Benefits to Communities

Assessment of Site Contamination

Site assessment funding to determine the nature and extent of contamination is available on a competitive basis for strategic brownfields sites. If eligible and approved by the EPA, the UG Brownfields Program can provide a Phase I environmental assessment at no cost to the project or community in order to identify potential environmental concerns. To be eligible, the owner cannot be responsible for the environmental conditions at the site.

  • Conducting Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) provides essential information to parties of the property transaction Phase I ESAs.
  • Provide liability protection from future enforcement for owners.
  • Clear properties of environmental issues for future sale or redevelopment.
  • Help to gather future information where actual testing/measurement should occur if further information is warranted.

The program also results in:

Increased Property Values

With strong local leadership as the plan’s primary advocate and sponsor, the UG’s Brownfields Program can induce public and private-sector investment leading to community revitalization and increased property values over time.


Increased Predictability

For those who are looking to invest in the area, the program provides increased predictability in terms of community acceptance by giving developers a clear indication of uses and businesses that the community wants and does not want.


A Community Vision and Strategy for Revitalization

A community-based revitalization plan and implementation strategy is established to spur investment in distressed areas by establishing clear priorities for redevelopment and other actions for community renewal and improved quality of life. The plan provides a proactive and systematic way to address brownfields and to return them to productive use.


Improved Environmental Quality

Environmental quality improves by cleaning up contaminated properties, removing eyesores, and implementation of other environmental and public improvement projects identified in the community driven revitalization plan.


Remediation Strategies for Catalyst Sites

By conducting site assessments to determine the nature and extent of contamination on strategic brownfield sites expected to catalyze redevelopment, communities can better understand options and costs for remediation and redevelopment.


Site Inventories

An accurate and clear inventory and description of brownfield sites and other underutilized properties can be used to serve as a basis for identifying strategic redevelopment opportunities.


Definitions of Future Uses & Businesses

New uses and businesses that are desired by the community for strategic brownfield sites will be clearly defined, a key for the successful redevelopment of brownfields.


Achieving Community Development Needs

Communities will be able to work more effectively with developers to transform brownfields from liabilities to assets by establishing new uses and businesses that are clearly desired by the community and will contribute to the community in a beneficial way, generating jobs and revenues.


Partnerships with State Agencies

The program is designed to establish a working partnership between communities and state agencies to address a variety of issues related to community planning and zoning, brownfield clean-up and redevelopment, economic renewal, improving transportation systems and infrastructure, and improving environmental quality.


Increased Competitiveness for Other Funding Programs

With a community supported brownfields plan in place; communities will increase their competitiveness to leverage funds from a variety of sources to make brownfields ripe for private investment and for projects to implement their plan.


Applications for Additional Funding

Environmental data compiled as part of Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) planning process may aid in an application for cleanup planning and funding.


Infrastructure & Transportation Improvements

The redevelopment potential of private properties may benefit from identified transportation, infrastructure and other community related improvements in brownfields areas.


Public and Environmental Improvement Projects

Public improvement projects, identified through UG’s Brownfields program, such as parks, esplanades, or streetscape improvements and/or environmental improvement projects, such as a stream corridor or habitat restoration project, will have an overall positive impact on the quality of the community leading to increased property values and marketability.