Funding Available to Evaluate Brownfields, Kick-off Meeting Announced - MORPC

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July 16, 2020

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission $600,000 to distribute to eligible brownfield sites in Central Ohio.

A brownfield is a property where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse is complicated because the site may contain a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Through the grant, all brownfield properties within the 15-county region are eligible to apply for funds to assess such sites.

“As Central Ohio grows to 3 million people by 2050, many of our communities are taking advantage of existing land and infrastructure. But redevelopment often starts with a need to assess contaminated sites, and that’s what this grant will allow us to do.”

MORPC Transportation & Infrastructure Development Director Thea Ewing

Grants awarded by the EPA’s Brownfields Program provide communities across the country with an opportunity to transform these sites into community assets that attract jobs and achieve broader economic development outcomes. MORPC partnered with the Central Ohio Transportation Authority and Franklin County to apply for the grant funding.

The funding, in part, stems from the insight2050 Corridor Concepts study, which looked closely at the impacts of various development patterns, as well as the relationship between corridors and various types of high-capacity transit technologies. The study was completed in 2019.

Three areas of focus mentioned in the EPA press release announcing the grant funding include: Hilltop in the West Broad Corridor; Linden in the Northeast Corridor; and Rickenbacker in the Southeast Corridor. It highlighted that all three target areas lie within Qualified Opportunity Zones.

“It was exciting for MORPC to receive the EPA grant, and we’ve worked quickly to develop a process so that local entities across the region – public, private, and non-profit – can quickly apply and receive some of the funds.”

MORPC Associate Planner Tobi Otulana

The site selection process will be determined by the Technical Assistance Working Group, comprised of public agencies that represent regional interests.

Those interested in applying for the funding are invited to participate in a virtual Brownfields Grant Program kick-off meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 3, 2020.

To connect to the kick-off meeting, use the following information:

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
+1 614-362-3056   United States, Columbus (Toll)
(888) 596-2819   United States (Toll-free)
Conference ID: 533 729 541#

Instructions for joining Microsoft Teams

For more information on the U.S. EPA Brownfields Grant Program, visit morpc.org/brownfields or contact Tobi Otulana at totulana@morpc.org or 614.233.4219.