EPA grant to provide $500,000 for brownfield redevelopment

As a candidate, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald touted strategic land use policy as a key component of economic development.

Among his promises was a pledge to make vacant land, green space and brownfields productive.

With brownfields, that can be tricky.

That"s because use of the property can be complicated by the presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants and cleaning up the property is expensive.

In June, the county won a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for brownfield redevelopment. The grant will provide money for Cuyahoga County"s Brownfield Redevelopment Fund, a revolving loan fund established to help clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances.

The county awards grants and makes low interest loans from the fund to encourage redevelopment, reduce neighborhood blight, enhance green space and create jobs.

Since 2004, it has has invested more than $3.8 million in 12 projects, leveraging over $25 million in additional project investment, according to the county.

Based on obtaining the EPA grant, we set the Fitz-O-Meter for this promise to In the Works.