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 brownfields program'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 Program 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 Program can provide a tool for these properties if environmental liability from past problems seems to be a barrier to their reuse.