Matt Buchanan, Economic Development Specialist; MatthewBu@GreenBayWI.gov; 920-448-3396
Celestine Jeffreys, Chief of Staff, CelestineJe@greenbaywi.gov; 920-448-3006
Green Bay receives $800,000 in EPA Grants for Brownfields Redevelopment
(Green Bay, WI) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected Green Bay to receive two grants, totaling $800,000, for brownfield site revitalization. With these grant funds, the City can redevelop vacant and unused properties, transforming neighborhoods and the local economy.
The Green Bay Redevelopment Authority has received a $500,000 grant to clean-up the city’s Shipyard property. The grant is part of a $1.2 million remediation effort to cap soils, with low levels of contamination, and make the property safe for reuse. The Shipyard site promises to be a prominent destination in the upper Midwest. The vacant site was once a center for rail and water transport of raw materials, but will soon be dramatically transformed into a destination for recreation, tourism and commerce.
In addition to the $500,000 grant, the City of Green Bay received a $300,000 Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grant to determine if properties targeted for redevelopment have low levels of contamination, which could halt progress. Assessments are a critical part of the redevelopment process because even low levels of contamination can prevent a site from being sold or reused. Green Bay plans to focus this work at sites on or near Broadway, Velp Avenue, and University Avenue.
“Both the City and Redevelopment Authority of Green Bay are honored that the EPA will be continuing to invest in the revitalization of our community,” said Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich. “With EPA’s assistance, we have turned our most challenged sites into some of our greatest assets, encouraging greater levels of private investment and improving quality of life for our residents. With this continued support, we can move forward with the $18 million redevelopment of Green Bay’s 15-acre Shipyard site—a project that will create over 100 jobs, provide many unique public recreational amenities, and is expected to stimulate an additional $30 million in increased area property values over the next decade.”
A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. Green Bay has achieved great success with its previous brownfield grants. Redevelopment at sites assessed and cleaned up in the downtown and Rail Yard areas have contributed to private investments of over $125 million and creation of over 1,600 jobs.
For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields.
###