Brownfields Redevelopment Program
Transforming Underutilized Properties into Community Assets
Tri‑County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) is leading efforts to identify and redevelop brownfield properties across the region through a $500,000 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Community‑Wide Assessment (CWA) Grant (fiscal year [FY]2024).
This program helps communities evaluate environmental conditions, reduce redevelopment uncertainty, and return underutilized sites to productive use.
What is a Brownfield?
A brownfield is a property whose expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
These sites include, but are not exclusive to:
- Former industrial or manufacturing facilities
- Vacant commercial buildings
- Aging buildings (pre-1978; including residential and institutional buildings)
- Former dry cleaners
- Former gas stations / auto service sites
- Car washes
- Underutilized or abandoned properties
- Former rail corridors, spurs, and/or depots
- Landfills or “dump” sites
- Agricultural sites (such as orchards, greenhouses, or nurseries)
- Recreational properties (such as golf courses or shooting ranges)
Brownfield Revitalization Helps Communities
- Protect public health and the environment
- Create jobs and economic development opportunities
- Increase property values and local tax base
- Revitalize neighborhoods and commercial corridors
Case Studies of Regional Brownfield Projects
Southwest Adams Street Site
The City of Peoria received a $300,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant, $500,000 EPA Cleanup Grant, $950,000 Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Rebuild Illinois Competitive Shovel Ready Sites Grant, and ~$265,000 in Tax Increment Financing funds for the Southwest Adams Street site. The property was a former junkyard, gas station, rail storage yard, salvage yard, and used car lot, with contamination concerns that needed assessment and remediation before preparing the site for future redevelopment.
Former McKinley School
The City of Peoria received a $300,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant which was utilized to provide assessment and cleanup planning services prior to preparing the property for the “McKinley Project” consisting of 12 affordable, lease/equity-to-own, single-family homes. This was leveraged with $943,700 federal American Rescue Plan dollars for demolition/site preparation (for this project and Former Harrison School project), $945,000 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant money, $500,000 Community Project Funding grant from HUD, $500,000 in federal tax dollars, $445,000 in Home Investment Partnership funds through the Community Housing Development Organization (CDHO), and $2M state housing tax credits for the project. This project was led by City of Peoria in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
Program Overview
Through this EPA-funded program, TCRPC works with local governments, property owners, and community stakeholders to:
- Identify and prioritize redevelopment opportunities
- Conduct environmental site assessments
- Support reuse planning and redevelopment strategies
- Engage communities in shaping future land use
Grant activities focus on assessing properties and preparing them for cleanup and redevelopment.
Program Goals
- Transform blighted and underutilized properties into productive assets
- Support economic development and job creation
- Reduce environmental risk and improve community health
- Leverage local, state, and federal resources for redevelopment
- Encourage sustainable land reuse and smart growth
What Services Are Available for Eligible Sites?
Environmental Assessments
- Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs)
- Phase II Environmental Site Assessments
- Site Investigations
- Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM) / Lead-Based Paint (LBP) / Regulated Waste Inventory (RWI) / Mold Surveys
- Structural Assessments / Surveys
- Cultural and Endangered Species studies to support environmental requirements
Planning & Reuse Support
- Cleanup and redevelopment planning
- Site-specific reuse concepts
- Support for funding and grant strategies
Community Engagement
- Public meetings and stakeholder outreach
- Site inventory and prioritization
- Coordination with local and regional partners
How the Process Works
- Site Nomination & Screening
- Sites are reviewed for eligibility and redevelopment potential
- Site Assessment
- Environmental conditions are evaluated through Phase I and Phase II ESAs
- Planning & Community Input
- Reuse strategies are developed with stakeholder engagement
- Positioning for Redevelopment
- Sites are prepared for future cleanup funding and redevelopment
Site Eligibility Criteria to Utilize Grant Funds
- Site must meet the definition of a “brownfield”
- Must be within the TCRPC Target Area (within Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties)
- Site supports community revitalization goals & has reuse/redevelopment potential
- Site exhibits socioeconomic conditions that are indicative of underserved and/or distressed communities
- Applicant must not be liable for the contamination
- The applicant (or party conducting work) should not be a liable party under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ( CERCLA)
- Applicant must be able to provide / achieve site access
- Not a National Priorities List (NPL) / Superfund-listed site
- Not under active federal enforcement order
Get Involved!
Download Program Information
Learn more about eligibility, process, and program benefits.
Determine Site Eligibility
Answer a short survey to determine whether the identified site fits the eligibility criteria for utilizing grant funding.
Nominate a Brownfield Site
Property owners, municipalities, and community members are encouraged to submit sites for potential assessment.
Want more information?
Michael Bruner
mbruner@tricountyrpc.org
Phone: 309-673-9330
