The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has drafted new guidance on developing a Response Action Plan (RAP) for properties enrolled in the MPCA's Brownfield Programs (Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup and Petroleum Brownfields programs). To view the draft RAP guidance click here.  Comments are requested by Friday, June 14. Please email comments to Hans Neve.  

Governor Dayton signed both the Omnibus Tax bill (HF677), which included the reinstatement of the Environmental Response Funds (ERF) for Hennepin and Ramsey Counties with a 15-year sunset. Previous sunset provisions were for five years. The ERF programs fund assessment and cleanup of contaminated sites. Hennepin and Ramsey County staff as well as Minnesota Brownfields thank all of you whose efforts made a difference in the passage of these bills. 

Redevelopment Grant Program 

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) was awarded $6 million in General Funds for its Redevelopment Grant program. This is a big win for the program for 2 reasons: 1)  This program has been funded with bond proceeds, which limit use of funds to public projects and infrastructure.  2) These funds can also be used to award Demolition Loans for projects where a community has a need to demolish buildings which are causing health and safety issues and hindering future development. For its May grant round, DEED received a total of 13 applications statewide, with requests totaling over $5.3 million.  DEED is hosting the following workshops this summer on the Redevelopment Grant and Demo Loan Programs: 

 

Thursday, June 20                                      Friday, June 21

9 a.m.to 11:00 a.m.                                    10:30 a.m. to noon
City Hall                                                     City Offices - 222 2nd St. SE

20195 Holyoke Ave.                                    Wadena, MN  56482

Lakeville, MN  55044

 

For more perspective on the 2013 Legislative Session and its implications for brownfield cleanup and redevelopment, plan to attend our State of Brownfields Update event on July 17th. Program content and registration will be available soon. 

 

 

1515 Central Avenue Open for Business 

A celebration was recently held for the opening of one of Hillcrest Development's latest rehab projects at 1515 Central Avenue in NE Minneapolis. The project, which received brownfield funding from DEED, Metropolitan Council, and Hennepin County's Environmental Response Fund, has approximately 71,000 s.f. of office/warehouse space and is 100% leased. Tenants are: Anagram International (Party City), IVDesk, Barometer IT, and James Dayton Design. Learn more here. (Photo courtesy of Hillcrest Development).  

 

 

Health Impact Assessments & Brownfields in the News  

The City of Duluth will conduct a health impact assessment (HIA) in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health to explore the potential health impacts of the Gary/New Duluth Small Area Plan. HIA is a tool used to identify and address the potential health benefits and health risks of a decision made in a field outside the health sector. The Gary/New Duluth neighborhood is situated adjacent to a landfill and the US Steel Plant Duluth Works site, a federal Superfund site. "Because the Gary/New Duluth Neighborhood is located between US Steel superfund site and a major land fill, our significant health concerns are based on past pollution as well as the redevelopment of other adjacent industrial property. This grant will facilitate our ability to incorporate and mitigate the impacts of the recommendations from the Small Area Plan on the health of the neighborhood residents" said Keith Hamre, Director of Duluth's Department of Planning and Construction Services.