Success Story Video: Tucson's Adaptive Reuse Miracle

The City of Tucson Arizona has a housing crisis. To help address the issue, the City formed El Pueblo Housing Development to create affordable homes. For El Pueblo's first project, the non profit developer transformed two mid century motels in disrepair and an empty plot in the Miracle Mile neighborhood into Milagro on Oracle: 63 affordable senior homes.

CCLR recently visited Tucson to film the transformation to create this success story video. See how all the pieces came together for this miracle to go from dream to reality for low-income seniors in only about two years. Watch the Video on Youtube!

Fantastic Fresno Vision-to-Action Workshop

Last week, CCLR, The City of Fresno, and the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission hosted the first in-person workshop in a series of online and in-person events promoting community visioning for the reuse of four sites in the historic Chinatown and Downtown districts in Fresno, CA. The four catalytic sites will mesh well with the upcoming development of a High Speed Rail station right between the two districts. In a fresh effort to meet the community where they’re at, the workshop boards (some pictured) will travel to various hotspots around the city to gather insights from community members who live in the area, or who may be enticed to visit!

Read more about CCLR's Vision to Action Technical Assistance in Regions 9 & 10!

Top: In-person workshop using boards and dots that will travel around Fresno to collect further community input. 

Bottom left: 832 China Alley lot and mural, one of the catalytic sites in Chinatown. 

Bottom right: The historic Crest Theater, one of the catalytic sites in Downtown.

FY26 Grantee Highlight Region 9: Unity Council, Oakland, CA

The EPA awarded The Unity Council a $1,000,000 FY26 multipurpose grant to revitalize a 10-square-mile target area in East Oakland. Focusing on Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood and the International Boulevard corridor, the funding will support environmental assessments and cleanups across multiple disadvantaged communities.

The Unity Council will use these funds to prioritize sites for future reuse, driving long-term goals that include:

• Permanently affordable housing
• Support for local businesses
• Essential social services, including child care centers
• Transit-oriented development 

Be sure to catch the Unity Council at CALRC! Aubra Levine, Vice President of Real Estate Development, will speak on September 30 at the Developer Perspectives: Delivering Affordable Housing on Brownfield Sites session. Join us at CALRC to hear from real estate development professionals with firsthand experience transforming contaminated and underutilized properties into affordable housing.

EPA Required Training for Grant Applicants and Recipients

EPA has updated the Grants Management and Grant Budget Training modules. These trainings are required for new recipients, who are defined as new applicants/recipients as an organization that never received an EPA grant before, or if the organization last received an EPA grant prior to federal fiscal year FY2015 (i.e., prior to October 1, 2014). Existing applicants and recipients are encouraged to take these updated trainings. Review RAIN-2024-G01 for more info. 

Additionally EPA’s ACRES team has published the 2026 Training scheduling, including dates for both the ‘Getting Started’ webinars and ‘The Next Level’ webinars, in addition to quarterly office hours. These training sessions are essential for helping grantees manage their grant and stay in compliance with reporting requirements.

New on CCLR’s Blog:

What Actually Makes a Brownfield Project “Shovel Ready”? Upfront and thorough environmental planning turns brownfield projects into truly "shovel-ready" successes by CCLR Consultant Sebastian Harrison. 

Cloudfields, Anyone? Balancing community needs and data center demands for reclaimed land As AI demand surges, redeveloping brownfields into "cloudfields" offers strong infrastructure and funding advantages, though local leaders must carefully balance community impacts and short facility lifecycles. Ignacio Dayrit explores the pros and cons of cloudfields.

In case you missed it:

Recordings and slides available for CCLR and RMI Brightfields Accelerator’s webinar series: Brownfields Reuse Planning for an Affordable Energy Future

CCLR is hiring a CA Senior Brownfields Revitalization Manager

Join CCLR as a Sr. Brownfields Revitalization Advisor to support grantees under DTSC's Equitable Communities Revitalization Grant (ECRG) program. This role offers flexible, project-based hours centered on deliverable-driven outcomes. Check out the full job description here.

Three weeks left to register!

2026 California Land Recycling Conference: September 29 - October 1

Crowne Plaza Foster City-San Mateo | Register Now



CALRC 2026 will convene hundreds of industry experts, community leaders and regulator agency representatives for three packed days of programming in California’s innovation capital.

Haven’t registered yet? What are you waiting for?! Here are five reasons to register today:

Learn and Lead: During 26 Sessions and 12 Topic Talks, imagine the possibilities of emerging, and reliable, cleanup technology, funding methods, community engagement, sustainability, and adaptive reuse.

Connect Across Disciplines: Collaborate with planners, environmental professionals, public health officials, housing and economic development experts, local governments, and community leaders to innovate across the full spectrum of brownfields redevelopment.

Network & Raise Visibility: Inspire the future of land recycling alongside industry professionals with a diverse range of experience.

Earn Professional Credits: CALRC sessions have been submitted for AICP Certification Maintenance credits—helping planning professionals maintain their credentials while staying current in the field.

