This article was originally published prior to the founding of Eocene and the information included here represents events and news that occurred under our company subsidiaries.
October 12, 2021
Communities across the country continue to face the challenge of how to bring new life into vacant, blighted, or underutilized buildings. While there is no magic wand to bring these buildings back to their former glory, there is an established process that has proven successful.
- Establish a Project Team of Stakeholders
- The team should be made up of property owners, local government, planners, economic groups, community members, neighborhood groups, financial groups, developers, and environmental consultants.
- Develop a Plan for Redevelopment
- Create a reuse vision that is exciting, realistic, identifies potential environmental concerns, and has community buy-in. Remember these buildings may contain lead-based paint and asbestos that must be handled properly.
- Remove Barriers to Redevelopment
- Identify and clean up any environmental contaminants. During this step, it is also critical to identify potential funding sources for the redevelopment.
- Construction
- The most exciting part of the redevelopment process, as it provides visible signs that the building is being transformed. Remember to keep all stakeholders engaged through the construction process.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Grant provides funding for communities to inventory properties, perform redevelopment planning, conduct environmental assessments, and community outreach activities.
Ready to get started? Contact Eocene to see how we can assist with your project!