Greetings to all,
My name is John Lemmo and I'm developing an emerging brownfields project
with Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), a San Diego-based environmental
justice organization. I am an attorney with a background in environmental
law and land use. EHC is dedicated to the prevention and cleanup of toxic
pollution threatening our health, our communities, and the environment. We
promote environmental justice, monitor government and industry actions that
cause pollution, educate communities about toxic hazards and toxics use
reduction, and empower the public to join our cause.
Our Polluter Relocation Project's goal is to relocate toxic polluters out of
Barrio Logan and Logan Heights (predominantly lower-income, Latino
communities in San Diego)and to recycle their former sites for
neighborhood-friendly uses. For decades, these communities have been zoned
for industrial/commercial/ residential use. The result of this obvious
incompatibility is the occurrence of industrial uses, such as plating shops
and chemical supply, within a few feet of homes and schools. We are viewing
these existing industrial sites as "emerging brownfields" because the
polluters that are currently operating on the sites are perceived to have
contaminated them (one site has over 150 environmental and health
violations), and eventually the sites will become conventional abandoned
brownfields.
The City of San Diego has received a Brownfields Pilot Project grant from
Region IX to address this emerging brownfields issue. We are currently
working with the City to implement a plan and process to relocate the
polluters to an appropriate industrial zone, and revitalize the
neighborhoods to enhance their historic residential character. We are also
fortunate to have assistance from the California Center for Land Recycling
(CCLR).
We are interested in ideas and approaches that can help remove existing
toxic polluters and recycle the land for neighborhood-friendly uses.
John Lemmo Phone: (619) 235-0281
Environmental Health Coalition Fax: (619) 232-3670
1717 Kettner Blvd., Ste. 100
San Diego, CA 92101