As the U.S. 41 corridor is targeted for redevelopment, some developers may have a perception that there is an environmental problem on potential sites.
Manatee County, Florida, in partnership with Bradenton, Palmetto and the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, has received a $500,000 Brownfields grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Since Tamiami Trail passes through Bradenton, Palmetto and unincorporated Manatee, the corridor will be the focus of the Manatee County Coalition Assessment Grant for the Tamiami Trail Brownfields Revitalization Project, said Cheri Coryea, the county’s neighborhood services department director.
The EPA defines brownfields as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties protects the environment, reduces blight and takes development pressures off greenspaces and working lands.”
Typical eligible sites include former gas stations, dry cleaners, junkyards and automotive repair shops.
“We can all benefit from redevelopment and revitalization of Tamiami Trail,” Coryea said. “We all have had our redevelopment areas overlapping, and it’s a natural fit to continue working together. It is really a positive for economic development for the area.”