Brownfields Karaoke: Your favorite night of singing along to your favorite adapted songs is back! This year we are hosting a special Dolly Parton tribute with brownfield versions of her favorite songs. Tickets for this event sell out fast! Secure your spot in the lineup today.

Match Maker: Demystifying the 20% Cost Share for Brownfield Grants

Tuesday, September 15 | 11a.m. PT on Zoom | Register Now

For many considering applying for cleanup and RLF brownfields grants, the 20% cost share requirement under CERCLA 104(k) feels like the most intimidating part of the application. But here’s the secret: it’s not as scary as you think! Before FY21 and the IIJA, cost share was the norm. Come ready to learn the insider approaches that turn the match from a headache into a strategic asset.

Beyond the Grant: Building Systems for Funding Readiness

Thursday, September 17 | 1:00 p.m. ET on Zoom | Register Now

Hosted by Mid Atlantic TAB and featuring speakers from Redevelopment Institute, Haley & Aldrich, and the Economic Recovery Corps, this webinar will focus on how communities can build durable redevelopment systems that position projects for grants and broader public, private and philanthropic investment.

Sierra to California All Lands Enhancement (SCALE) Conference

September 23rd & 24th | Sacramento, CA | Register Now

Join the Sierra Institute for Community & Environment’s annual conference that strengthens connections across California and amplifies collective impact in forest and watershed restoration, community resilience, and adaptive land management. CCLR consultant Sebastian Harrison will lead “Brownfield Basics, Tools and Nature-based Solutions for Community Resilience,” an interactive session highlighting real-world projects to showcase brownfield redevelopment as a tool for community development and environmental restoration.

Council of Development Finance Agencies Latino Finance Learning Series

September 22, 23, & 24, 2026 | Daily: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. ET | Learn More & Register

Join the three-part program highlighting organizations actively advancing equitable access to capital in Latino communities—and the financing strategies making that work possible. Each session will spotlight organizations across sectors including community lenders, developers, public agencies, and investment leaders.

NADO’s 2026 Annual Training Conference

October 19 - 22 | Reno, NV | Register Now

Be sure to find CCLR at our session with Kansas State University TAB! Join Fear Not – Peers to the Rescue: RDO’s KO Brownfields to advance your economic development efforts and explore the essential elements necessary for RDOs to maximize the use of brownfield resources. Plus on Monday 10/19 join the Downtown Reno Revitalization Walking Tour led by CCLR for an in-depth look at how the City of Reno is transforming underutilized, vacant, and legacy sites into vibrant economic and community assets.

Resilient California Summit

October 20-22 | Sacramento, CA| Register Now

The Summit will feature a diversity of interactive sessions aimed at fostering conversation, sparking new ideas, and giving attendees the resources and tools they need to be successful in their work and communities.

Tribal Integrated Solid Waste Management Plans (ISWMP) Course - Applications due September 11, 2026

Trainings from November 2026 - March 2027 | Location TBD | Learn More & Apply

This tuition-free course from the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), the Indian Health Service (IHS), and USEPA will help Tribal Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP) applicants produce a completed ISWMP during or within the six months following course completion. Training is required to complete the full application through the Indian Health Services. Call or email Julie Meikowski at Julie.Meikowski@nau.edu with questions.

Grow America’s Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Workshop  

December 8-9 | Clark County, NV | Register Now

FY27 is an EPA RLF grant year. RLF is a specialized financing program that provides low-interest or zero-interest loans and subgrants to support the cleanup and reuse of brownfields. Existing and prospective RLF grantees in R9 and R10 are encouraged to sign-up for this no-cost RLF workshop on December 8-9! Explore the agenda and find opportunities to learn from and connect with peers. Register to secure your spot today and book your hotel by November 16. Apply for a travel scholarship by November 9.

EPA Brownfield Job Training Grants: EPA is currently accepting applications for the FY2027 Brownfields Job Training Grant competition! Applications are due September 23, 2026 on grants.gov. Learn More about this grant and how to have CCLR review your application at https://www.cclr.org/programs/epabfjt

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) National Park Service (NPS) Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) grant program - applications due by November 1, 2026

Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Technical Assistance - Rolling Applications

US EPA Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Grants - Multiple deadlines

EDA Disaster Supplemental Grant Program — Multiple Deadlines

CA Strategic Growth Council- The Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program empowers the communities most impacted by pollution to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution. Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program - multiple grant deadlines

Arizona Finance Authority Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund finances cleanup activities at contaminated properties throughout Arizona. The program offers low-interest loans to return brownfields properties to productive reuse.

Resource Portal for FY2027 EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant Applications 

Grow America’s new application resource hub is a central source for RLF grant resources, successful application examples, and an opportunity to have draft applications reviewed.

Centering public health in brownfields reuse can improve community health, promote a healthier workforce, and improve community satisfaction. View this EPA Spanish and English Visual Resource: A Healthier Place to Live

The Tribal Funding Registry (TFR) is a free, Native-led platform designed to help Tribal Nations and Native-led nonprofits identify and pursue funding opportunities. Join and learn more here.

Beyond Federal Funding: Environmental Protection Network

This monthly bulletin highlights funding opportunities across national, regional and state sources.