Chelsea Box District Park, a redeveloped brownfield. (Photo: MassDevelopment)
Brownfields are properties that are affected by environmental contamination and are found in virtually every city and town in the state. They represent some of the most complicated redevelopment challenges in our communities and some of our biggest opportunities.
Massachusetts’ best tool for cleaning up contaminated and blighted properties is the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund. Since it’s inception in 1998 the fund has invested about $100 million through more than 690 awards to support housing and commercial development on remediated Brownfield sites.
The Brownfields Redevelopment Fund ran out of money at the end of June, 2013. The Alliance worked with other advocates and legislative leaders in the successful effort to provide $15 million for brownfields in the February 2014 supplemental budget. We also supported the Governor’s proposal, adopted by the legislature in 2016, to authorize $45 million in capital spending needed to keep the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund going for five years. We continue to advocate for inclusion of brownfields funding in the Administration’s annual capital plan and in the annual operating budget.
Learn More
- MassDevelopment’s Brownfields page
- Mass Development reopens Brownfields Redevelopment Program (January 2017)
- Press Release: New MassINC Poll Shows Strong Statewide Support for Brownfields Redevelopment Fund (April 2014)
- Advocates lobby lawmakers to replenish the state’s brownfields fund(April 2014)
- Boston Globe editorial October 20, 2013