EDGE–USEPA Brownfields Assessment and Revolving Loan Fund Project
In 2022, Mohawk Valley EDGE received a $300,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to inventory, assess, investigate, and develop remediation plans for brownfields across Oneida County. As of February 2023, 12 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESA) are completed with this USEPA funding and 1 Phase II is underway. Geographic reach for this project is widespread, from Sherrill to Sylvan Beach to the Village of Oriskany and City of Rome.
For more on reassessing contaminated sites and brownfields in our area, including full details from the Environmental Protection Agency, quick facts on projects, and other updates, see below.
We will update this page with relevant data and project progress on a periodic basis.
Check back soon for more design documents for the RLF!
Grant Summary for Brownfield Site Assessments, Oneida County
Oneida County has a long history of industrial and commercial uses that left behind a legacy of contamination. The goals of the EPA grant are to prioritize and assess strategic brownfield properties, return tax delinquent brownfield sites to productive use, and facilitate brownfields redevelopment. Overgrown brownfield sites and decaying structures create challenges and opportunities for stabilization and revitalization strategy, turning blight to bright developments.
What is a Brownfield?
It is a property whose expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence (or potential presence) of hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminants. Frequently, they are former industrial properties where operations may have resulted in environmental impairment.
Why redevelop Brownfields?
Redevelopment of these sites result in new public spaces, new job opportunities, new urban real estate, and, ultimately, the reversal of decades of environmental injustice. The removal of the blight, alone, is addition by subtraction; but the benefits run much deeper. Adaptive reuse of vacant, contaminated, and underutilized properties requires greater up-front investment, but also carries the most sustainable value proposition for the region – especially since these sites are in our population centers, along our waterfronts, and have proximity to abundant infrastructure and workforce. For more information on brownfields, please visit https://www.epa.gov/brownfields.
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