Our community needs to:

¦	Ensure brownfields redevelopment benefits existing residents by addressing the potential
for gentrification and displacement.

¦	Ensure community members' interests and priorities are incorporated into the decisions
made about brownfields assessment, cleanup and reuse.

How establishing equitable development priorities can help: Ensuring historically
underserved communities benefit from brownfields reuse requires a deliberate process. By
directly engaging the residents affected by the brownfield site and prioritizing their needs, the
redevelopment process will better serve existing community members.

Influence on brownfields assessment, cleanup, and reuse: Creating an inclusive process
for planning and decision-making enhances the voices of community members who may be
at risk of displacement. Their priorities will influence which sites are assessed, as well as
when and how sites are cleaned up.

What is involved? Community engagement and planning practices that are designed to
advance equitable development include:

¦	Community problem-solving conversations around displacement and gentrification issues.

¦	Community interviews to gain an understanding of community perceptions, site history and
experience, contamination concerns and local aspirations for the future use of the site.

¦	A community benefits agreement developed via multi-stakeholder engagement which
articulates what a community is seeking as remediation and establishes how the
community will benefit from a proposed redevelopment.

¦	Participant support cost stipends for time and expertise shared at workshops and visioning
sessions, as well as providing child care and light refreshments, to reduce a barrier to their
involvement and help foster an inclusive and sustainable future within their neighborhoods.
See EPA's guidance for providing participant support cost stipends under brownfield grants.

¦	Environmental justice (EJ) goals setting that prioritize quality of life, community health, local
wealth building and engagement in decision-making. Setting EJ goals provides

a benchmark to evaluate policies and creates a clear guideline for how community
engagement should look and feel.

¦	A project framework that includes environmental, economic, and social benefits of
brownfields redevelopment based on community priorities (such as parks, housing, public
health, food access, art, and job opportunities).

¦	A change-focused action plan that includes the partnerships, funding sources, and
implementation steps needed to produce a fair, inclusive and just outcome for the existing
community.

When to conduct? Equitable development activities are designed to prevent displacement
from redevelopment rather than react to displacement after redevelopment occurs. These
planning and engagement activities are most helpful in early discussions of brownfield site
reuse, e.g., prior to site assessment decisions.

What does it typically cost? Equitable development activities require a robust budget for
various and sustained community engagement. Costs will range based on the needs and
desires of community members affected by the brownfield site(s). Prioritizing these activities
may cost $50,000-$100,000 or more.

Who should participate? Typically requires a diverse multi-disciplinary team
including community representatives, community engagement specialists, planners,
landscape architects, market analysts, financial strategists, and environmental professionals,
among others.

Successful brownfields
revitalization doesn't
just happen. It's
planned for.

Approach brownfields
revitalization through
creative, inclusive,
and efficient planning
activities.

¦	Early in the site
selection process,
consider the range
of realistic site reuse
options.

¦	Create a brownfields
revitalization plan
based on the
community's need
and vision, and site
and surrounding
area conditions such
as environmental,
economic, real estate
market, assets,
challenges and
vulnerabilities. These
factors will directly
influence how the
site is assessed and
remediated.

Planning activities
focused on brownfields
revitalization and as
described in this fact
sheet are eligible under
an EPA Brownfields
Assessment or
Multipurpose Grant.

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (5105T) I EPA 560-F-22-3091 October 2022

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