What are Brownfields?

Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized properties where reuse is complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination. The spaces may include sites contaminated by hazardous substances, petroleum or mine-scarred land.

Criteria 

Properties must fit all three criteria to be considered Brownfields:

  • It is an underused commercial or industrial site.
  • It has redevelopment potential.
  • The site’s redevelopment potential is complicated by known or perceived contamination from a hazardous substance as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).   

Examples

Brownfields could be:

  • Schools
  • Fire Departments 
  • Hospitals 
  • Dry Cleaners 
  • Older Commercial Buildings
  • Hotels & Motels 

Community Effects

ADEQ recognizes the impact these Brownfields can have on a community, particularly properties with unresolved environmental issues. Brownfields are often abandoned, with owners no longer maintaining the space or paying taxes. Abandoned properties can quickly become local blights and may attract vandalism and illegal dumping. They degrade the environment, depress communities and potentially put human health at risk.

Brownfields Revitalization Benefits

Revitalizing Brownfields involves transforming these properties into something new, from neighborhood parks to commercial or retail spaces. Redeveloping Brownfields has the potential to reduce environmental hazards, create new business opportunities, increase tax revenue and restore blighted areas to productive use. Redevelopment may also prove less expensive than construction on previously undeveloped land because they typically have favorable locations (near potential markets and labor) and infrastructure already in place.

Brownfields Assistance Program

Local Governments, non-profits, Tribes and hospital, school, police and fire districts may apply for funding through ADEQ’s Brownfields Assistance Program. Each fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides funding under a State Response Grant for Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments, Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Surveys and Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Abatements.
 

To learn more or apply for the program, call 602-771-2296.

Brownfields State Response Grant Application | Download >

 

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Revised On: Nov. 13, 2023 - 8:00 a.m.

Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized properties where reuse is complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination. The spaces may include sites contaminated by hazardous substances, petroleum or mine-scarred land.

Criteria 

Properties must fit all three criteria to be considered Brownfields:

• It is an underused commercial or industrial site.

• It has redevelopment potential.

• The site’s redevelopment potential is complicated by known or perceived contamination from a hazardous substance as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).   

Examples

Brownfields could be:

• Schools

• Fire Departments 

• Hospitals 

• Dry Cleaners 

• Older Commercial Buildings

• Hotels & Motels 

Community Effects

ADEQ recognizes the impact these Brownfields can have on a community, particularly properties with unresolved environmental issues. Brownfields are often abandoned, with owners no longer maintaining the space or paying taxes. Abandoned properties can quickly become local blights and may attract vandalism and illegal dumping. They degrade the environment, depress communities and potentially put human health at risk.

Brownfields Revitalization Benefits

Revitalizing Brownfields involves transforming these properties into something new, from neighborhood parks to commercial or retail spaces. Redeveloping Brownfields has the potential to reduce environmental hazards, create new business opportunities, increase tax revenue and restore blighted areas to productive use. Redevelopment may also prove less expensive than construction on previously undeveloped land because they typically have favorable locations (near potential markets and labor) and infrastructure already in place.

Brownfields Assistance Program

Local Governments, non-profits, Tribes and hospital, school, police and fire districts may apply for funding through ADEQ’s Brownfields Assistance Program. Each fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides funding under a State Response Grant for Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments, Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Surveys and Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Abatements.

To learn more or apply for the program, call 602-771-2296.

Brownfields State Response Grant Application | Download >

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