Practical Redevelopment

For many cities redevelopment of downtown or other urban areas is a challenge. Although the challenge seems large, there are practical approaches to starting the redevelopment train, including funding for assessment and cleanup of contaminated sites.

Every city wants to show off their revitalization -- for many it's an imperative aspect to staying competitive in our modern world. Developers who are eager to work with cities many times run into contamination troubles (or a perception of such troubles) and back out. Who can blame them? But it leaves the City in a tight position with few options for moving forward. Redevelopment is costly in and of itself, without the added concerns of environmental contamination.

What many cities do not understand is that there is ample funding for just these types of sites. Although there is no clear definition of a Brownfield, a simple definition is a site, whose development is being impeded by potential or actual contamination. We've all seen these sites throughout our cities -- the old gas stations, the old mills and factories, and even the vacant lot that nobody remembers what it used to be.

The US EPA offers assessment and cleanup grants (usually up to a total of $400,000 per applicant). These dollars are obtained through a proposal process that starts soon (due date is mid October 2007). Skilled environmental consultants can write the proposal (which is limited to 18 pages), and really good consultants understanding the ranking criteria used by the EPA. Many cities in our own area have received these grants, including the City of West Sacramento, Emeryville, Oakland, and many others.

These dollars are a great start to cleaning up sites that have been impacted or may be impacted by hazardous materials or petroleum products. Plus, these grants can be combined with other monies/services available through the US EPA (via the Target Brownfields Assessment program), the DTSC (via the Targeted Site Investigation program), as well as the State Water Board (via the LUFT Fund and the OSCA). It has been reported that nearly half of all Region IX applicants for Brownfield grants are successful.

Every city has environmentally impaired sites that are sitting idly by because the cost to assess and remediate these sites scares off developers and city planners alike. Please take the time to think about how federal and state grants can help your redevelopment plan as well as contribute to an overall environmental protection policy. Someone is going to get these dollars, why shouldn't it be you?