E.P.A. provides $500K to the City of Fort Collins to advance the cleanup and revitalization of properties in north downtown corridor and the Poudre River

Funds part of $54 million to clean up and redevelop Brownfields sites across the country

(Denver, Colo. - May 28, 2015) The E.P.A. (EPA) has awarded the City of Fort Collins $500K in Brownfields grant backing to expand local efforts to assess, clean up and redevelop properties along the Poudre River and the northern edge of the city's downtown business district. Today's announcement is among 243 E.P.A. grant investments totaling $54.3 million to 147 communities across the U.S. These grants will provide communities with backing necessary to assess, clean and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

The City of Fort Collins will work closely with the Downtown Development Authority and Larimer Co. Coalition Partners to use the E.P.A. grant funds to conduct a community-wide assessment of properties contaminated with petroleum and hazardous substances in an area known as the Poudre River/North College Innovation District. The target area is characterized by blighted and contaminated properties associated with manufactured gas production, automotive operations, gas stations, and dry cleaning facilities. The cleanup and redevelopment of these properties will connect the area with other parts of downtown and help restore access to the riverfront.

"EPA Brownfields grants open doors by helping communities like Fort Collins transform blighted properties into public and economic assets," said E.P.A. regional administrator, Shaun McGrath. "These investments will address contamination and create new opportunities for people to live, play, and do business."

There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. EPA's Brownfields plan empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse these brownfields sites. Since the inception of the plan in 1995, cumulative brownfield plan investments have leveraged in excess of $22 billion from a variety of public and private sources for cleanup and redevelopment activities. This equates to an average of $17.79 leveraged per E.P.A. brownfield dollar expended. These investments have resulted in approximately 105,942 jobs nationwide.

More information on Brownfields grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/

More Brownfields information:
Plan http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Success Stories http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm

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