Press Release - Monday, December 17, 2007
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Illinois EPA Director presents $700,000 grant to Mayor of Aurora for River Edge redevelopment
AURORA - Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott on Dec. 13 presented a ceremonial check for $700,000 in River Edge Redevelopment funds to Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner. The city will use the grant money to conduct environmental work on Brownfields sites in downtown Aurora, as part of the state's River Edge Redevelopment Initiative.
At the event, Director Scott and Mayor Weisner revealed details on how the funds would be used to clean up and redevelop abandoned or contaminated properties for future development, including a new park.
"With the aid of several Illinois EPA programs, the City of Aurora is working to cleanup and to restore a portion of the Fox River that has tremendous redevelopment potential," said Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott. "I congratulate them for their hard work and for their vision."
In 2006, under the River Edge Redevelopment initiative, an innovative pilot program designed to help revitalize riverfront areas across the state, Aurora became one of the first three cities selected to be part of the River Edge Redevelopment Initiative pilot program.
Aurora applied directly to the state to become a River Edge Redevelopment Zone as part of River Edge Redevelopment Initiative. Earlier this year, Aurora was the first Illinois city to achieve River Edge Redevelopment Zone status, and the first to receive River Edge grant funds to help conduct the work.
These zones are typically environmentally challenged areas near rivers, which have economic development potential, but the cost of redevelopment has made attracting investment extremely difficult.
The City's River Edge Redevelopment Zone includes its riverfront corridor, following the Fox River on both sides, from North Avenue to Interstate 88 on the east, and from Gale Street to Sullivan Road on the west.
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Municipalities, developers and companies located in these zones can be eligible to receive funding upon appropriation to support infrastructure needs for economic revitalization projects, which will ultimately lead to job creation and economic development. While many of these areas were home to former industrial sites, they are now ideal settings for new residential, office, warehouse/distribution, retail, recreational, hospitality, commercial and other productive uses.
The zones are eligible to receive tax credits, exemptions and $20 million in new grant funding to support clean-up, remediation and redevelopment efforts. This initiative combines resources across state agencies and will be administered primarily by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).
In February 2005, prior to the $700,000 River Edge Redevelopment grant presented today, the City of Aurora secured a Municipal Brownfields Redevelopment Grant Program grant in the amount of $119,994 from the Illinois EPA for assessment and investigation activities in the Riverfront Redevelopment Area, with a subsequent amendment providing for certain cleanup activities.
Redevelopment of the River Edge Redevelopment Zone parcels will mitigate human exposure to environmental contamination; anchor and promote redevelopment in Aurora's River Edge Redevelopment Zone; generate jobs and spur economic activity; provide green space and serve as a model for Illinois riverfront communities.
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