Brownfields Program
The overall objective of the City’s brownfields program is to promote economic development. By working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission and other stakeholders, the City will be able to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Brownfields Site Assessment Grant
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency selected the City of Plant City for two community-wide brownfields assessment grants: $200,000 for hazardous substances and $200,000 for petroleum. Brownfield assessments allowed the city to identify contaminated areas, determine appropriate site reuse, and provide leverage needed to attract private investment for redevelopment projects.
The targeted Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) covers almost half of the city's acreage and is estimated to contain at least 20 brownfields. These old, deteriorating, and vacant sites include closed automobile service stations, dry cleaners, lumber yards, and fertilizer distribution facilities. Brownfield assessments allowed the city to identify contaminated areas, determine appropriate site reuse, and provide leverage needed to attract private investment for redevelopment projects. Grant funds were used to develop an inventory of sites, conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments of properties in the CRA, and support community outreach activities.
The minimum requirement for assessment of targeted sites are a reasonable plan for redevelopment based upon the following priorities: 1) job creation and 2) gateway properties. Bonus points are given for City-owned properties and sites owned or under contract by the prospective user.
Village Green Park
Village Green Park is a phytoremediation project which utilized vegetation to continue the cleanup process of sites affected by groundwater contamination. In ddition to trees and flowering plants, the park includes a fountain as the center piece of a traditional "Town Center" park.
