EPA awards Wilmington $200,000 for redevelopment of brownfields

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $197,500 grant to the City of Wilmington for the cleanup and redevelopment of two former industrial sites.

The properties include a former auto salvage yard at 14th and Church streets and a current storage facility at 12th Street and Governor Printz Boulevard. Both are owned by the City and located on the shoreline of the Brandywine River.

“This area-wide planning approach sparks the kind of economic development that meets the needs of neighborhoods, and leads to vibrant communities,” said acting EPA Regional Administrator Cecil Rodrigues, speaking at a press conference near the salvage yard. “We know that revitalization works best when local communities are directly involved in the process.”

Past EPA-funded cleanups, totaling $11 million across the state, led to the creation of a group home for people disabilities, a community center, a research manufacturing facility, and 40 residential units.