Funding
Shenandoah County fully anticipates the need to secure additional funding and assistance for assessment, revitalization, and redevelopment of the identified target areas and sites.
The following resources have been identified for the various stages of development that can be applied to the identified priority sites.
Federal Grants
US EPA Cleanup Grants provide funding for eligible entities to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites. An applicant must own the site for which it is requesting funding. An applicant may request up to $500,000, up to $1 million, or up to $2 million to address one brownfield site, or multiple brownfield sites.
Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants provide funding for a grant recipient to capitalize a revolving loan fund and to provide loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites. Through these grants, EPA strengthens the marketplace and encourages stakeholders to leverage resources to clean up and redevelop brownfields. When loans are repaid, the loan amount is returned to the fund and re-lent to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community. A RLF Grant applicant may apply for up to $1,000,000.
A Multipurpose (MP) Grant is appropriate for communities that have identified, through community engagement efforts, a discrete area (such as a neighborhood, a number of neighboring towns, a district, a corridor, a shared planning area or a census tract) with one or more brownfield sites. The target area may not include communities that are located in distinctly different geographic areas.
Multipurpose Grant funds provide funding for communities to carry out a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities, including planning and additional community engagement activities. An applicant can apply for up to $1,000,000.
The Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants allow nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfield sites. Through the JT Program, graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, and petroleum products within the larger environmental field, including sustainable cleanup and reuse, and chemical safety. These green jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program supports community development activities to build stronger and more resilient communities. Activities may address needs such as infrastructure, economic development projects, public facilities installation, community centers, housing rehabilitation, public services, clearance/acquisition, microenterprise assistance, code enforcement, homeowner assistance, etc. Shenandoah County has previous experience utilizing this grant for various revitalization efforts for affordable housing and community centers.
State Grants
Provides funds of up to $500,000 for assessment and remediation of brownfield sites. EPA Brownfields funds can be used as a match for the VBAF funds. Shenandoah County has secured VBAF funding previously for a former bank building.
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is a federal 80-20 matching reimbursement program for building and rehabilitating trails and trail-related facilities. The Federal Highway Administration and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds make the program possible and mandate allocations to non-motorized, diversified and motorized trail categories.
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Funding may be awarded to city, county, town or other government entities. Registered nonprofit groups partnered with a government body also are eligible. The Recreational Trails Program and Virginia Recreational Trails Program Advisory Committee steer project selections after a competitive call for applications.
The Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF), administered through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHUCD) leverages local and private resources to achieve market-driven redevelopment of vacant and deteriorated industrial and commercial properties. The program is targeted toward vacant non-residential structures whose poor condition creates physical and economic blight to the surrounding area in which the structure is located. Eligible properties include those formerly used for manufacturing, warehousing, mining, transportation and power production, as well as large-scale white elephant structures, such as department stores, theaters, hotels and shopping centers.
For additional information regarding Shenandoah County's Brownfield Program, please contact:
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