Brownfield Community Improvement Plan
What are Brownfields?
For the purpose of this Brownfield Community Improvement Plan (CIP), a brownfield is defined as an abandoned, vacant, derelict, idled or underutilized property in the Urban Area of the City of Port Colborne with an active potential for redevelopment, where redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. Brownfields are also often characterized by building deterioration/obsolescence, and/or inadequate infrastructure. Brownfields can include many uses such as old landfills and abandoned factories to dry cleaners and former gasoline stations. Most brownfields are located in urban areas and many are located in key areas such as the downtown or along the waterfront. It is conservatively estimated that there are at least 30,000 brownfield sites in Canada (Source: National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, 2003).
Financial Incentive Programs
An important component of any Community Improvement Plan are financial incentive programs that are offered to eligible property owners as a means of promoting private investment and change. The incentive programs contained in the City of Port Colborne Brownfield Strategy and Community Improvement Plan represent a comprehensive framework containing a range of programs that are designed to stimulate local brownfield redevelopment by addressing identified critical needs. The financial incentive programs are primarily directed at the private sector and are designed to encourage private sector remediation and rehabilitation, adaptive reuse and construction activity on brownfield sites.
The following program guides outline the various incentive programs to encourage redevelopment of Brownfield sites around the municipality. They provide program descriptions, required information and FAQs about the programs.
Please click on the links below to view the guides.
Brownfield Property Tax Assistance/Brownfield Rehabilitation Grant Program Guide
Environmental Site Assessment Grant Program Guide
Feasibility Study Grant Program Guide
The following application forms are to be used by persons wishing to apply for Community Improvement Plan funding for one or more of the incentive programs offered under the Brownfield Community Improvement Plan for the City of Port Colborne. Each application includes the respective program guide for the program to which the application refers.
Application for Building Permit Fee Grant
The Planning and Building Fee Grant is intended to provide a financial incentive in the form of a grant equivalent to the fees paid on planning and development applications and building permits in order to help facilitate re-use, infill, intensification and redevelopment through the provision of an incentive that will complement and augment the other incentive programs available for Brownfield Properties. This is an upfront grant that is taken at the time of application
Application for Environmental Site Assessment Grant
The purpose of the Environmental Site Assessment Grant is to promote the undertaking of environmental studies so that more and better information is available with respect to the type of contamination and potential remediation costs on brownfield properties.
Application for Feasibility Study Grant
The purpose of the Feasibility Study Grant is to promote the undertaking of project feasibility studies so that potential investors can obtain more and better information with respect to the costs of reusing, rehabilitating and retrofitting brownfield buildings and lands as well as the market/economic feasibility of undertaking different types of development.
Application for Brownfield Property Tax Assistance Program/Rehabilitation Grant
The purpose of the Brownfield Property Tax Assistance Program (TAP) is to encourage the remediation and rehabilitation of brownfield sites by providing a cencellation of part or all of the property tax increase on a property that is undergoing or has undergone remediation and development to assist with payment of the cost of environmental remediation. This program only appies to properties requiring environmental remediation and/or risk assessment/management.
The purpose of the Brownfield Rehabilitation Grant Program is to encourage the remediation, rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of brownfield sites by providing grants to help pay for remediation costs not fully disbursed by the Brownfield Property Tax Assistance Program and non-environmental rehabilitation costs normally associated with brownfield site redevelopment. This program only applies to properties requiring environmental remediation and/or risk assessment/management.