Wednesday, March 11, 2015

US EPA Provides $200,000 to the City of Rochester, New York to Support Assessment, Cleanup and Reuse of Contaminated Properties





MARCH 9, 2015

NEW YORK, NY
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it is providing $200,000 to the City of Rochester, New York to create a plan for revitalizing the neighborhood impacted by the Orchard-Whitney brownfield site. This funding is part of EPA’s Brownfields Area-Wide Planning program, which helps communities develop specific strategies that integrate the cleanup and reuse of brownfields sites in larger, coordinated efforts to revitalize neighborhoods. Brownfields are properties where moderate contamination threatens environmental quality and public health and can interfere with productive reuse of the properties.

“This EPA grant in Rochester will empower the community to assess, clean up and revitalize formerly contaminated sites and their impacted neighborhoods through a locally-driven planning process,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “This comprehensive approach will help create jobs while protecting the health of area residents and improving the environment.”

The City of Rochester is partnering with Charles Settlement House and Charles House Neighbors in Action to transform the Jay Orchard Street Area Neighborhood through a strategic plan to revitalize the area. The plan will provide housing, employment and resources to the community. The study will also help leverage additional funds for site redevelopment. 

The EPA’s Brownfields Program supports states, communities, and others to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields sites. The Brownfields Area-Wide Planning program is part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities collaboration among EPA, the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. The Partnership for Sustainable Communities ensures that the agencies consider affordable housing, transportation, and environmental protection in concert to create healthier communities. 

The partnership is helping communities across the country to create affordable housing choices, make transportation more efficient and reliable, reinforce existing infrastructure investments, and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses. To date the program has leveraged approximately $418 million in infrastructure and project development investments.