County approves area
Environmental Response Fund grants

The Hennepin County Board has awarded grants totaling $1.25 million for the evaluation and cleanup of eight contaminated sites through the county’s Environmental Response Fund (ERF) grants program.

The program, funded by a county mortgage registry and deed tax, provides grants for environmental assessment and cleanup of sites where such activities have been hampered because of insufficient funding. The county’s program puts priority on projects intended for public space, including green spaces, establishing affordable and moderately priced housing and economic development.

This round of ERG grants, the 11th since the program’s inception in 2001, awarded a total of $1.25 million. The previous 10 rounds have resulted in the award of 134 grants totaling $16.46 million. These grants will be used for soil and groundwater evaluation, asbestos and lead-paint assessment and abatement, and contaminated soil cleanup. They will also allow for the renovation and/or construction of 281 affordable housing units.

Grants in the area included:
•The Franklin-Portland Gateway Phases III & IV (3 acres in Minneapolis consisting of two abandoned gas stations, three houses, a market a nonprofit office and vacant lots); $162,000 grant to the City of Minneapolis on behalf of Hope Community for soil cleanup and Response Action Plan development. The majority of the land is owned by Hope Community and CCHT. Hope Community intends to build two mixed-use buildings containing 143 residential units and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. This project received $47,200 in assessment funding from the ERF in the Fall 2005 round of grants.

•Longfellow Station (3.1-acre site at 3815 Hiawatha Ave.; $90,000 grant to Longfellow Station I, LLC for soil and coal slag cleanup and groundwater management actitivites. The applicant intends to develop a mixed-use transit-oriented project which will include 294 housing units, 80 of which will be affordable rentals, and 47,000 square feet of commercial space. The project will create 150 new jobs.