Anderson Mayor Kevin Smith took part in a forum organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday. The forum looked at the causes of mothballed brownfield properties and sought potential solutions to revitalize the sites. Smith was invited because of his work to turn vacant General Motors facilities into commercial offices.

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Thorold on the Welland: from Brownfield’s to Tourism

Prosperity does not descend on Canadian communities by accident, but through the hard work and determination of its visionary residents. One living example of Canadian resourcefulness is a community in the shadow of one of the world's natural wonders. "When I first took office, we were in a very different time," said Thorold Mayor Robin Brock, a lifelong resident, who took on the challenge of an economically-dying city. "Just a little under 6 years ago, we had just lost a few businesses. We had a paper mill close that employed 1000 and that supported downtown core amenities ...

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Turning Brownfield’s Green

It was no surprise that Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone, testifying before the Assembly and Senate environmental conservation committees last week, argued against proposed changes that would scaledown the state's Brownfield Cleanup Program, which offers tax incentives to developers who cleanup and rebuild on polluted land. After all, the program was intended to benefit places just like Yonkers - cities littered with former industrial sites that are often so costly to remediate that developers take one look and decide to invest elsewhere.

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Brownfields possibilities could spur development on Tonawanda Island

North Tonawanda city officials have long discussed the possibilities for development on Tonawanda Island, but just how the island will be developed has been up for debate. A Brownfields grant may help the city answer that question. The city applied for a $300,000 Brownfields grant to do a study on Tonawanda Island years ago and is still waiting to hear if the grant has been approved. The study would evaluate environmental concerns on the island and create a plan for development, Lumber City Development Corp. Executive Director Jim Sullivan said. “All of the Brownfield’s grants are in limbo right now,” Sullivan said. “Everybody wants to know, nobody’s been approved. But we’ve been told it was an excellent application.”

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