Hazardous Substance Research Centers/South & Southwest

Atlanta, Georgia

Site description
The City of Atlanta was awarded an EPA Assessment Pilot in 1996. The Bureau of Planning, housed in the Department of Planning and Development, is the project lead. As stated in the project fact sheet, the pilot will target 10 verified and 36 potential brownfields, with varied levels of contamination, interspersed throughout the City's Empowerment Zone. Environmental audits will be conducted at up to three of these sites. The goals of the pilot are:

inventory brownfields within the Empowerment Zone;
develop financing tools to encourage industry involvement in brownfields redevelopment;
provide environmental justice planning to develop sustainable communities; and
build a cohesive brownfields redevelopment strategy and project management capacity.

Organization requesting assistance
City of Atlanta, Bureau of Planning

Summary of TAB assistance

TAB is partnering with the city of Atlanta, the Atlanta Development Authority, and MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. on two brownfield assessment grant proposals for hazardous substances and petroleum products that were awarded in May. The projects will focus on three areas for assessment in the Atlanta area: the Renewal Community area, the Belt Line Project (a ring of abandoned and underused rail corridors around Atlanta), and neighborhoods that have developed master plans that include brownfield redevelopment. TAB will provide technical outreach and assistance to communities impacted by brownfield properties, as well as provide educational assistance with its partners.

TAB continues to work with the City and MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. to evaluate redevelopment potential along several urban transportation corridors that have been targeted by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce as areas in need of smart growth and brownfield revitalization. TAB has provided assistance in the development of an artificial neural network being developed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute using Geographic Information Systems to predict the location of brownfield properties along these corridors. Although in the early stages of development, the network has shown initial success and work continues. The network will be included in the City's work under the EPA brownfield assessment pilot, with the goal of assisting the City in locating brownfield properties.

Links to "Brownfields 101 presentation
Powerpoint presentation
Notebook
Attachment 1: Regional Brownfield Assessment Pilot, Atlanta, GA
Attachment 2: Guide to Contamination Found at Typical Brownfields Sites
Attachment 3: Glossary of Terms for Brownfields
Attachment 4: TAB Recommended Resources for Brownfields