Brownfield redevelopment is generating a new wave of contracting opportunities as public officials move aggressively to transform contaminated and long-idled properties into parks, schools, waterfront destinations and other public assets. The trend is being reinforced by significant federal investment.
In June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced more than $270 million in brownfields funding, including $248 million in Brownfield Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup grants for 190 communities and another $22.5 million for existing Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund recipients.
As of July 1, EPA’s Brownfields Program reported that 43,397 properties had been assessed, more than 3,100 had been cleaned and 13,236 had been made ready for anticipated use. The agency reports that brownfield investments have leveraged approximately $46 billion and more than 230,000 jobs. And the pipeline will continue as the EPA prepares to issue Fiscal Year 2027 solicitations for funding programs such as the Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup grants this fall.
The public projects that follow illustrate another important trend. Brownfield redevelopment is no longer simply about removing contaminated soil. Remediation is now the first phase of all types of much larger capital projects involving water infrastructure, parks, habitat restoration, schools, waterfront redevelopment and other public facilities. Examples of upcoming brownfield projects follow.
The $75.4 million Paseo del Rio at Taylor Yard and water quality improvement project in Los Angeles is about to launch. The project is being developed through a 100-acre partnership between the City of Los Angeles, California State Parks and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Remediation at the site includes a nature-based pilot program that uses plants and fungi to remove contaminants from the soil while preparing portions of Taylor Yard for public open space and habitat improvements.
Because of their proximity and overlapping schedules, Paseo del Rio and the water quality improvements will be delivered concurrently. The improvements will cover approximately 6 acres and include soil remediation, habitat restoration, pedestrian paths, educational signage, a kayak landing area and an entry plaza with parking and restrooms. Another 8 acres will be dedicated to water quality improvements, including a bioretention area designed to divert stormwater from surrounding drains and capture and filter runoff. Trail upgrades, native habitat restoration, lighting and interpretive signage will also be included.
The project is currently in the design and environmental planning phase as coordination continues with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Solicitation and award activities are expected in 2027, with construction currently scheduled to also begin in 2027.
Officials at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are studying a major remediation and ecological restoration project at the approximately 200-acre Pig’s Eye Dump in Saint Paul. The former disposal area contains millions of cubic yards of waste and has documented groundwater, surface-water, sediment and landfill-gas concerns. A recently completed task force study recommended further evaluation of two major cleanup approaches, dig-and-haul or dig-and-line.
Under the dig-and-haul alternative, crews would excavate waste and transport the material to permitted disposal facilities. Related work could include grading, drainage improvements, groundwater and surface-water remediation, sediment cleanup, landfill-gas controls and restoration of portions of the property.
The dig-and-line alternative also involves excavation, but waste would remain on site within a newly engineered landfill system. Containment measures would include a bottom liner, impermeable cover and environmental-control systems designed to limit contaminant migration. Habitat and ecological restoration could accompany the cleanup, potentially including wetlands, native vegetation, pollinator and wildlife habitat, recreational trails and other passive-use areas.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Pig’s Eye Dump Task Force issued its final report in February 2026 and recommended completion of a feasibility study that gives priority to the dig-and-haul and dig-and-line alternatives. The eventual remediation program could become a major multiyear environmental construction undertaking once a preferred alternative, funding strategy and procurement schedule are established.
In the state of Washington, a major water environmental cleanup project is also moving through design at the Port of Everett’s South Terminal property. The work will address contamination associated with the former Weyerhaeuser Mill A site, and the Washington State Department of Ecology will oversee the remediation program. Current estimates place the in-water cleanup cost between $200 million and $300 million.
The effort will include dredging and management of contaminated marine sediment and wood debris. Other work components will include construction of a confined disposal facility, installation of underwater sediment caps and placement of clean material in areas designated for enhanced natural recovery. Selected areas will be monitored for natural recovery where active dredging or capping is not required. The effort will also call for shoreline and marine structural improvements, environmental monitoring, water-quality protection and continued investigation and remediation of upland soil and groundwater.
The project is in the design and environmental investigation stage, and the current schedule places a project launch in late 2027 or early 2028.
A $101.2 million brownfield redevelopment project will involve construction of a new elementary school in Meriden, Conn. The Casimir Pulaski Elementary School project will replace an existing facility with a two-story building up to approximately 97,100 square feet. It will serve students in prekindergarten through fifth grade along with the districtwide STARS special education program. The project will call for demolition of the former Meriden-Wallingford Hospital facility before the school construction can proceed.
Site preparation also includes hazardous-material abatement and contaminated-soil remediation. Approximately $16.3 million of the project budget has been allocated for contaminated-soil excavation, hazardous-material removal and demolition costs, along with other related contingencies and escalation. The new school will include modern instructional and special education spaces, a gymnasium, accessible outdoor areas and updated building systems and technology.
The city plans to contract through a Construction Manager at Risk delivery method with a guaranteed maximum price. Procurement for owner’s project management was launched this summer and current procurement documents anticipate construction beginning in 2028.
Officials in Sioux Falls are planning a $15 million revitalization project focused on a former industrial quarry adjacent to Falls Park in South Dakota. The City of Sioux Falls and the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation announced in July that the community will receive $15 million to support the transformation of the property into a new natural and recreational destination known as The Quarry at The Falls.
Redevelopment concepts include improvements around the existing quarry pond, pedestrian and bicycle connections, trails, green space and new opportunities for public access to the property. The project is intended to connect the long-unused quarry property with the larger Falls Park system while incorporating ecological restoration and natural features.
Planning and community engagement are now underway, and the final scope will be shaped as environmental conditions and redevelopment alternatives are evaluated. A construction procurement schedule has not yet been announced.
These projects demonstrate why brownfield redevelopment should be watched well beyond the traditional environmental services sector. Cleaning up a contaminated property often triggers a much larger capital program requiring environmental consultants, engineers, demolition and remediation contractors, water and stormwater specialists, landscape architects, construction firms, technology providers and numerous specialty subcontractors.
The opportunity pipeline does not end with the current round of projects. EPA has already announced that Fiscal Year 2027 competitions for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup grants are expected this fall. As more public owners obtain funding and move properties from assessment into remediation and reuse, projects will advance toward design and construction. For private-sector firms, that makes early positioning especially important. The most valuable positioning opportunities usually emerge long before a construction solicitation is released, when public officials are still determining how contaminated properties can be cleaned up, financed and returned to productive use. This pipeline of new upcoming opportunities is definitely one to watch.
