EPA awards funding for Brownfield improvements along Federal Boulevard Corridor are available thanks to a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The city of Denver will carry out cleanup and revitalization efforts at sites along the Federal Boulevard Corridor.
The funding comes from the EPA’s Brownfields Program which provides grants and technical assistance to states, communities, tribes and others to assess, safely clean up and sustainability reuse contaminated properties.
The program also advances President Joe Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, a government effort to ensure that federal agencies work with states and communities to deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.
The cleanup and revitalization efforts will take place within Denver and Sheridan and will include priority sites like South Federal Boulevard, an old gas station property, a former college campus, and a vacant property.
Site assessments will take place at 20 locations and will look at sample soil, water, air and building materials and current and historical use of properties, according to a release from the EPA. The assessments will also look at potential contamination at sites and determine cleanup options. Along with the cleanup and revitalization plans, grant funds will be used for a community involvement plan.
Meetings will take place for the plan, and officials will provide a translator at the events. Community outreach will also take place in various languages, the release says. “This grant is an important first step in the revitalization of a vital corridor of our city. We are pleased to join our partners at Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, the City of Sheridan, and the Urban Land Conservancy to better understand any environmental challenges to redevelopment, improve potential health risks to the community, and ultimately help encourage investment in local business and affordable housing throughout the Federal Boulevard corridor,” said Denver Department of Public Health and Environment Executive Director Bob McDonald in a statement.
In total, 265 communities throughout the United States received Brownfields Cleanup, Assessment and Revolving Loan Fund Grants. The EPA defines Brownfield as a property for which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. The program has paved the way in the past for the redevelopment of entities like grocery stores, affordable housing, solar farms, museums and more.
Program funding includes nearly $180 million from Biden’s infrastructure law that will turn Brownfield sites into hubs that officials hope spur economic growth and additional jobs.
“With this funding, the City and County of Denver can begin the work of cleaning up and redeveloping important yet currently vacant and unsafe sites along the heavily travelled Federal Boulevard,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker in a statement. “I applaud the City and County for focusing revitalization efforts on an overburdened and vulnerable neighborhood with historical environmental justice concerns.”
