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 Roseville Economic Development Authority, GloryVille, and JB Vang to receive Environmental Response Funds.
2. Authorize the award of Environmental Response Funds to the following projects:
a. Roseville Economic Development Authority, Twin Lakes Technology Center - $500,000
b. GloryVille LLC, GloryVille - $200,000
c. JB Vang, Hamm’s West End Development - $200,000
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.
Four eligible ERF applications for funding assistance were submitted for consideration in November 2025 totaling $1,360,627 in funding requests. 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 recommends awards to three projects, including one full funding award and two partial funding awards, for a total ERF funding amount of $900,000. These awards come with the express condition that funding may be withdrawn if not spent within 18 months of approval.
These grant awards will support the creation of 173 units of housing, over 200,000 square feet of commercial space, and over 66 new jobs. For project details, see attached project descriptions.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
The Environmental Response Fund was established to improve the quality of land through environmental remediation and support increased utilization of land for the creation of housing, jobs and economic development. Racial and ethnic communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards and are far more likely to live in areas with heavy pollution. Priority in ERF funding is given to projects located in Environmental Justice Areas. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency incorporates these factors into their definition of Environmental Justice Areas, which they define as areas where at least 40% of the population are people of color, at least 35% of households have income below 200% of the federal poverty level, at least 40% of the population has limited proficiency in English, or sites that are located in Indian County.
These recommended project awards will address the historic legacies of pollution on 17.7 acres of land in total, of which 5.2 acres are located in Environmental Justice Areas. For more details on individual project racial equity impacts, see attached project descriptions.
Community Participation Level and Impact
To publicize the availability of ERF funds, Community and Economic Development participates in regular information sessions, both in-person and virtual, with the other brownfield grant programs at DEED and Metropolitan Council, as well as through 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 $1,047,407 of uncommitted funds available in the current ERF budget. Total ERF awards recommended in this Recommended Board Action (RBA) are $900,000. The resulting uncommitted fund balance after ERF awards will be $147,407.
Last Previous Action
On July 1, 2025, the Ramsey County Housing and Redevelopment Authority approved $360,354 in Environmental Response Funds for the May 2025 round of funding (Resolution H2025-012).
Attachments
1. Environmental Response Fund November 2025 Recommendations