HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter to Dianne FeinsteinMayor
Ron Morrison
Council Members
Luis 'Louie' Natividad L/ 314CORPdRATED
Mona Rios
Alejandra Sotelo-Solis
Rosalie Zarate
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City Manager
Chris Zapata
March 15, 2011
The Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
RE: Ensuring Adequate Funding for Brownfields Revitalization
Dear Senator Feinstein:
The City of National City has benefited from and leveraged EPA Brownfield funding for
significant economic and environmental justice efforts and requests your support of continued
strong funding for the Brownfields Program. Among recent support received and leveraged:
• A portion of our $1 million Revolving Loan Fund was used to remediate a site for a
Harbor District job center west of Interstate 5 at 24th Street;
• A $200,000 areawide assessment was used to analyze conditions in our Westside
neighborhood — an environmental justice neighborhood commencing transformation
including a 201-unit affordable housing Transit Oriented Development ("TOD");
• $130,000 in brownfields technical assistance through the Partnership for Sustainability
assisted us in creating a sustainability plan for the TOD, receiving community input as
to the use of brownfield open space within the TOD footprint, and an amortization
ranking procedure for non -conforming businesses in Westside that are contributing to
dangerous conditions for children and high asthma rates;
• $50,000 in brownfield technical assistance to create "clean auto body" code
requirements and development standards, applicable nationally, to reduce the health
and environmental impacts of auto body shops on neighborhoods.
• National City previously received a $200,000 area -wide assessment grant for our
Harbor District — the early stage redevelopment of which recently won the 2011
California Redevelopment Association Award of Excellence and the 2011 Phoenix
Award; and
• National City is awaiting announcement of the 2012 Brownfield grants — we have
applied for $400,000 in additional assessment funds to continue the progress in Harbor
District and Westside.
1243 National City Boulevard; National City, California 91950-4301
Tel.: (619) 336.4220 Fax: (619) 336.4327
Senator Dianne Feinstein
March 15, 2011
Page Two
During the past decade National City has been able to leverage a net investment of $2.4 million
in local tax dollars with state and federal brownfield funding, Port of San Diego funding and
private funding from Sycuan Tribal Development and other partners to achieve $61 million in
improvements in our Harbor District, 150 new fulltime jobs and $772,000 annually in municipal
revenues.
Brownfield redevelopment is essential to National City's future economic viability and the
wealth potential of our population. Through brownfield projects, we not only improve the
environment and the aesthetic landscape, we create jobs so needed today. We also prevent
sprawl by rebuilding our existing urban areas.
As the Appropriation Committee considers the Fiscal Year 2011 budget, as well as up -coming
Fiscal Year 2012 budget, we urge you to support brownfields redevelopment as a key investment
in job creation, community revitalization, smart growth, and sustainable development. We urge
support the following funding levels:
o EPA Brownfields - $250 million (the full 2002 authorization level);
o HUD Brownfields Economic Development Initiative - $25 million;
o HUD 108 loan guarantees - $8 million;
o HUD Sustainable Communities Initiative - $150 million.
The House Continuing Resolution (CR) for FY 2011 cuts the EPA Brownfields Program by a
draconian $68 million relative to the President's budget ($30 million relative to the 2010 enacted
level.) The House CR also eliminates the HUD BEDI and HUD 108 programs. These cuts
ignore the reality that communities impacted by brownfields tend to lack the resources needed to
make critical upfront investments. The result of these cuts will be felt In National City and other
communities that are struggling with the impact of brownfields: deteriorating neighborhoods;
eroded local tax base; and heightened economic distress, as well as increased risk to public
health.
Experience has shown that modest upfront public investments lead to job -producing and
community -enhancing redevelopment that is often transformative. EPA's brownfield
investments have leveraged 67,400 new jobs, while bringing other funding sources to the table at
a rate of $1 EPA funds to $17.4 other funds. Further, because these investments are made in
developed communities, brownfield projects reduce greenhouse gases — EPA's analysis indicates
that brownfield projects generatebetween 33 and 57 percent lower vehicle miles traveled relative
to alternative development patterns.
While these federal programs have helped numerous communities, much remains to be done.
Experts estimate there remain as many as 1 million brownfield properties nationwide and
National City estimates it has more than 50 brownfields still to be addressed. These sites
continue to blight neighborhoods, discourage new investment, and undermine economic
progress.
Senator Dianne Feinstein
March 15, 2011
Page Three
National City is eager to provide you and/or your staff a tour of our brownfield projects and
priorities at your convenience and we believe seeing these efforts "on the ground" will secure
your support. Thank you for considering the future of National City and support for the
Brownfields Program.
Sincerely,
Ron Morrison, Mayor
Luis Natividad, Council Member
Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, Vice Mayor
Mona Rios, Council Member
Rosalie Zarate, Council Member
Enclosure: Before and after photos — Marina Gateway Brownfield Redevelopment Project
cc: The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Thad Cochran, Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Hal Rogers, Chairman, House Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Norm Dicks, Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Jack Reed, Chairman, Senate Interior and Environment Sub -Committee
The Honorable Senator Lisa Murkowski, Ranking Member
The Honorable Patty Murray, Chairman, Senate Transportation and HUD Sub -
Committee
The Honorable Susan M. Collins, Ranking Member, Senate Transportation and HUD
Sub -Committee
The Honorable Barbara Boxer, United States Senator for California
The Honorable Bob Filner, United States House of Representatives
Chris Zapata, City Manager
Marina Gateway site before remediation and redevelopment
Marina Gateway site after remediation and redevelopment