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Garland, Greenville and Houston to Receive $800,000 in EPA Grants for Redevelopment

Release Date: 6/20/2003
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

      Three Texas communities will receive grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote redevelopment of "brownfields" sites -- places where environmental contamination or the perception of contamination has complicated redevelopment opportunities, EPA announced today.

      EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene said, "These federal grants are among the first nationwide to be awarded under the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act signed by President Bush.  The landmark legislation is helping communities across our states transform neighborhood eyesores into community assets.  At EPA, we recognize that cleanup is an important first step to making these abandoned properties available to the community, to provide jobs, needed tax revenues and recreational benefits that were not there before.  Brownfields restoration is a win-win for everyone."

      Garland will use its $200,000 grant to assess sites in the eastern and southwestern portions of the city and develop an inventory of known and potential brownfields properties.  

      Greenville will use its $400,000 grant to assess both hazardous and petroleum substances.  Greenville is building on its existing brownfields work; the city has completed an inventory of sites in six targeted areas and leveraged $500,000 in redevelopment funds in less than two years.

      In Houston, the Jefferson Davis Artist Lofts will use its $200,000 grant to remove petroleum substances, continuing a renovation of a historic hospital building into loft style living and working space.  The Jefferson Davis Artist Lofts has leveraged $1.5 million towards the project and established several partnerships, including one with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

      EPA's brownfields program also funds state and local governments through cleanup revolving loan fund pilots and job training pilots. These programs provide states, tribes, municipalities and communities useful information and strategies to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties.

      More information about EPA's brownfields program is available at https://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/index.html.