Community Member Portal

Welcome to the Community Member Portal! This page is designed to provide relevant information about the grant project, what it means for Baltimore County’s East Side community members, and to address any potential questions or concerns members of the community may have. To navigate within this portal, we recommend:

reading this introduction,
viewing the East Side Target Area Map and identifying potential East Side brownfield locations you may have observed in your community with the Brownfields Scout form,
reviewing the Calendar for Community Outreach Events and the meeting minutes about past events, and
email us at mdp.brownfields@maryland.gov if you need more information.

One important question members of the community might have is: “How can this project benefit my community?” After the Environmental Site Assessments are completed, property owners may be better positioned to redevelop their properties. Although we cannot guarantee this project will result in cleanup, redevelopment, or other reuse of East Side properties, nor guarantee what type of redevelopment/reuse may occur, the assessments can help make properties more marketable for sale, refinancing, etc., which may lead to opportunities for redevelopment and/or changes in use. For example, a cleaned up brownfield could be used to support community solar to help reduce energy costs for local consumers. There may be a new park where community members can retreat to soak up immune boosting benefits from trees and soil or to engage in life-prolonging physical fitness. There may be new businesses established that provide jobs or recreation outlets, promote tourism, provide healthier food options, or many other economic or health benefits.

Community members may also be curious about “How can I contribute to the success of this project?” You can help make this project a success by identifying potential brownfields in your community through our Brownfields Scout form, and by showing support for the project to help generate positive buzz, which may lead to brownfield assessment, cleanup, and reuse catching on in other areas of the state, which in turn could result in healthier and more vibrant Maryland communities.

Community Member FAQ

What is a brownfield?

According to EPA, a brownfield is “a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant."

Will particular brownfield sites be targeted?

There are approximately 70 brownfield sites, as designated within the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Land Restoration Program (LRP) Map, located within the East Side of Baltimore County. The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) has worked with Baltimore County economic development and planning staff and key Maryland Department of the Environment staff to prioritize brownfield sites with the greatest reuse potential as they align with the county’s comprehensive plans, future land use strategies, and Opportunity Zones. During the selection process for the sites, we will prioritize those sites that are proximate to Pulaski Highway given the added economic value to property owners.

How will this project benefit residents?

This project provides free environmental assessments to private non-residential property owners. Without these assessments, currently vacant or dilapidated buildings and sites will likely remain vacant and dilapidated. The environmental site assessments will either provide evidence there is not likely to be contamination at a specific property, or they will provide environmental sampling results which could reduce barriers to clean-up and reuse.
If contamination is found at a property through an assessment, the property owner has the information needed to pursue environmental clean-up, which can remove or contain pollution that can threaten community health.
If contamination is not found at a property through an assessment, the property owner can move forward with a redevelopment or reuse project at the property, which could generate jobs for residents and increase demand for products and services from existing local businesses.
Some brownfield sites can be redeveloped into parks, waterfront green spaces or other community amenities. (However, the project does not ensure cleanup or redevelopment of brownfield properties.)
Residents should keep in mind though there are obstacles that could prevent the ultimate realization of these benefits. If the cost to remove or contain pollution is too high, the property owner might not be financially able to move forward with brownfield redevelopment. Also, despite the offer of free assistance, some property owners might not be interested in obtaining free environmental site assessments.

How will community members know whether contamination is detected at the properties that receive free ESAs?

The ESAs conducted under this grant opportunity will not be made directly available to the public through the actual grant implementation process; however, the ESAs will be discoverable through Public Information Act requests to MDE and/or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to EPA. The ESAs will not be made publicly available through any Maryland Department of Planning, MDE, or Baltimore County websites, but basic findings about participating sites will be listed on EPA’s “Cleanups in My Community” website.