SAN DIEGO–The San Diego Redevelopment Agency was awarded a $400,000 grant from the EPA to inventory, assess, and conduct planning efforts related to brownfield sites in collaboration with the affected communities. A brownfield site is generally defined as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or perceived presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants and/or petroleum products due to current or previous land uses.
The Agency submitted a grant application in partnership with SEDC, the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation and Price Charities under the program detailed above with the intent to focus on sites that are owned by these entities and other suitable sites in collaboration with willing property owners. From a geographic perspective, the project partners intend to focus on sites within City Heights (commercial corridors along El Cajon and University), the Village at Market Creek (along the Euclid Avenue/Market Street Corridor), and other sections of southeastern San Diego.
While brownfields are frequently found in older urban areas, these sites were chosen because of their particular fit to the goals of the EPA Brownfield Assessment Program. The goal of the project partners is to advance plans to put under-utilized, untended properties back into productive use and strengthen the local economies of these areas.
