Brownfields Federal Programs Guide 2013 Edition

Much has changed since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Brownfields Program began in 1995. Years ago, brownfields were seen primarily as undesirable contaminated properties that often sat idle and contributed to blight. Today, many communi- ties recognize that while brownfields are contaminated properties, they also can be important community assets that present a tremendous opportunity for community revitalization. Most major brownfields are well-located in centers of economic activity, and many brownfields properties have excellent existing infrastructure and access to services. Cleaning up and reinvesting in brownfields increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, and takes development pressures off of undevel- oped greenfields while improving and protecting the environment. The challenge is finding ways to leverage these assets to rebuild downtowns, revitalize smaller communities, and promote economic revital- ization. The Brownfields Program does more than simply address environmental contamination-it recognizes that a community's quality of life goes hand-in-hand with economic development and sustainability, and encourages communities to develop and implement their own vision for community revitalization. An example is Lansing, Michigan, where the community leaders' revitalization vision for the city's downtown centered on cleanup and redevelopment of the abandoned 1920s-era Ottawa Street Power Plant. The huge, decrepit structure was an eyesore that dominated the waterfront along the Grand River and contributed to blight. Despite many calls to demolish the structure, Lansing wanted to preserve it. The city assembled a package of grants and financial incentives that included EPA brownfields assessment and cleanup grants, a Michigan Renaissance Zone designation, and state grants, along with brownfield tax credits, brownfield tax increment financing, federal and state Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits, and New Market Tax Credits. Each was needed to rehabilitate the property. Today, the power plant is a "signature building" that is a centerpiece for Lansing's downtown renaissance. It is home to the Accident Fund Insurance Company, one of the companies that make Lansing the insurance hub of the Midwest.