The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Association of Bay Area Governments will receive a $600,000 grant to support brownfields assessments in the cities of Richmond and El Cerrito, and in North Richmond in Contra Costa County. ABAG sought the EPA grant to support revitalization in communities in the East Bay Corridors Initiative that are reinvesting to improve health and access to opportunities in identified areas near transit. EPA funding will directly support the goals of the East Bay Corridors Initiative by focusing on a network of transit corridors, greenways, and adjacent industrial areas identified as Priority Development Areas - transit-rich places planned for mixed-income housing, commercial development, and local services. The EPA grant will fund environmental site assessments to confirm or remove suspicion of contamination on land with the potential for new housing and job-creating businesses. The long-term goal is to help local governments redevelop vacant and unused properties and to revitalize communities and local economies. EPA grant-funded assessments are expected to begin mid-2017.
This is the second brownfields grant awarded to ABAG to support the East Bay Corridors Initiative. The first grant was awarded in 2016 for sites in Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, and Alameda County.
In 2015, jurisdictions between Rodeo in the north and Fremont in the south created the East Bay Corridors Initiative. The Initiative is a collaborative platform to address shared challenges and opportunities that cross jurisdictional boundaries. These range from housing affordability to access to opportunities, improved public spaces, and resilience in the face of natural disasters. The Initiative is also a forum for prioritizing common needs and pursuing much-needed funding.
For more information, contact Mark Shorett at marks@abag.ca.gov.