The Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality are accepting grant applications for the Virginia Brownfields Restoration and Economic Redevelopment Assistance Fund.
Site Assessment and Planning Grants are available in amounts of up to $50,000, and site Remediation Grants are available in amounts up to $500,000. The fund’s annual grant budget totals $2.25 million allocated from the General Assembly.
The application deadline for Site Remediation Grants is Nov. 16. (There is no deadline for Site Assessment and Planning Grants, however, these grants are subject to availability of funds.)
Established to promote the restoration and redevelopment of “brownfield” sites, the assistance fund helps local governments make use of existing infrastructure and underutilized property.
Brownfield sites are properties with redevelopment complications related to real or perceived environmental issues. Common examples include factories, dry cleaners, rail yards and landfills.
“Redeveloping on a brownfield site makes good use of an existing site, saves greenspace, addresses environmental concerns, and has a positive impact on the community,” said DEQ Brownfields Program Coordinator Vincent Maiden. “Brownfield initiatives can help eliminate blight, increase community aesthetics and attract new business, industry and residents.”
Site Assessment and Planning grants provide funding for environmental assessments, planning, and community outreach. Site Remediation grants provide funding to pay the reasonable and necessary costs associated with the restoration and redevelopment of a brownfield site.
Working in consultation with DEQ, VEDP directs distribution of these grants. For guidelines and application forms for both Site Assessment and Planning, and Site Remediation grants, visit the VEDP website at www.vedp.org/brownfields.
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