The Oklahoma City Council approved a $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June to remediate properties with environmental contaminants like asbestos or mold. The project will last four years.
Brownfields are typically more challenging to develop than other sites because of the contaminants, requiring extra care and oversight. Abandoned parking lots, warehouses or other industrial facilities can pose environmental risks to the surrounding community, according to the Environmental Law Institute.
In a news release, officials said they plan to focus on the area south of NE 8th Street, the NE 23rd and Martin Luther King corridor, and the Core to Shore Area.
"This EPA grant will allow us to continue our efforts in revitalizing key areas of our city and ensuring a safer, healthier environment for our residents," Amanda Alewine, a senior city planner with a focus on brownfields, said.
The federal program was launched in the 1990s to address thousands of brownfield sites in the U.S. In Oklahoma City, the development projects have resulted in spaces like the First National Center, Scissortail Park and Oklahoma City Community College in Capitol Hill.
About $15 million, which includes the new grant, has been invested in the city’s brownfield remediation projects, the release states.
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