makes
this area uniquely beneficial
as it relates ecologically to the
existing features of the
preserve.
Several private, public and community partners have
come together to prevent further degradation of this area
from residential and commercial development; provide
net gains for the environment, the public, and the
economy; increase ecological integrity and ecosystem
services; provide needed passive recreation amenities
and a much needed environmental educational center;
increase disaster protection and community resilience;
create direct and indirect economic stimulus; increase
sea level rise mitigation and to sustain public social
interaction with nature, as well as cultural practices
preservation. Manatee County accessed the MPO's EPA
Brownfields Coalition Assessment grant funding to
complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment that
allowed the property to be incorporated into the Preserve
and a subsequent Phase II ESA was completed as a
requirement of the property transfer to the preserve.
Robinson Preserve is positioned at the interface of two
estuaries of national significance, Tampa Bay and
Sarasota Bay. The site contains significant ecologically
valuable habitat such as mangrove forest, salt marsh,
and salt barren habitats with lesser amounts of coastal
upland associated habitats such as
pine flatwoods, coastal strand hammock and maritime
hammock. The Preserve is highly utilized by wildlife
including federally and state listed imperiled species for
passage, nesting, denning, roosting, foraging, and other
uses.
The expansion of this preserve facilitates the restoration of
this property providing vital natural habitats throughout the
entire project site with multi-use use trails and amenities for
public enjoyment and education. All public amenities will
utilize and showcase low-impact design principals including
a state-of-the-art environmental education center; additional
parking and restrooms; three age-specific nature themed
playground areas; canoe and kayak launch site; expansion
of the existing paddle trail; an observation mound; a 1.6-
mile-long, 10-foot-wide, walking/jogging trail and an
elevated tree canopy trail that will enable the public to view
the environment from multiple levels.
The project partners include the Robinson family,
Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, The Mosaic
Company Foundation, US Environmental Protection Agency,
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Florida Water
Management District, Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Sarasota
Bay Watch, The Tampa Bay Estuary Program, National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation, and numerous hardworking
volunteers who have given countless hours on the site.
In addition to EPA Brownfields Coalition Assessment funds
for Phase I Assessment, other Leveraged Funds include
$3,200,000 from The Mosaic Company Foundation; $25,950
for Phase II assessment from Robinson Farms, Inc.; $4,500
US EPA; $4,280,000 for site amenities and recreation and
$4,145,000 for environmental restoration from the Manatee
County Government.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Park
Palmetto, Florida
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Palmetto has been
earmarked for a $1.9 million multifaceted project that will
include stormwater runoff and treatment improvements
as well as green space and recreational trails for public
use.
As part of the agreement with the Southwest Florida Water
Management District (SWFWMD), the project will
incorporate a number of Low Impact Development (LID)
techniques to improve stormwater treatment from Carr Drain
into the Manatee River and provide educational
opportunities for residents to learn more about US EPA's
Low Impact Development techniques. Additionally, the CRA
will create a passive park that incorporates walking trails
and picnic facilities for the residents of Palmetto. The first
phase of the project is anticipated to be completed in late
2014.
The MPO's EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant funded a
Phase I ESA and an asbestos survey for dilapidated
structures on the park site clearing a way for the
redevelopment of the park. Other Leveraged Funds for the
project include up to $500,000 from Southwest Florida
Water Management District; monies from the US EPA for
Phase I Assessment and asbestos survey; $200,000 from
RESTORE!; and 2 acres of land valued at $160,000 from
the City of Palmetto. Project Partners are the Sarasota /
Manatee County MPO, US EPA, Southwest Florida Water
Management District, and the United States Army Corps of
Engineers.
The park is an EPA Region 4 award winner.
The park is located on a 5.3 acre parcel of land adjoining
Carr Drain, a stormwater collector that discharges into
the Manatee River. The wooded property has long been
known as a place where criminal activity takes place.
When finished, it will be well lit and will feature a security
camera system with regular police patrols. The park will
also be a rare piece of green space in the middle of an
area where the city's residential, recreational, and
downtown retail districts intersect.

5th Street Project, Palmetto, FL
Thanks in part to brownfields funding, the City of
Palmetto's Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
has revitalized 5th Street West right-of‐way and
enhanced the city owned property to attract economic
development and to develop an award wining Low Impact
Development Project in the city's commercial core.
friendly stormwater drainage,
additional public parking and
beautiful landscaping. The
project also removed two derelict
CRA owned structures and
numerous code violations as well
as added seven buildable lots to
the city's tax base. Community
redevelopment grants are helping
pay for the improvements. New
construction will meet with the
CRA Downtown Commercial
Core Development and Florida
building codes making the project
eligible for additional CRA
redevelopment incentives as
well.
The $1.3 million beautification and stormwater project
literally hit a snag when a back hoe hit a UST during the
initial stages of the project. No one knew there was an
aging metal kerosene tank buried under eight inches of
dirt and concrete along 5th Street. However, due to the
City being an EPA Brownfields Coalition Partner, city
officials were able to get grant money within a week to
remove the tank as part of the Brownfields Assessment
for the area. EPA Region 4 staff reacted swiftly to enable
the use of Brownfields Assessment funds for the
emergency tank removal.
The neighborhood revitalization project is bringing life back
to the area, with a weekly farmers market and new
businesses already having opened. New buildings will also
add to the tax base and encourage creation of additional
new jobs and businesses.
The project will also prevent further environmental issues
with the use of Stormwater LID (Low Impact Design) on the
street and in the new public parking lot. This type of
environmental engineering will remove oils and sediment
from stormwater allowing it to percolate before it flows into
the Manatee River.
The Low Impact Development project won a Future of the
Regions Award from the Tampa Bay Regional Planning
Council for Applied Sciences Consulting, the civil
engineering firm on the project.
Once removed, the project located near the Manatee
River proceeded on schedule. The improvements included
new brick-lined sidewalks, roads, environmentally

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields web site at http://www.epa.gov/
Basics of EPA's Brownfields Program Basics of FDEP's Brownfields Program
The US Environmental Protection Agency's
Brownfields Program empowers communities, tribes,
states, and other stakeholders to work together in a
timely manner to assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. The Brownfields
Program provides grant support for revitalization
efforts by funding environmental assessments,
individual site cleanups, and community-based
revolving loan funds for brownfields cleanup. Since
the program began, thousands of properties
nationwide have been assessed and cleaned up using
federal brownfields grant funds, clearing the way for
their revitalization. For more information, visit:
www.epa.gov/brownfields
FDEP's Brownfields program goals are to reduce public
health and environmental hazards on existing
commercial and industrial sites that are abandoned or
underused due to these hazards; create financial and
regulatory incentives to encourage voluntary cleanup
and redevelopment of sites; derive cleanup target
levels and a process for obtaining a "No Further Action"
letter using Risk-Based Corrective Action principles;
and provide the opportunity for Environmental Equity
and Justice. For more information, visit:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/brownfields/
Cheri Coryea, Director
Neighborhood Services Department
1112 Manatee Avenue West
Bradenton, Florida 34205
Office: 941.749.3029 x 3468
cheri.coryea@mymanatee.org
For more information, please contact:
Mike Maholtz
Sarasota/Manatee MPO
Office: 941.359.5772
mike@mympo.org
Channing Bennett
U.S. EPA Region 4
Office: 404.562.8474
bennett.channing@epa.gov

TamiamiTrailBrwnflds11-10-14

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