Sponsor: Community & Economic Development
Title
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Environmental Response Fund Grant Awards
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the selection of Gladstone Crossing, Gladstone Village, Wire Mill Expansion & Upgrade, and Fish Hatchery Trail Reconstruction to receive Environmental Response Funds.
2. Authorize the award of Environmental Response Funds to the following projects:
a. Gladstone Crossing, Maplewood -- $58,765
b. Gladstone Village, Maplewood -- $80,058
c. Wire Mill Expansion & Upgrade, Saint Paul -- $57,550
d. Fish Hatchery Trail Reconstruction, Saint Paul -- $219,070
3. Authorize the County Manager to enter into necessary grant, loan or other agreements and execute amendments to those agreements in a form approved by the County Attorney’s Office.
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Background and Rationale
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In 1997, the Minnesota Legislature enacted Minnesota Statutes Section 383A.80 enabling Ramsey County to impose a mortgage registry and deed taxes equal to .0001 percent of the value of transferred properties in Ramsey County to establish an environmental response fund. In December 2002, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners imposed these taxes for the express purpose of creating a fund to mitigate contamination and foster redevelopment.
Applications for Environmental Response Fund (ERF) program funding are accepted on May 1st and November 1st of each year in conjunction with similar redevelopment and clean-up programs administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County.
Six ERF applications for funding assistance were submitted for consideration in November 2023 totaling $830,518. Submissions were evaluated based on adopted Ramsey County guidelines including the degree of soil contamination clean-up, financing gap, developer capacity, project readiness and short and long-term benefits to the community. Projects are also evaluated on their ability to address the following Ramsey County goals:
• Strengthening individual, family and community health, safety and well-being.
• Cultivating economic prosperity and invest in neighborhoods with concentrated financial poverty.
• Enhancing access to opportunity and mobility for all residents and businesses.
The review committee (comprising staff from Community & Economic Development and Environmental Health) recommends awards to four projects totaling $415,443 with the express condition that funding may be withdrawn if not spent within 18 months of approval. Unspent funds may be reallocated to future projects.
These projects will result in creation of 105 new units of affordable housing, 24 new permanent jobs, and 1.4 miles of paved recreational trail. For more project details, see attachment.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
ERF funding recommendations are guided by strategies from the Economic Competitiveness & Inclusion Plan that aim to reduce racial disparities related to housing and economic development opportunities. The recommended projects are all located in or adjacent to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) environmental justice areas of concern and represent significant place-based investments in racially and ethnically diverse communities.
Community Participation Level and Impact
To publicize the availability of ERF funds, CED participates in regular informational webinars with the other brownfield grant programs at DEED and Metropolitan Council, as well as via regular economic development summits with community partners. Applicants demonstrate community support for ERF project applications via either a letter of support or a city council resolution.
☒ Inform ☐ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
There are $1,138,378 of uncommitted funds available in the current ERF budget. Total ERF awards recommended are $415,443. The resulting uncommitted fund balance after ERF awards will be $722,935.
Last Previous Action
On July 18, 2023, the Ramsey County Housing and Redevelopment Authority approved $335,557 in Environmental Respond Fund grant awards for the May 2023 round of funding (Resolution H2023-010).
Attachments
1. Environmental Response Fund November 2023 Recommendations