Riverside Awarded $265K In EPA Funding For Revitalization

RIVERSIDE, NY — Revitalization efforts in the Riverside area got a boost Wednesday as the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced that Southampton was one of two Long Island communities to receive $565,000 in Brownfield grants to revitalize blighted properties and promote economic redevelopment.

North Hempstead was the other Long Island community chosen. A total of $54.3 million will be provided to Brownfields sites nationwide, a release said.

“EPA’s Brownfields Program expands the ability of communities to recycle vacant and abandoned properties for new, productive reuses, using existing infrastructure," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "These grants leverage other public and private investments, and improve local economies through property cleanup and redevelopment.”

EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez said once cleanup is complete, the site can be put to reuse with the potential to bring in valuable private sector development, jobs, and additional tax revenue.

Southampton will receive a total of $265,000 in funding; the EPA selected the town to receive two Brownfields assessment grants focusing on sites in Riverside, located within the watershed of the Peconic Estuary.

The town will receive a $174,500 community-wide petroleum grant and a $90,500 community-wide hazardous substances grant, the release said.

Plans for the funding include redeveloping the blighted properties to alleviate potential health and safety concerns and implement green building designs in an economically viable plan, the release said. Grant funds of both types will also be used for community engagement activities and to select and prioritize sites, as well, officials said.

“The Town of Southampton is grateful for the funding and partnership provided by the Environmental Protection Agency with respect to our application for a community-wide Brownfield assessment grant, following New York State designation of the hamlet of Riverside as a Brownfield opportunity area,” Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said. “Receipt of this grant will allow the town to move forward with further assessment and clean-up of targeted properties as we continue our efforts to transform this economically disadvantaged and blighted hamlet into a vibrant focal point on the banks of the Peconic River at an important gateway to the Town of Southampton and Long Island’s East End.”

The Brownfields program targets communities that are economically disadvantaged and provides funding and assistance to transform blighted sites into assets that can generate jobs and spur economic growth, the release noted.

In addition, communities can use Brownfields funding to leverage water infrastructure loans and other financial resources.

Rep. Lee Zeldin applauded the grant funding: “These federal grants are great news for the continued revitalization of Riverside. Helping local communities safely clean up and reuse vacant and abandoned properties, these Brownfields assessment grants will assist Riverside residents transforming blighted properties into safe, usable and vibrant activity centers.”

Last year, Zeldin voted for full funding of the EPA’s Brownfields Program at $90 million, he said.

Patch courtesy photo.