Greenwood wins $500,000 EPA brownfield assessment grant; council suspends rules to expedite approval

The Greenwood Common Council unanimously approved Resolution 25-20 on Nov. 3 to accept a $500,000 Brownfield Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and suspended the rules to expedite the award.

Staff member David Nelson told the council the city was notified by the EPA that it had been approved for the four-year grant (program period Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2029). Nelson said the grant requires no local match and is intended to fund environmental planning and assessment work — specifically Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments — market and reuse studies, property profiles and public outreach to help prepare potentially contaminated or underutilized properties for redevelopment.

"This grant does not require a matching agreement," Nelson said in the meeting. He added the assessment work typically reduces barriers for private redevelopment and that the city expects a positive return on investment if the assessments help bring sites to market.

Council voted to suspend the rules for expedited consideration and then approved the resolution on recorded votes (suspension and both readings recorded as 8–0 in the meeting record). During the discussion council members asked about how many sites and the geographic coverage; staff indicated there is a list of 18 potential sites and that the city can provide census-tract or block information to council members.

Nelson said the grant-funded work will include outreach to private landowners and that completion of Phase I/II work can help unlock private investment. The council instructed staff to proceed with next steps, including preparing any required requests for proposals and a public-engagement plan.