Brownfields Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA II) Priority Project Application
As a means of encouraging redevelopment of brownfields sites in the Commonwealth, MassDevelopment is sponsoring a Brownfields Priority Project designation program. Under the program, municipal and municipal agency-owned sites may be pre-designated as Priority Projects, and be eligible for up to $2,000,000 in total financing for environmental actions, in order to attract a developer. Designated sites must have a preliminary redevelopment plan to be eligible for environmental site assessment funding of up to $100,000 without the requirement for a committed developer, and will also be eligible for a pilot program expanding the use of the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund to finance ancillary costs necessary to conduct environmental site assessments and remediations, such as demolition and geotechnical studies. Funds for remediation costs will only be advanced when a redevelopment project is ready to move forward. Financing may be in the form of grants, recoverable grants, or flexible loans, depending on the economic needs of the project. Sites must be high priority sites for redevelopment in the host community, where reuse would be viable except for the impediment of environmental contamination, and for which the municipality has made available substantial funds in the form of grants, loans or abated property taxes, in furtherance of redevelopment. This designation and available funds will be subject to time limitations for performance benchmarks and redevelopment. All applications must meet statutory and programmatic requirements listed below. It is understood the purpose of the designation is to serve as a catalyst to the redevelopment of the property. The site has been identified by the community as a priority. The community has demonstrated this priority status by providing or agreeing to provide a variety of incentives, either financial or regulatory, to help advance the redevelopment. It is also understood the Brownfields Priority Project designation and funds for the selected sites are limited in nature and cannot be reserved indefinitely. Successful applicants will be required to follow a strict timeline of progress benchmarks leading to redevelopment. Designation may be revoked at the request of the applicant but may also be revoked if, in MassDevelopment’s opinion and understanding, site redevelopment is not progressing along the agreed upon timeline and continued designation may prevent another property from moving forward. As stated in the Notice of Funding Availability released in November, 2008, selected properties will have their designation through January 15, 2011 and must demonstrate sufficient progress and/or actual redevelopment in order to maintain the reservation beyond that date. Only one site per municipality will be eligible and the number of total designations will be limited. Eligibility/Program Guidelines Site must be located in an eligible EDA as defined in Section 2 of Chapter 21E; Applicant and any municipal-designated developer must qualify as an innocent owner who did not own or operate the property at the time of any release of hazardous material and did not cause or contribute to the contamination; Applicant and any municipal-designated developer can not have a familial, direct, or indirect business relationship with a party potentially responsible for the contamination; Applicant and any municipal-designated developer can not have outstanding administrative or judicial enforcement actions pending against them regarding brownfields sites unless they have a signed agreement with the Department of Environmental Protection or the Attorney General outlining a resolution plan for administrative or judicial enforcement actions; Costs for which an application is made hereunder cannot be eligible for reimbursement from the Commonwealth’s Underground Storage Tank Fund at MGL c.21J; An application for a funding grant will require matching funds up to 20% of the total grant. Matching funds may be any of the costs contributed by the applicant to the total project cost; Municipality where the site is located has or will contribute substantial resources to the project through grants, loans, abated taxes, or other resources at its disposal;
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Proposed redevelopment of the site will result in a significant economic impact or contribute to the economic or physical revitalization of the area in which the site is located through the creation of jobs, affordable housing or removal of blight; Municipal end uses such as public safety buildings or schools are not eligible; Awards are made through a competitive submission process and the designation is subject to redevelopment timeframes. Eligible Uses of Funds Environmental site assessment testing Environmental clean-up actions Ancillary services necessary to complete environmental site assessment or remediation Submission Process Questions regarding the application may be directed in writing by email to MassDevelopment at marketingdepartment@massdevelopment.com and will be posted with answers on the agency’s website.
Applicants should review and prepare a written narrative addressing each of the proposal requirements listed below. Applicants may also, but are not required to, review the Brownfields Site Assessment and Remediation Loan Applications available online to determine other points they may wish to address or comment on. Applicants are not required to submit a financing application at this time. If selected for designation, they will be required to submit financing applications before funding can be advanced. The applicant must submit two copies of the completed proposal on or before January 15, 2009 at 5:00 pm to the attention of: MassDevelopment Attn: Director of Community Development 160 Federal Street, 7th floor Boston, MA 02110 Selection Process MassDevelopment staff will determine if the proposal meets all statutory and program guidelines. They will recommend up to four regional nominees to a Review Committee. Site selection recommendations will be made based upon, but not limited to, the degree to which the proposed site/ project meets the statutory and program requirements listed. The review committee may request additional information from any and all relevant sources during an application’s review. The sites/projects selected for Priority Project designation by the Review Committee will require approval by MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. . Proposal Requirements The proposal must include all applicable items outlined herein (A to C) to be considered complete. The total proposal must be limited to no more than 10 pages. Appendices may be attached. A. B. C. A cover letter transmitting the proposal (2 copies) to the Director of Community Development, located at 160 Federal Street, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02110. A summary page that includes: name and location of the site/project; applicant/ developer’s name, address, phone/fax numbers and email; name and phone/fax numbers of contact person for the application. A project narrative addressing the following: Site description including acreage, zoning, proximity to existing transportation and utility infrastructure, building size(s) and condition; Evidence of site control; Data specific to unemployment and poverty in the economically distressed area and/or census tract where project site is located; Description of previous efforts/results to attract private development to the site;
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Evidence of community support and capacity to assist in the redevelopment of the site including the availability of funds in the form of grants, loans or abated property taxes from municipality where project site is located; Description of the community benefits associated with the redevelopment plan including but not limited to, job creation or retention, and/or the creation of housing opportunities consistent with the housing needs of the community; A summary of completed or in-progress site assessment, if any; A proposal, if any, showing costs and alternative remediation options under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan; Copies of any recent needs assessment, market feasibility studies, conceptual plans/drawings/renderings of the site or development if available; Zoning designations and any applicable municipal master plan or similar information; Proposed funding plans for the project that includes any other potential financing commitments for the overall project or key infrastructure needs and improvements; A proposed timeline for the redevelopment including obtaining necessary permits, zoning changes and other related entitlements critical to the redevelopment plan; Any known issues that may impact the redevelopment plan and possible strategies for addressing the issues; Picture(s) of the project site in an (8 x 10, 300ppi, digital images format); Map with directions to the project site; Notification It is anticipated that the selection of sites awarded NOFA II Priority Project designation will be made by March 19, 2009, and all applicants will be notified by March 23, 2009.
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