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Directory of Technical Assistance for Land Revitalization

 
Section Number: 5.1 
Organization Name: Office of Economic Adjustment 
Background: The OEA is the primary office of the DoD with responsibility for providing adjustment assistance to communities, regions, and states adversely impacted by significant defense program changes. These changes include base expansions, closures or realignments; major contract changes that result in significant worker layoff; and other reductions or increases in defense activities and personnel. Economic adjustment assistance involves assessing the problems; identifying and evaluating alternative courses of action to solve the problem; identifying resource requirements as well as possible sources; and assisting in the preparation of the development strategy and action plan to help communities help themselves.

Since 1988, there have been four successive BRAC that have recommended 497 BRAC closure actions that have resulted in 97 major closures, 55 major realignments, and 235 minor closures and realignments. When bases close, opportunities are created for local communities to consider the reuse of large parcels of land and surplus buildings in ways not previously envisioned. The OEA can provide state and local governments directly impacted by a base closure with technical assistance provided by OEA staff and with financial assistance in the form of economic adjustment grants.

Another round of base closures is scheduled to be announced in 2005. 
Location: Arlington, VA 
Relevancy to Revitalization: OEA provides technical and financial assistance for planning reuse of military bases, many of which share some of the redevelopment characteristics of brownfields. 
Specialty Areas: Planning reuse of closed military bases 
General Services Offered: Technical assistance and planning grants for reusing closed military bases 
Type of Funding Available: Planning grants for base reuse activities 
Eligibility: Local and state governments directly involved in planning reuse of military bases  
Process for Requesting Assistance: Contact OEA as listed below 
Homepage: http://www.oea.gov/oeaweb.nsf/Home?OpenForm


 
Click here for
Point(s) of Contact		 Office of Economic Adjustment - (703) 604-6020 
Success Stories:
Reusing a military base is often the largest and most complex real estate and economic redevelopment efforts ever undertaken in a community. In the four rounds of BRAC in the 1990s, about 100 major bases closed around the country. As a result, the DoD has declared over 550,000 acres of land (much with improvements) excess to its needs. To date, about 250,000 acres have been transferred by deed or long-term lease for non-defense reuse. New civilian activity at these former bases, as of the last survey in October 2001, totaled 80,000 jobs ? replacing, so far, over 60 percent of the civilian positions lost because of the base closures.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) has determined that most base closure communities have shown positive economic growth relative to national averages in terms of unemployment rates and growth in per capita income. DoD views this as a tribute to the initiative and the persistence of local and state redevelopment officials who continue to take advantage of this opportunity to revitalize and diversify their local economies. 

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