Lorain Harbor Area-Wide Planning Project Update

January 2018 – Happy New Year Lorain! Our project team has been working closely with key Lorain stakeholders, as well as the USEPA, to identify key sites and characteristics of Lorain that will facilitate a successful revitalization of sites along the Black River.

In preparation for conducting outreach around key brownfield sites, the Vita Nuova Planning team will be attending a number of meetings throughout Lorain to update the community and receive input from stakeholders and community members.

Progress to Date/Key Goals

Since the start of this project in August 2017, the Vita Nuova team has worked to complete several goals which laid the groundwork for ongoing progress in this project. The project team has worked to complete all tasks under Task 3, Research and Analysis, on the project schedule including:

  • review of existing plans and data
  • project area inventory and reuse prioritization
  • market analysis and reuse assessment
  • site prioritization and repositioning for the Expression of Interest process.

Going forward

As the Lorain AWP project progresses, Vita Nuova will be preparing to support Lorain in reaching out to the development community. We will prepare an Expression of Interest (EOI) package and supporting materials for key redevelopment sites. This will entail:

  • Updating the website – LorainHarborAWP.com
  • Creating an EOI package and supporting materials
  • Identifying potential developers and end users
  • Finalizing the list of redevelopment sites.

EPA Leadership Tours Black River Sites

September 29, 2017 – USEPA Region 5 Section Chief Brooke Furio joined Tom Brown of the Lorain Port Authority and Don Romancak from Lorain County on a boat tour of the Black River with the Vita Nuova team. Starting at the mouth of the Black River with a view of the Lorain Harbor Lighthouse, the team traveled up along the banks of the Black River to identify potential catalytic sites and further familiarize the team with the project study area. The properties included in this segment of the project area vary widely from industrial and mixed use to residential. All were impressed with the amount of waterfront land that may be available for redevelopment. The boat tour was an excellent way to see all the hidden beauty along the banks of the Black River. For more photos of the river tour, click here.

EPA Awards $200,000 Brownfield Grant to Lorain County, Ohio

 01/05/2017
Contact Information: 
Rachel Bassler (bassler.rachel@epa.gov)
312-886-7159

For Immediate Release: No. 16-OPA052

CHICAGO (Jan. 5, 2017) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $200,000 grant to Lorain County to fund a cleanup and redevelopment plan for the 19.5-acre Pellet Terminal site, a former iron ore shipping dock located downtown. The City of Lorain, Lorain Growth Corp., Charleston Village, and the Black River Area of Concern are partnering with the county on the project.

The funding will be used to help plan for nature trails along Lake Erie and restore commerce in Broadway and 28th Street corridor. This area was affected by the downturn in the steel industry. Vacant industrial, commercial and residential structures create hazardous conditions for residents and deter redevelopment.

“EPA’s brownfield grant will help spur more revitalization efforts in downtown Lorain,” said Region 5 Acting Superfund Director Douglas Ballotti.

More information on the grant recipient: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding

More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities: https://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/

Source: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-awards-200000-brownfield-grant-lorain-county-ohio