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Regional brownfields assessment grant offers up to $1 million for eligible sites; Mid-Columbia EDD seeks site nominations
Summary
Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MakED) described a $1 million EPA-funded brownfields assessment coalition grant available through September 2027 for eligible public or private properties across a five-county region; the advisory committee will prioritize projects that enable housing and industrial redevelopment.
Lindsay McClure, project manager with the Mid‑Columbia Economic Development District (MakED), briefed the Goldendale City Council on Jan. 6 about a new coalition brownfields assessment grant MakED received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
McClure said the coalition — which covers five counties in the Mid‑Columbia region — has $1,000,000 available and can use the funds for environmental assessments (Phase I/II), regulated materials surveys, conceptual reuse planning and regional planning work; funds cannot be used for cleanup. “The funds are meant to find out more about whether or not a property has contamination,” McClure said.
MakED assembled an advisory committee with representatives from the coalition counties and a nonprofit partner; the committee will review site nomination forms and decide which properties to move forward for EPA approval. McClure said both publicly and privately owned properties are eligible, and MakED has done procurement work on behalf of property owners: the district already retained Stantec as the environmental consultant so owners do not need to procure consultants or pay costs up front. Work requires an access agreement with the owner after approval.
McClure listed coalition priorities: facilitate attainable housing and multifamily rental development, remove environmental barriers on employment/industrial lands, align with MakED’s regional economic strategy and local community goals. She gave a case example from a different community where funds paid for a Phase I, a regulated building materials survey and conceptual floor plans to convert upper floors into housing in a downtown building.
Several council members asked whether hospital or city-owned properties could be nominated; McClure said MakED wants nominations and that the advisory committee seeks to get to “yes” on projects that fit the priorities. She emphasized the program’s flexibility and encouraged property owners or local partners to complete the two-page nomination form on MakED’s webpage; nominations will be reviewed by the advisory committee and then submitted to EPA for approval.
Ending: McClure invited property owners or local stakeholders to contact MakED for the nomination form and said the grant funds must be spent by September 2027.
