June 17, 2024
By Ryan Spencer, Director of Environmental Investigation & Remediation, WSB

With so much additional federal funding coming from legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), there are plenty of opportunities for communities to address brownfields and revitalize land. Communities with underutilized land, especially those with documented contamination, must possess a detailed understanding of the grant filing process to efficiently rectify this issue. Grant applications can be a complicated process. However, it is beneficial for communities to pursue grants to not only clean up pollutants and health hazards, but also further benefit residents with projects like affordable housing.

But where to start? Here are some ways your community can leverage federal funding to revitalize and develop underutilized lands.

Funding Sources

Regarding federal funding opportunities, the primary source when it comes to underutilized contaminated land is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Often projects requiring land revitalization stem from brownfield sites where contamination (known or perceived) is preventing the area from being redeveloped. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided a huge influx of funding specifically for cleanup and redevelopment projects, and the EPA announced in early 2024 that over $1 billion in funding was available for new and continued cleanup projects. That provides a huge opportunity for communities across the country.

Other funding opportunities are available at the state and county levels from economic development agencies or pollution protection agencies.

It’s also important to note that most grants are on a schedule and the time of year heavily impacts available funding.  Further, most grants are competitive and only the projects that best fit the grant agency’s goals will be awarded funding in each cycle. Depending on the time of year and how many grants have already been granted, communities may be required to wait until the following cycle before applying. To best leverage federal funding, knowing the goals of the agency, the stated goals of the grants and the funding timelines is imperative for communities with revitalization projects.

The Right Grant for the Right Project

When looking at federal grants, it is important to identify how your project aligns with grant application requirements. Not every grant may be the right fit for your project.

Land use projects that have the most potential for receiving funding are those targeting contaminated brownfield areas, those benefiting environmental justice areas and those that increase tax base, jobs, and affordable housing availability. Federal agencies give grants to the projects that score the highest by need and when communities clearly communicate how a project aligns with a grant’s overall mission. Before applying, interested applicants must understand if their project fits within the parameters of the grants. For example, private developments are typically excluded from grants while cleanup projects that lead to the construction of newer affordable housing have greater potential.

How WSB Can Help

Brownfield assessment, cleanup, and revitalization involves many steps, but WSB works with communities and can help navigate the process. That assistance can include environmental assessment services, assistance with grant applications and securing funding sources, community engagement, helping with project readiness, brownfield revitalization planning and design, and more. Revitalizing underutilized land is an investment that can pay off in big ways for communities. Federal grant funding provided by the Federal Infrastructure Bill can assist with jump starting, assessing, and cleaning up sites across the country. With extensive knowledge and experience, the professionals at WSB are here to help communities identify, apply for, and best leverage federal funding to clean up contaminated land and improve quality of life for residents.

Ryan Spencer is our director of Environmental Investigation and Remediation and has worked in the environmental consulting industry servicing both public and private sector clients. He is proficient in the planning, management, and completion of environmental due diligence, remediation, and brownfield grant writing. 

[email protected] | 612.723.3644

November 13, 2023
By Ryan Spencer, Director of Environmental Investigation and Remediation, WSB

Many communities and developers in Minnesota are sitting on brownfield properties that have the potential for redevelopment, but first need to be investigated for potential contamination. With approximately $2 million coming into our state from the federal government’s bipartisan infrastructure law, now is the time to take advantage and apply for the MPCA Brownfield Assessment Grant.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) offers grants to fund the investigation of brownfield properties to support redevelopment and reuse. Eligible sites in Minnesota can be publicly or privately owned with known or suspected contamination.

Who should apply?

According to the MPCA, there are many groups that can and should apply for these dollars. They include, but are not limited to:

• Community organizations
• Local units of government
• BIPOC developers
• Emerging developers (developers who have completed 5 or fewer projects)
• Tribal entities

Environmental Justice Zones

MPCA Brownfield Assessment Grant funds are targeted at areas of environmental justice. That could include underserved communities, low-income neighborhoods or areas with a significant BIPOC population. It’s important to remember that environmental justice zones do not only fall in urban centers, but also in many rural communities.

The MPCA provides a map of environmental justice areas in Minnesota, so applicants can check their eligibility.

Eligibility for Brownfield Investigation Grants

This specific grant will fund either Phase I or Phase II environmental site assessments. Phase I relates to the standardized environmental assessment of a property, and Phase II is the physical sampling of soil and other properties to determine if contamination is present.

The brownfield grants may also be used for sampling and analysis work plans, hazardous materials building surveys to identify lead-based paint and asbestos-containing materials, preparation of cleanup response action plans, community engagement for reuse planning, and MPCA Brownfield Program fees.

When is the best time to apply?

The grant is an ongoing grant, with dollars available from 2022-2027, so it would be great to apply anytime. The application is relatively quick and those who are eligible should absolutely take advantage of this opportunity.

Moreover, because federal stimulus dollars are flowing into the state, the MPCA wants to take those dollars and put them to work. They are strongly encouraging interested applicants to apply.

How WSB Can Help

Do you have a brownfield site and are interested in applying for these grants? WSB can help.

WSB’s team of experts can assist with grant applications, clean up, response planning that ensures full alignment with all regulatory requirements and helping communities identify brownfield sites that would benefit from development.

Ryan Spencer is our director of Environmental Investigation and Remediation and has worked in the environmental consulting industry servicing both public and private sector clients. He is proficient in the planning, management, and completion of environmental due diligence, remediation, and brownfield grant writing. 

[email protected] | 612.723.3644

May 15, 2023
By Ryan Spencer, Director of Environmental Investigation and Remediation, WSB

Most cities have dozens of brownfield sites that they would like to see redeveloped. Finding new uses for these sites can spur growth and investment in underserved neighborhoods, increase community tax base, boost local economies, and more. However, many cities face significant challenges when it comes to brownfields redevelopment, from identifying prime redevelopment opportunities to understanding how to proactively market sites to potential developers.

As more cities integrate smart city tools and technologies into their everyday operations, here are some ways communities can approach brownfield redevelopment. 

Identifying Opportunities for Redevelopment and Making Data-Driven Decisions 

Identifying brownfields sites is the first and most important step. Brownfields are former commercial or industrial sites that are abandoned, underutilized, or no longer in use. Many times, these sites have perceived or documented environmental contamination that is preventing them from being redeveloped. Brownfield sites are not exclusive to sites with current and/or historical gasoline station or dry cleaner use. Brownfield sites may have been dumping areas, airfields, ports, railway land, etc.; basically, a site associated with petroleum or hazards substance storage and use. 

Using data and a smart city approach to brownfield revitalization can encourage cities to take a proactive approach and make educated decisions on when and where to invest their resources. Tools like GIS, census data, county and local government data, and so forth can help leaders filter and narrow down where investments are needed and will have the greatest impact. 

What’s more, many cities already have all of these tools and data at their fingertips. It’s about rethinking how you use this information to overcome hurdles and jumpstart projects. 

Reaching More Residents and Elevating Equity 

Brownfield sites are scattered throughout communities, but many communities find them to be most prevalent in low-income, BIPOC, and traditionally underserved neighborhoods. Spurring opportunity and investment in these communities is critical to improve equity and inclusion of all residents, and can also help meet community diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. 

Using data to better understand the resident makeup of these communities, where there are shortages of critical services and resources, and meaningful opportunities for economic redevelopment is important as leaders look to build the cities of the future. 

Having an in-depth understanding of how brownfield redevelopment will revitalize underserved communities can also help secure critical grant funding for investigation and cleanup activities.

The Benefits of Proactive Brownfield Redevelopment 

When communities are proactive about brownfield redevelopment, it can help mitigate project risk, create well-rounded narratives to secure critical grant funding, better serve key improvement zones across communities, and ensure that leaders have the data and tools to visualize and fully understand what opportunities are out there. Using data to drive these decisions can also help sell and secure partnerships with developers for redevelopment.

In short, cities have more data than ever at their disposal. Thinking about how brownfield redevelopment and smart city tools go together will drive communities forward. 

How WSB Can Help

WSB has a team of experts that can help your community identify and redevelop brownfield sites. Whether it’s finding the best properties to redevelop, securing critical grant funding, doing investigation of sites and developing contaminant removal plans, or helping you better use smart tools to guide processes, our team can help. 

