City of Milwaukee awarded federal funding for brownfield remediation and redevelopment

MILWAUKEE — The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee (RACM) was awarded $3.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 20, 2024.

EPA selected 178 communities nationwide to receive 181 grant awards totaling $231 million through EPA’s MAC and RLF Grant Programs, which will boost economic growth, support environmental remediation efforts, and build stronger neighborhoods. Milwaukee will be receiving supplemental revolving loan funds (RLF) and is one of five Wisconsin communities to receive a Brownfield Grant this year.

RACM is dedicated to remediating contaminated properties across all City neighborhoods. The City anticipates using much of the new RLF funds to continue financing affordable housing projects like the remediation of the long-underutilized Filer & Stowell factory site into a 576-unit apartment complex at the north end of Bay View. A fourth of these apartments are set aside specifically for senior citizens. The funding also extends the City’s capacity to provide funding for more cleanups in the most underserved areas in Milwaukee.

“For 25 years now, the City of Milwaukee has been fortunate to receive funding from the Environmental Protection Agency which we have deployed to investigate and clean up brownfield sites across the City,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “This allocation of supplemental brownfield revolving loan funds provides a significant boost to our program, allowing us to continue partnering with both EPA and the private sector to provide critical gap financing that helps advance projects creating new jobs and affordable housing. We thank President Joe Biden and the EPA for their continued support of the Milwaukee community.”

“The City of Milwaukee is grateful for this critical federal funding thanks to our strong partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency,” said City of Milwaukee Department of City Development Commissioner and Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Lafayette L. Crump. “It is because of the hard work of the RACM staff and their crucial understanding of our City’s needs that we continue to lead the country in securing funding to address environmental issues across the City. Thank you EPA and President Joe Biden, for investing in our City’s future and supporting our economic development.”

RACM has received multiple grants from the EPA to support brownfield assessment, remediation, and redevelopment. Milwaukee’s successful brownfield redevelopment program is made possible with the ongoing support of the EPA. Learn more at milwaukee.gov/RACM.

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