Turning Brownfields into Community Assets

We’ve all driven past them – those vacant factories or junk-filled fields long ago abandoned by owners and workers. From mills and manufacturing campuses to businesses that lost their relevance and sections of cities no longer favorable to economic activity due to urban sprawl, these sites and the remnants left behind remind us they were once valued and vibrant. Many of these properties are now in a state of disrepair, unsightly, unhealthy, potentially dangerous, and represent lost economic opportunity for their communities.

According to the EPA, there are an estimated 450,000 brownfields in the United States – they can be found in urban and rural communities, they are big spaces and small patches of property, and in many cases, they occupy space that is prime for redevelopment. Their common trait is the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants that complicate the reuse or redevelopment of the property.

When local community members band together to act, these complex sites can be turned into community assets in a way that ensures that use reflects the needs and wants of the community. Public-private partnerships can also play a vital role in brownfield redevelopment. When private resources are combined with public support and funding, cleanup and renewal can be expedited.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Brownfields Program has made the cleanup of these sites a priority, with millions of dollars in grant funding available to communities to assess, clean up, and reimagine their brownfield sites as assets. In 2023 alone, the EPA awarded over $300 million to address brownfield site cleanup across the country. Community leaders are encouraged to consider seeking brownfield grant funding to assess and clean up sites and then focus on the reuse and revitalization of those sites. What is now a space that detracts from the community could be transformed into a park or playground, a multi-unit residential community to provide much-needed housing, or new commercial space that drives economic growth.

There are several distinct types of grants available, including:

Community-wide Assessment Grants

Awards up to $500,000. Assessment Grants provide funding for developing prioritized inventories of brownfield sites, conducting community involvement activities, conducting environmental site assessments, developing site-specific cleanup plans and reuse plans for brownfield sites, including private properties.

Assessment Coalition Grants

Awards up to $1,500,000. Assessment Coalition Grants are designed for one “lead” eligible entity to partner with two to four eligible entities that do not have the capacity to apply for and manage their own Assessment Grant and, otherwise, would not have access to brownfields grant resources. The inclusion of community-based nonprofit organizations as non-lead coalition members that will help promote strong local engagement is encouraged.

Cleanup Grants

Awards up to $5,000,000. Cleanup Grants address a single brownfield site or multiple brownfield sites contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum) and/or petroleum. The grantee must own the property at the time of application.

Multipurpose EPA Grants (generally available for even fiscal year applicants)

Awards up to $1,000,000 for multiple brownfield sites. Multipurpose Grants provide funding to conduct a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities, including planning and additional community engagement activities. The grantee must own the property(s) where cleanup is funded at the time of application and throughout the cleanup.

Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants (generally available for odd fiscal year applicants)

Initial awards up to $1,000,000 for the cleanup of multiple brownfield sites. RLF Grants provide funding for a grant recipient to capitalize on a revolving loan fund and provide loans and subgrants to conduct cleanup activities at brownfield sites. When loans are repaid, the loan amount is returned to the fund and re-lent to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community. Supplemental funds of up to $5 million are available on an annual basis when grantees demonstrate program momentum.

Success Stories

A recent example of successful brownfield cleanup and redevelopment is occurring in the City of Chiloquin, Oregon. The city has been utilizing various state and federal funding sources, including a Business Oregon Assessment Grant, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community-wide Assessment Grant, EPA Cleanup Grant, and Business Oregon Cleanup Grant to clean up two key properties, the Chiloquin Mercantile Building and the Markwardt Brothers Garage, and assess up to ten additional sites. The cleanup was completed in 2024 in time for the city to apply for a $10-20 million EPA Community Change Grant to fund the design and construction of a state-of-the-art community resiliency center.

Another example of brownfield success is the City of Albany, Georgia’s brownfield program, which has tapped EPA funding to support numerous assessment, planning, and cleanup projects. A recent notable effort is a project funded by the city’s brownfield revolving loan fund involving the cleanup effort at 207 Pine Street, a site likely to be redeveloped into a boutique hotel.

CHA has been instrumental in assisting both cities. We understand the diverse perspectives and requirements of regulators, developers, funding administrators, and community stakeholders and work diligently to balance incorporating remedial and reuse strategies that cost-effectively ready blighted properties for productive community-driven reuse and return them to community assets.