(Lenexa, Kan., May 6, 2020) – Officials with the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) said Wednesday, that the city of Council Bluffs was selected to receive a $300,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant by the EPA, to conduct environmental site assessments, cleanup planning and community outreach activities in the city.  The funds are designed to aid under-served and economically disadvantaged communities, including neighborhoods located in Opportunity Zones, in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investment, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment.

City officials will use the $300,000 grant to conduct 23 environmental site assessments. Grant funds will also be used to inventory brownfield sites, develop two site-specific cleanup plans, and support community outreach and reuse planning activities. Assessment activities will focus on the city’s South Expressway Corridor, part of a Qualified Opportunity Zone. Areas with priority sites include the Arts and Cultural District, 16th Avenue area west of the South Expressway and Iowa Highway 275 area north of Lake Manawa.

Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh said “We are thankful for EPA’s generous grant support, which will enable Council Bluffs to identify and assess brownfield sites for potential redevelopment in our south end area. In the past, the City has utilized EPA funding to assess over 20 properties, which led to three contaminated site cleanups.”

“Of the sites assessed and cleaned up,” Walsh said “Eleven have been redeveloped or are in the process of redevelopment including the Harvester Lofts, the Hoff Center and the West Broadway Corridor. This grant award will continue our efforts to identify potential hazards, prepare for remediation and create new development opportunities within Council Bluffs.”

Brownfields grants have been shown to: Increase Local Tax Revenue and Increase Residential Property Values. For more information on Brownfields grants, visit: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding