Greenville Gets More Brownfields Grants
Great news for further redevelopment of Greenville’s urban core; the City has been awarded a $200,000 Brownfield grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The grant program is set up to help redevelop or reuse properties which are abandoned or underutilized because of real or perceived environmental contamination. This is the third time Greenville has been awarded such a grant.
“We have already studied about 50 properties thanks to the Brownfield Assessment Program,” said Greenville’s Economic Development Officer Carl Rees. “Because of that, we are able to move forward at a deliberate pace with complex projects like the site where the Go-Science Center will be located as well as old tobacco warehouses and other locations which will eventually be fantastic locations for businesses and attractions in Greenville.”
Greenville is fortunate to be selected to receive this EPA funding, as the Brownfield Assessment Program is a highly competitive national program. Funds will allow the City to advance Greenville’s economic development and revitalization programs at a faster pace.
While most properties that enter into the Brownfield Assessment Program are found to be free of environmental issues, the City can help property owners with contaminated properties plan for clean-up. In some cases, the City can even help identify clean-up funds through state and federal grants or low-interest loans. If the contamination happened before the current owner owned the property, then other options to pay for the clean-up exist.
Property owners interested in learning more about the City’s Brownfield program should contact the City’s Office of Economic Development at 329-4502.
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