City of Port Colborne

What are Brownfields?

For the purpose of this Brownfield Community Improvement Plan (CIP), a brownfield is defined as an abandoned, vacant, derelict, idled or underutilized property in the Urban Area of the City of Port Colborne with an active potential for redevelopment, where redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.  Brownfields are also often characterized by building deterioration/obsolescence, and/or inadequate infrastructure.  Brownfields can include many uses such as old landfills and abandoned factories to dry cleaners and former gasoline stations.  Most brownfields are located in urban areas and many are located in key areas such as the downtown or along the waterfront.  It is conservatively estimated that there are at least 30,000 brownfield sites in Canada (Source: National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, 2003). 

For complete copies of the City of Port Colborne Brownfield Strategy and Community Improvement Plan, please click on the following links:

City of Port Colborne Brownfield Strategy

City of Port Colborne Brownfield Community Improvement Plan

Financial Incentive Programs

An important component of any Community Improvement Plan are financial incentive programs that are offered to eligible property owners as a means of promoting private investment and change.  The incentive programs contained in the City of Port Colborne Brownfield Strategy and Community Improvement Plan represent a comprehensive framework containing a range of programs that are designed to stimulate local brownfield redevelopment by addressing identified critical needs.  The financial incentive programs are primarily directed at the private sector and are designed to encourage private sector remediation and rehabilitation, adaptive reuse and construction activity on brownfield sites.

The following program guides outline the various incentive programs to encourage redevelopment of Brownfield sites around the municipality.  They provide program descriptions, required information and FAQs about the programs. 

Please click on the links below to view the guides.

Brownfield Property Tax Assistance/Brownfield Rehabilitation Grant Program Guide

Building Permit Fee Guide

Environmental Site Assessment Grant Program Guide

Feasibility Study Grant Program Guide

The following application forms are to be used by persons wishing to apply for Community Improvement Plan funding for one or more of the incentive programs offered under the Brownfield Community Improvement Plan for the City of Port Colborne.  Each application includes the respective program guide for the program to which the application refers.

Application for Building Permit Fee Grant

The purpose of the Bruilding Permit Fee Grant is to provide an additional incentive to augment the City's other brownfield redevelopment incentive programs and to help facilitate and spur adaptive re-use and new construction activity on former brownfield sites.

Application for Environmental Site Assessment Grant

The purpose of the Environmental Site Assessment Grant is to promote the undertaking of environmental studies so that more and better information is available with respect to the type of contamination and potential remediation costs on brownfield properties.

Application for Feasibility Study Grant

The purpose of the Feasibility Study Grant is to promote the undertaking of project feasibility studies so that potential investors can obtain more and better information with respect to the costs of reusing, rehabilitating and retrofitting brownfield buildings and lands as well as the market/economic feasibility of undertaking different types of development.

Application for Brownfield Property Tax Assistance Program/Rehabilitation Grant

The purpose of the Brownfield Property Tax Assistance Program (TAP) is to encourage the remediation and rehabilitation of brownfield sites by providing a cencellation of part or all of the property tax increase on a property that is undergoing or has undergone remediation and development to assist with payment of the cost of environmental remediation.  This program only appies to properties requiring environmental remediation and/or risk assessment/management.

The purpose of the Brownfield Rehabilitation Grant Program is to encourage the remediation, rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of brownfield sites by providing grants to help pay for remediation costs not fully disbursed by the Brownfield Property Tax Assistance Program and non-environmental rehabilitation costs normally associated with brownfield site redevelopment.  This program only applies to properties requiring environmental remediation and/or risk assessment/management.

For more information regarding the City of Port Colborne Brownfield Strategy and Community Improvement Plan, please contact:

Lindsay Richardson
Community/Policy Planner 
Ph. 905-835-2901 ext 129
Fax:  (905) 835-2939
Email Lindsay Richardson