City of Tallahassee to Receive $300,000 in Brownfields Grants

The City of Tallahassee continues to have one of the most successful Brownfields programs in the southeastern United States.

The City of Tallahassee is among 172 communities across the country set to receive funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites. Specifically, the City will receive two Brownfields Assessment Grants, each totaling $150,000, which will allow for environmental site assessments and cleanup planning to be conducted along South Monroe Street, a recently designated brownfields area along with other areas within our community.

Brownfields are sites where historical industrial usage can hinder expansion, redevelopment or reuse due to the presence or the potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. These sites can include gas stations, former dry cleaning facilities and uncontrolled areas where industrial facilities may have previously operated. Numerous areas along South Monroe Street have been home to industrial businesses, which could have left environmental impacts on the sites.

The City’s designation of the South Monroe Street area as a Brownfields site was approved by the City Commission as part of an overarching plan for the area. Like the revitalization plan for Gaines Street, which was also a Brownfields designated area, this designation is designed to help secure state and federal funds that assist in faster redevelopment and help attract new investment in the area. According to the EPA, studies have shown that residential property values near Brownfields sites that are cleaned up increased between 5 and 15.2 percent.

“I’m extremely proud that the City continues to receive funding for Brownfields cleanup,” said Commissioner Nancy Miller. “These grants are a testimony to the fact that past dollars have been used effectively to clean up toxic waste and stimulate redevelopment in areas that otherwise might have been unavailable for public use.”

The focus of one of the new grants is solely to assess petroleum issues, while the other grant is broader based and will be used to assess hazardous substances. They are both designed to identify potential environmental issues before they would be encountered during actual development.

This additional funding brings the City’s total dollar amount for Brownfields grants received to more than $2.3 million. The City of Tallahassee continues to have one of the most successful Brownfields programs in the southeastern United States.

For more information about the City of Tallahassee’s Brownfields Program, visit www.Talgov.com/Brownfields.