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Phoenix Awards Application

Brownfields Revitalization is booming in North Carolina. Do you know about a worthy revitalization project to nominate for a Phoenix Award? If so, please forward this link to the Phoenix Awards Application to those who may have such a project and recommend that they apply for the award! The application period opens on January 1st and closes on June 30th of each year. For more information, please visit the Phoenix Awards website.

The awards are open to any individual, group, company, organization, government body or agency. Criteria for The Phoenix Awards™ focus on the magnitude of the project, innovative techniques, solutions to regulatory issues, and impact upon the community. A panel of environmental professionals and business, academic and government leaders select the winners.

Winners are selected from each of EPA’s ten regions, and additional special winners are selected for community impact, sustainability or other special achievements.  The winners are selected annually and are showcased at the U.S. National Brownfields Conference held every 12 to 18 months.

Rural Brownfields Opportunities

Brownfields are not just for big cities. North Carolina has a rich history in rural manufacturing and industry. Many of these rural industries have taken hard economic hits over that last few decades making rural areas ripe for brownfields redevelopment. In fact, about a third of the Section's projects are in small towns and rural areas across the state. There are other programs designed to assist these communities with economic development assistance that can dovetail with brownfields redevelopment. Funding or other assistance obtained from these programs can work in concert with liability protections under the Brownfields Redevelopment Section to form a comprehensive economic development whole. Below are some other programs to look into if you are redeveloping in a rural community.

The NC Rural Center has a Building Reuse Initiative that can provide grants to rural communities to help prepare abandoned building for reuse. If these buildings happen to be environmentally impacted they make for a brownfield opportunity as well.

The NC Department of Commerce's Main Street Program assists numerous small towns and cities in North Carolina with economic development issues for their downtown areas. It is administered by the Division of Community Assistance whose services are often instrumental in helping communities with redevelopment issues. Again, the Brownfields Redevelopment Section can provide a tool for these properties if environmental liability from past problems seems to be a barrier to their reuse.