EPC: Brownfields cleanup spurs redevelopment, 56 sites totaling about 900 acres

Allison Amram, Brownfields coordinator for the Hillsborough County Environment Protection Commission, told commissioners that the agency manages 56 brownfield cleanup sites covering roughly 900 acres and that the program’s incentives have helped convert contaminated parcels into housing, parks and commercial developments.

Amram outlined the two paths under the Brownfields program: a redevelopment approval path and an environmental cleanup path under Florida’s cleanup rules. She explained the incentives available for property owners who did not cause contamination, including sales-tax refunds for affordable housing materials and corporate income-tax credits tied to voluntary cleanup costs.

Amram cited recent project examples: redevelopment of an abandoned golf course into private housing at Independence Park; reuse of an agricultural site into the Plant City Hospital after arsenic remediation; and large redevelopment areas such as Rome Yard between downtown Tampa and Ybor City. She said the program has brought significant economic gains: one redevelopment increased parcel value by about $68,000,000, another by more than $70,000,000 and a third by about $99,000,000 after cleanup and redevelopment.

Amram said EPC accepted five new projects into the program this year — including a port industrial storage redevelopment, an East Hillsborough site slated for a fire station and fleet maintenance, and affordable-housing cleanups in Cypress Housing and Las Villas. She also reported three site rehabilitation completion orders this year and additional ongoing redevelopment work at multiuse parcels.

Commissioners and staff recognized the Brownfields program’s role in catalyzing economic development and in enabling affordable housing projects; Amram noted the program also supports workforce development programs (an environmental job-training grant) and coordinates with Florida Department of Environmental Protection for delegated program reporting.

The commission presented Amram with a 10-year service recognition; she announced that Charles Dauman will succeed her as Brownfields coordinator. The presentation concluded with thanks from commissioners and staff.