EPA $1 MILLION BROWNFIELDS CLEANUP GRANT TO TRANSFORM CONTAMINATED SITE IN CAMDEN

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency celebrated the selection of Camden Lutheran Housing Inc. to receive a $1 million grant for the cleanup of the Former West Jersey Paper Manufacturing Site. The event, which took place at the intersection of North Front Street and Elm Street in Camden, New Jersey, was part of a tour of several key redevelopment sites in the area. Following the cleanup funded by this grant, 15 affordable single-family homes will be built at these locations, marking a significant step in the broader revitalization efforts across Camden.

“Our administration has been laser-focused on expanding access to safe and affordable housing in New Jersey,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “This critical funding from the EPA’s Brownfields Program and President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will allow for the environmental and economic revitalization of several communities across the Garden State, including the city of Camden. Cleaning up contaminated sites and constructing new, affordable homes will advance our mission of becoming the best state in the nation to live and raise a family.”

The $1 million grant to Camden Lutheran Housing Inc. will be used to clean up a half-acre site previously used for paper milling and pulp operations. Activities at this facility contaminated soil and have prevented the site from being used for the good of the community.

This cleanup will make the site safe for the development of 15 affordable single-family homes, furthering the City of Camden’s initiative to prioritize affordable housing and the redevelopment of medium-density residential land. This grant is part of four grants totaling $3 million in EPA Brownfields funding for communities across New Jersey.

The Camden Redevelopment Agency, also present at the event, was selected to receive a $500,000 community-wide grant to conduct environmental site assessments, focusing on the Federal Street Industrial and Commercial Corridor in the East Camden Neighborhood.