The EPA's pilot program provides the opportunity to conduct environmental assessments on orphan sites, vacant properties that previously had been given low priority due to size, location, level of perceived pollution or unusual circumstances.
A brownfield is a contaminated site that has potential for redevelopment or reuse.
Through this program, the MCDA has completed environmental assessments on four Hennepin County tax-forfeited "orphaned" sites. Two of the four sites will be developed into affordable housing; the third site has been approved for neighborhood green space, and the fourth site is in the planning stage for a mixed-use development.
Without local and national cooperation, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak says "these misfit sites that likely would have remained dormant indefinitely."
In addition to seeking EPA assessment funds, the MCDA, as the redevelopment arm of the city, has partnered with Hennepin County in coordinating applications for state and regional grant sources for contamination cleanup. Affected neighborhoods are notified through their respective citizen participation groups and brought into brownfields projects early on for review and comment and to take part in redevelopment planning.
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