Welcome to the Virginia DEQ's Brownfields/Land Renewal homepage. Virginia DEQ is helping to turn contaminated properties back to productive use. We encourage you to learn more about our program, and how we can assist you, by cli
cking any of the text links. And please feel free to contact us directly with any of your comments or questions. Thank you for your interest in our program.
§ 10.1-1231. Brownfield Restoration and Land Renewal Policy and Programs
It shall be the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage remediation and restoration of brownfields by removing barriers and providing incentives and assistance whenever possible. The Department of Environmental Quality and the Economic Development Partnership and other appropriate agencies shall establish policies and programs to implement these policies, including a Voluntary Remediation Program, the Brownfields Restoration and Redevelopment Fund, and other measures as may be appropriate.
Virginia's Brownfields Restoration Fund for FY2012
The General Assembly has allocated $1 million for FY 12 to be used for the purpose of promoting the restoration and redevelopment of brownfield sites and to address environmental problems or obstacles to reuse so that these sites can be effectively marketed to new economic development prospects. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) shall direct the distribution of loans or grants from the Fund to VBAF grant recipients, in consultation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and based upon the procedures set forth in these Guidelines. Please refer to the Guidelines for further information.
It is expected that all awards will be made as grants to political subdivisions, including counties, cities, towns, industrial/economic development authorities and redevelopment and housing authorities . The maximum allowable grant request will be $50,000. Requests for additional moneys, however, will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will be dependent on the amount of money remaining in the VBAF. There is a local match requirement, which is discussed on page 2. Applications will be due on September 30, 2011 by 4:30 p.m. EDT. Recipients will have until December 31, 2012 to complete their proposed projects.
For questions, please contact Meade Anderson with DEQ j.meade.anderson@deq.virginia.gov
804-698-4179 or Rob McClintock with VEDP rmcclintock@yesvirginia.org 804-545-5772
The Final Brownfields Manual is now available in pdf or Word format. DEQ's goal in implementing the Brownfields Program is to make our innovative and business oriented provisions substantive, user friendly, and timely. The manual presents definitions, frequently asked questions, and flowcharts to help you to quickly and easily self assess the applicability of the amnesty and limited liability provisions for your project. DEQ understands that, in redevelopment, time is money and you need a high level of confidence going forward towards your project goals. We want you to be successful towards that end and are available to assist you in answering your questions and discussing projects. In addition, the Brownfield Site Environmental Summary is available in Word format to be included with any request for an amnesty or liability comfort letter including a bona fide prospective purchaser request (BFPP). Please contact Meade Anderson at (804) 698-4179 for assistance.
Low interest loans for brownfield cleanups are now available through the Virginia DEQ. It is often times advantageous for communities to leverage funding to prepare a redevelopment site for marketing and/or reuse. These loans, never before available in Virginia, are offerred at very attractive rates.Virginia also offers low interest loans for remediation projects through the Virginia Resources Authority.
Presentations From Brownfields Conference in Hampton on March 1, 2012
Following are the presentations from the Brownfields Conference in Hampton on March 1, 2012. This event was the fourth in the series of conferences which have been held in different locations around the state. We were lucky to have the City of Hampton to offer to host the event in one of their office buildings and many other individuals to join us including consultants and representatives of the EPA, all of who provided presentations on their work. A location for the next conference has not been selected but will be announced as soon as a date and location are chosen.
Presentations From Brownfields Conference in Harrisonburg on March 10, 2011
Our goal in developing these regional events was to hold conferences around the state in areas which may be in need of brownfields and land revitalization guidance or assistance. We planned the events in an economical manner to minimize costs and to keep planning as streamlined as possible and we think we accomplished those goals yet were able to provide high quality forums for dissemination of information. (And a tremendous part of the success goes to the speaker and others who partnered with us.) Unless there is a strong push in another direction we would prefer to keep a similar form with regional day long events. However we realize these events are to help the public and want to focus on the needs of the various areas around Virginia.