Brownfields

Background information on Brownfield Program at PTCOG

$200,000 EPA GRANT AWARDED TO PIEDMONT TRIAD COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

Greensboro, May 15, 2006 -- EPA has selected the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) for a $200,000 brownfields site assessment and inventory grant for hazard substances which will be used to conduct community involvement activities, brownfield site inventories, market studies, and selected Phase I environmental site assessments.  These activities will be focused in three cities in the PTCOG region:  Lexington, Eden, and Reidsville.  

The PTCOG is a voluntary membership association of 42 local governments serving seven Piedmont counties -- Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph, and Rockingham Counties.  

Like many smaller cities in the region, Lexington, Eden, and Reidsville have suffered job losses, higher unemployment, reduced tax revenues as a result of the decline of manufacturing industries and plant closings.  The poverty rates in the three target cities range from 11.6 to 21.2 percent. Eden alone lost almost 3,000 jobs from 1990 to 2000. The City of Lexington contains about 20 abandoned manufacturing plants, many next to or in the heart of low-income or minority neighborhoods. Brownfields negatively affect neighborhoods in these three cities by attracting illicit activity and inhibiting new economic growth.  

A brownfield site is abandoned, underutilized or idle real property in which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be hindered because of perceived or actual environmental contamination. The hindrance comes from the fact that it is very difficult to obtain loans for redevelopment on these properties because they come with potential environmental cleanup liability.

The goal of the PTCOG Brownfield Program is to inventory the brownfield sites, assess the market potential for redevelopment, and conduct Phase 1 assessments on selected sites.  These activities will provide crucial information for developers, and facilitate NC Brownfield Program agreements which provide both the site-specific actions necessary to make the site suitable for reuse and the covenant not-to-sue once these actions are complete. 

This process will allow for redevelopment in accordance with each city’s growth management and land use plans. Brownfields redevelopment will attract capital investments that will create jobs, contribute to the tax base, and improve the quality of life for area residents.

"The Brownfields Program puts both property and people back to work," EPA Administrator Steve Johnson said. "These grants help communities across America convert eyesores into engines of economic rebirth."

This program and redevelopment effort is fully supported by local and regional economic development agencies.  Local chambers of commerce are standing by to help facilitate the process of site identification, and determine marketability, redevelopment potential and expressed market interest of sites.   

This site assessment and inventory is a crucial step toward redevelopment and economic stimulus for these cities and the Piedmont Triad region. 

Grant Proposal:  To view the grant proposal submitted to EPA, click here.