Brownfields Redevelopment Program

The misson of the City of Houston's Brownfields Redevelopment Program (BRP) is to revitalize core neighborhoods, catalyze sustainable economic growth, ensure a safe and clean environment, improve the quality of life for Houston residents, and create thriving, livable neighborhoods in this world-class city. The BRP has been a tremendously effective partnership of government, industry, community, and non-profit organizations working together to clean up Houston’s idle properties, create jobs, encourage economic growth, and benefit communities in need.

Through key partnerships and federal funding, the BRP is able to offer developers and community stakeholders the following services to support redevelopment efforts:

Education and Regulatory Guidance
Community Engagement
Technical Assistance
Project Financing Strategies
Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessments
Cleanup Planning

The BRP prioritizes projects that promise to support neighborhood revitalization or restoration efforts, using the following priorities as a guide for allocating resources to developers and communities interested in brownfields redevelopment support:

Protection of Human Health and the Environment
Projects that reduce and control the potential exposure of toxic chemicals to human and ecological receptors. Additionally, the BRP prioritizes supporting projects that protect human health and the environment by promoting clean energy, improved air quality, and building infrastructure resilient to severe weather, natural disasters, and sea-level rise.
Environmental Management
The cleanup of contaminated sites in neighborhoods disproportionally impacted by multiple brownfield sites will greatly reduce the adverse human health and environmental impacts in these neighborhoods.
Community Involvement & Partnerships
Continuous community involvement and stakeholder engagement are essential for a successful BRP and may help to ensure or accelerate land revitalization efforts. Partnerships with private and other public entities are also a proven strategy for leveraging multiple resources to ensure project success.
Urban Smart Growth Principles
Smart growth strategies are central to brownfield redevelopment and to help communities grow in ways that expand economic opportunity while protecting human health and the environment (U.S. EPA, May 2016). Examples of urban smart growth principles include improved access to affordable housing, increased transportation options, lower transportation costs, expansion of permeable surfaces and green space, and walkable and bike-able neighborhoods.
Results Oriented
Outcomes from BRP-funded projects should have measurable accomplishments, such as the number of jobs created, tax revenue generated, open space created, amount of contaminants removed, acres of wetlands restored, etc.

To further understand how the City of Houston’s BRP can incentivize redevelopment of brownfield properties, catalyze community revitalization efforts, and facilitate collaboration between community stakeholders and public resources throughout the city, the Program developed a Brownfields Strategic Plan in 2025.

What are brownfields?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a brownfield as 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.

The City of Houston’s BRP reflects the agenda of the EPA’s program, is sustained through federal grant funding, operates in conjunction with other City departments, and is an important resource for revitalizing Houston’s underserved and blighted neighborhoods.

What impacts do brownfields have on the community?

Brownfields can have a variety of impacts over time on the communities in which they are located. On brownfield properties where environmental contamination is present, there remains an ongoing potential threat to human health and the surrounding environment. These properties may decrease city tax revenues and property values, which ultimately impacts the local economy. In addition to negative economic and environmental impacts, the blight created by brownfields can also affect the redevelopment of neighboring properties.

What are the benefits of brownfields redevelopment?

Redeveloping brownfields benefits the communities in which they are located in many ways. Redeveloping brownfields addresses environmental, public health, and safety concerns by removing blight and facilitating environmental cleanup. Redeveloping previously developed sites and reusing existing infrastructure, utilities, and roads allows open space and undeveloped land to be preserved. In addition, it boosts the local economy by increasing city tax revenues, creating jobs, and improving the value of adjacent property.

What assistance is available from the Brownfields Redevelopment Program?

The City of Houston BRP was awarded Community-Wide Brownfields Assessment grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2014 and 2018. This grant funding allows the City of Houston to assist with redevelopment projects by conducting environmental site assessments, as well as providing assistance with strategic planning for cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields sites.

To apply for assistance, please complete the Application for Brownfields Redevelopment Assistance.

“For every acre of reused brownfields an estimated 4.5 acres of unused green space is preserved.” - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency