The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Program provides grants to communities, states and tribes to assess, clean-up and reuse contaminated properties. This program, which the City of Lynchburg has participated in since 2015, works to sustainably repurpose buildings that have or potentially have hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, controlled substances, petroleum or petroleum products, or lives on mine-scarred land.
In 2015, the Lynchburg EDA was awarded a Brownfields Assessment Grant of $400,000 to kick-start its midtown redevelopment project. The money has been used to assess and help redevelop the once thriving midtown area that currently houses a number of former commercial and industrial sites. The goal for the grant is not only to identify, assess and prepare for potential cleanup of previously hazardous buildings or sites, but to also give the community the opportunity to reap the benefits of the redevelopment by restoring economic vitality.
Lynchburg Properties to be Redeveloped Under the Brownfields Grant
Currently, the properties that have been identified to be included in the program are:
- Commercial Warehouse, Church & 12th Streets
- Industrial Warehouse, 2800 Carroll Avenue
- Industrial Warehouse, 2501 Greene Street
- Industrial/Light Manufacturing, 2204 McConville Road
- Truck Terminal, 4634 Murray Place
- Industrial Warehouse, 1716 Langhorne Road
More About the Brownfields Assessment Grant
EPA grant programs are highly competitive. However, the City of Lynchburg has a track record for proving the viability and opportunity available. In 2008, the EPA awarded Lynchburg $25,000 for the environmental assessments and redevelopment of the Allen-Morrison Site. By 2009, the project was completed and successfully met the requirements of the grant.
To apply for the Brownfields Assessment Grant, the Lynchburg EDA applied for a community-wide assessment with a performance period of three years. As part of the application process, the Lynchburg EDA had to describe the environmental outputs and outcomes they hoped would be achieved under the grant. This included specific statements describing the environmental results of the project as well as the impact to the community as a whole.
Learn More
To learn more about the Brownfields Grant and the City of Lynchburg’s plans, visit us here.