Ryan Spencer is our director of Environmental Investigation and Remediation and has worked in the environmental consulting industry servicing both public and private sector clients. He is proficient in the planning, management, and completion of environmental due diligence, remediation, and brownfield grant writing. 

[email protected] | 612.723.3644

Bart Fischer, Senior Public Administrator, chats with Senior Environmental Scientist Ryan Spencer about the pros and cons of brownfield redevelopment.

Q: When someone hears the term ‘brownfield’ there are a lot of visuals that come to mind, but what is an actual brownfield site?

A: That’s a good question. Brownfields are more encompassing than the traditional rundown or abandoned urban building. A brownfield is a site that has a development history which resulted in the release of contamination, often a dry cleaner, gas station, or an industrial manufacturing site come to mind. However, they can also extend to rural areas such as farmstead dumps, agricultural storage facilities, and junkyards. In general, a brownfield is any site that has documented contamination, or potential contamination, which inhibits redevelopment.

Q: Contamination in redevelopment sounds risky. What are the benefits of brownfield development?

A: There is a certain amount of risk associated with brownfield redevelopment and it varies by a community’s appetite for risk. Often, it’s a great opportunity to revitalize an area of a community that is underutilized. Those factors can strengthen the case for grant funding sources, as well.

Q: Good point.  Funding is key to any project. Are there a lot of funding resources for brownfield development?

A: There are several local and federal funding sources for brownfields. Locally, funding opportunities are driven by an economic development angle and hinges on the project bringing more jobs, affordable housing, and capital investment into the area. Federally, funding sources are generally more environmentally driven and focus on cleaning up the site or a targeted area.

Q: Is brownfield redevelopment a trend right now?

A: I would not say it’s a trend right now. Rather, successful brownfield redevelopment has been occurring for many years. I see this trend continuing as developers and lenders better understand risk, funding sources are available, and undeveloped land is less common. Coming out of the pandemic, it seems that more and more brownfield redevelopment is occurring within suburban communities. There are various factors that go into both greenfield and brownfield redevelopment. It depends on what’s driving the market.

Q: What is attractive about brownfields?

A: They can drive growth and prosperity in a community. When you take an underutilized part of a community and revitalize it, it can spur more development in the area. It can also provide more housing and commercial development that leads to an increased tax base. And it’s also better for the environment – cleaning up soil or groundwater contamination is always an added benefit.

Q: What is the most important thing a community should know and how can they prepare for brownfield development?

A: It all comes back to managing risk. Understanding the site and collecting data is where I always recommend people start. Working with a trusted environmental consultant and performing the proper due diligence (e.g. Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) and Phase II ESA) allows for a deeper understanding of the site and the work that would need to be performed. There are brownfields in every community, and I think there are always benefits and opportunities associated with taking something blighted and turning it into an economic driver.

Bart Fischer has over two decades of experience in public administration. Throughout his tenure, he’s worked in five Minnesota communities as the city or assistant city administrator. Bart joined our firm in 2019 as a senior public administrator and focuses on lending his public service expertise to our clients.

[email protected] | 651.485.1839

Ryan Spencer has over 13 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry servicing both public and private sector clients. He is proficient in the planning, management, and completion of environmental due diligence, remediation, and brownfield grant writing. 

[email protected] | 612.723.3644

In the wake of the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd, the United States Postal Service (USPS) experienced significant damage to two post offices in south Minneapolis.

WSB’s Environmental Remediation and Structures team assisted USPS with their emergency response and environmental and structural needs. Our team worked to identify and analyze any potentially harmful materials that may have been released into the environment that could pose an immediate risk to emergency responders, the public or postal workers.

Riots and protests in the area brought many U.S. Marshalls, Secret Service agents and FBI investigators to the scene. Determining the structural and environmental safety of the buildings was paramount to USPS’s emergency response. The structures were deemed a total loss and the team identified many hazardous materials caused by the fire and destruction of the buildings. USPS is currently in the process of rebuilding one of their facilities and performing environmental clean-up at both sites. Our team will continue to partner with USPS on several other environmental clean-up projects throughout the Midwest.