SFCLT Awarded Share of $1.2M EPA Brownfields Grant

We’re proud to share that the South Florida Community Land Trust is a key partner in a new $1.2 million Brownfields Redevelopment Coalition Grant, awarded to the South Florida Regional Planning Council by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The coalition — which also includes The Allapattah Collaborative CDC and the City of Miami — will use these funds to clean up and repurpose contaminated sites into safe, affordable housing and active community spaces. 

How SFCLT will put these funds to work

• Protecting our residents’ health and safety: We’ll use the grant money to test for harmful substances before buying land near train lines.
• Making sure homes are safe: The funding will also help us check older apartment buildings for lead and asbestos. If we find anything harmful, we’ll make a plan to keep residents safe.
• Listening to the community: We’ll host events and workshops to hear from residents and make sure future development reflects what the community wants and needs.

Why it matters

A brownfield is land that might be hard to reuse because it could be polluted. The EPA’s Brownfields Program helps check these sites, plan for cleanup, and involve the community—turning unused, possibly unsafe land into healthy, useful spaces.

Starting October 1, this new grant will provide funding over the next four years. SFCLT will use the support to continue its existing work along South Florida’s railways and transit corridors, an area we’ve long prioritized. The Allapattah Collaborative CDC will focus on the Allapattah neighborhood, and the City of Miami on the West Grove.

This funding is an important step for SFCLT. It helps us make sure that affordable homes are not just available, but also safe, healthy, and created with the community’s input.

Read the South Florida Regional Planning Council’s announcement here.