Title
Apply For, Accept, Disburse Funds and Enter into Agreements for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Multipurpose Grant (Ordinance S-52560) - Districts 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8
Description
Request approval for the City Manager, or his designee, for the City of Phoenix Office of Environmental Programs (OEP) to submit a grant application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a $1,000,000 Brownfields Multipurpose grant and, if awarded, to execute all contracts and Memorandums of Agreement (MOA) necessary to accept and disburse the grant funds. Further request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept, and for the City Controller to disburse, grant funds in accordance with the terms of the aforementioned grant and agreement.
Report
Summary
The EPA Brownfields program provides grants to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. The goal of the program is to put underused and abandoned properties with contamination, or the perception of contamination, back into productive use. This multipurpose grant would provide $1,000,000 in funding for environmental assessments for the private sector and City-owned properties and remediation for City-owned properties within one-mile of the Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) corridor, with priority given to the Metro District, South Central and Capitol Extension corridors and sites located in the remaining corridor as the fourth priority. This corridor, spanning the current and projected light-rail expansion, serves as a gateway for redevelopment opportunities. For years, the City of Phoenix has worked to expand the light rail, bringing public transit options to many areas of the City, reducing the number of single occupancy vehicle trips and, subsequently, air pollution, while providing transit options to those who lack reliable transportation, and furthering the goals of walkable, sustainable neighborhoods.
Within the City of Phoenix TOC project boundaries, there are properties that are challenged with environmental conditions that prohibit redevelopment. These grant funds will assist in determining both the extent of environmental challenges and remediating City-owned properties with known environmental contamination. Funds may be used for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESA), which are site investigations and searches of historical records and current databases for indicators of potential environmental contamination, and Phase II ESAs, which usually involve conducting soil, soil vapor, or groundwater testing to investigate any environmental concerns identified during the Phase I ESA. Funds can also be used for soil and groundwater remediation, reuse strategy and revitalization planning of City-owned brownfield sites.
These funds will allow the City of Phoenix to continue to work towards redevelopment of sites within the TOC corridors. Thus, empowering the City of Phoenix to make informed decisions on future end uses in line with TOC priorities including affordable housing options, while leveraging private partnerships. According to Valley Metro, since the inception of the first light rail line which opened in 2008, more than $20 billion in capital investments in real estate and various development projects have been spent along the light rail line; this includes 583 separate developments within a half mile of the light rail lines.
Currently, OEP’s Brownfields Land Recycling Program manages the General Obligation (GO) Brownfields Bond funds and the EPA grant funded Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Program. This Brownfields Multipurpose Grant will provide additional funding to support cleanup and redevelopment efforts from 2026 through 2031.
The grant application deadline is January 28, 2026. Award of funds is anticipated in Spring 2026, with funding available in October 2026.
Contract Term
The grant and any resulting contracts or MOAs are for five years.
Financial Impact
No match or General Fund monies are required for this grant.
Location
Council Districts: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Ginger Spencer and the Office of Environmental Programs.