Melissa Owen

Community Meeting Schedule for EPA grants

Melissa Owen, Project Planner, No Phone Number Available

Monday, February 22, 2016 at 11:19 a.m.

Community Meeting Schedule for EPA grants

The City of Spokane was recently selected as the recipient of two Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants slated to assist in the revitalization of THE YARD in Hillyard. The first of three joint Area Wide Planning (AWP) and Community Wide Assessment (CWA) public meetings is schedule for March 16th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Servpro Northeast (5402 Julia Street, Unit B).

The EPA's AWP Program and assists communities in responding to local brownfields challenges. The AWP planning work builds on previous planning efforts and studies; however, the AWP will provide more specific recommendations on key issues than previous efforts. More specifically the AWP will establish:

  • Priority projects to promote economic development;
  • A long-term framework for improving street and infrastructure in The YARD;
  • Critical, short-term street and infrastructure projects that are ready to go to design and then construction;
  • Recommendations to remove regulatory barriers to development in THE YARD;
  • Strategies to retain and expand existing businesses and recruit new firms; and
  • Funding strategies for implementing priority development and infrastructure projects. 

EPA's CWA grants will be used to conduct eight Phase I and three Phase II  environmental site assessments through fall 2018. Assessments are a critical step toward revitalization of THE YARD as assessments are often required in commercial property transactions and can increase developer appeal by either identifying contamination or reducing uncertainty related to past uses and existing conditions. Assessment and clean-up activities don't just benefit individual property owners: The community at large also wins. Assessment and clean-up provide an environment ready to create and sustain family wage jobs and economic prosperity and make neighborhoods safer and healthier by contributing to environmental restoration.

Community participation in the planning and assessment process is essential to the success of both grant projects which aim to provide the conditions conducive to job growth and creation, quality of life improvements, and an improved environment in northeast Spokane. The March 16th meeting will function as an open house with great opportunity for attendees to ask questions of the project consultants and to voice their opinions. Objectives for this first meeting include:

  • Introducing community stakeholders to the Area-Wide Planning and Community-Wide Assessment effort;
  • Sharing preliminary information on properties identified as catalysts for revitalization;
  • Soliciting community input on identified goals and objectives for Area-Wide Plan;
  • Gathering input on potential public improvements including roads and utilities; and,
  • Informing the community about technical support available for environmental site assessments.

To learn more visit the Brownfields Project section of THE YARD webpage.

More About...