The City of Tulsa will have grant funding available starting Oct. 1 to help with Route 66 redevelopment.
The $300,000 total grant is through the Environmental Protection Agency's Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program, which also exists at the state level.
"What’ll be different about this one at the local level is we’ll be able to work with nonprofits and local businesses on doing the type of environmental due diligence that’s required before purchase," said City of Tulsa Deputy Chief of Economic Development Michelle Barnett.
While the city’s grant can be used to see what environmental issues exist at a site, laboratory analyses and formulating a cleanup plan, it cannot be used for cleanup itself.
"There are some other tools that we have available, including revolving loan funds and the state’s Petroleum Storage Tank fund that help us address cleanup of properties," Barnett said.
The city has a $1 million revolving loan fund for cleanups.
The city is looking at sites like old gas stations and garages along Route 66 that developers or nonprofits can find new uses for.
"The goal is that we have a robust development community, we’re able to redevelop properties and reuse properties over time, and that we have a healthy environment for people to work and live in," Barnett said.
