The Redevelopment Authority has been the leading force in the redevelopment of brownfields in Bucks County since the creation of Pennsylvania’s award-winning Land Recycling Program in 1995, also known as Act 2. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines brownfields as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties protects the environment, reduces blight, and takes development pressures off green spaces and working lands.

The Bucks County Brownfields Program launched with the award of a $200,000 National Brownfields Pilot Demonstration grant from the EPA. This grant allowed the Redevelopment Authority to develop an inventory of brownfield properties within the State designated Enterprise Zone which was then located in portions of Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, Bensalem Township, Tullytown Borough and Morrisville Borough. The County Commissioners provided additional resources through the Community Development Block Grant program and 25 brownfield sites were identified in the Enterprise Zone. Today, all 25 sites are back to productive reuse, some through private sources and many through the sources of funding at the County, State and Federal levels.

Since the launch of the Bucks County Brownfields Program, the Redevelopment Authority facilitated the reuse of dozens of brownfield sites throughout Bucks County. The Redevelopment Authority is extremely active in pursuing public funds to assist in the assessment and remediation of brownfields with the goal of not only to clean up the sites, but to encourage economic redevelopment resulting in both jobs for local residents and enhanced property tax rolls for host communities. These efforts have breathed new life into the area’s economy and would not be possible without the collaborative efforts of Federal-State-Local and private sector partnerships.

More and more property owners are taking advantage of the Bucks County Brownfields Program and discovering that the Redevelopment Authority is the missing ingredient in putting a brownfield redevelopment project together. The Redevelopment Authority’s comprehensive program and access to funding can make the difference between revitalizing a brownfield site or letting it remain idle.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the Redevelopment Authority a Community-wide Brownfield Assessment Grant to update its inventory of Brownfield sites throughout Bucks County. 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.  

Residents, businesses, landowners, municipal officials, non-profits and the general public can assist in updating the Bucks County Brownfields Inventory. The Redevelopment Authority has created an electronic form that can be used to submit potential Brownfield sites within your community. The electronic form can be accessed by clicking the “Submit Property Details” button below. Your participation in creating an updated Bucks County Brownfield Inventory may help shape the future landscape of Bucks County!

Please visit the Brownfields Program section of our website to learn more about the Bucks County Brownfields Program.