Brownfields Programs, Grants, Clean-Up, & More
The Lorain Port Authority is committed to revitalizing former industrial and commercial sites through brownfield assessment and cleanup. With $600,000 in EPA grant funding, we're identifying and preparing sites for redevelopment to support a cleaner, stronger community.
What is a Brownfield?
“…real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contamination.” Includes residential, commercial, industrial properties, and mine scarred lands.
EPA Grant Program
The EPA Brownfields Grant Program assesses, cleans up, and reuses contaminated properties. In 2010, Lorain received $400,000 in assessment grants for hazardous substances and petroleum, helping address 200 acres of former steel mill land and Black River contamination.
What Grants Pay For
Inventory of brownfield sites, Phase I & II site investigations, remedial action plans, and community outreach meetings.
Consider this program if you're purchasing, selling, or looking to increase the marketability of a property, or need an environmental assessment for financing.
Projects
Stoveworks
Former industrial site at 1200 Long Ave with asbestos, arsenic, lead, and groundwater contamination. Phase I and II assessments completed via USEPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant. Leveraged $1.25M assessment and $14K cleanup dollars.
Carnegie Center
Home of the Lorain Historical Society, built in 1903 with a $30,000 gift from the Andrew Carnegie Building Foundation. Environmental assessment completed to support preservation and continued community programming.
Ariel on Broadway
Former Spitzer Plaza Hotel at 301 Broadway Ave. Phase 1 assessment completed via USEPA grant. $9.1M restoration project leveraging $1.75M state redevelopment dollars for hotel, conference center, and commercial space.
United Way
Phase I assessment at 624 Broadway Avenue. Leveraged $620K redevelopment dollars, creating 11 full-time jobs plus college internships and part-time coordinators for the Free Tax Prep Coalition.
Lorain Harbor AWP
Area Wide Planning Project covering five publicly owned sites along the Black River: Pellet Terminal, Black River Landing, Boat Launch, Riverbend Commerce Park, and Former Landfill. Led by Lorain County with USEPA support.