Fremont City Council Meeting: 01/13/26 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Landscape Architecture
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Grants
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5596) DOC ID: 5596 A
Updated: 1/9/2026 1:43 PM by Dina Lewis A Page 1
AUTHORIZE CITY MANAGER TO SUBMIT GRANT APPLICATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY - Authorize the City Manager or her designee to submit grant applications to the Environmental Protection Agency, and if awarded, execute grant funding agreements and appropriate any grant funds received.
Contact Persons:
Name: Tara Bhuthimethee Kim Beranek
Title: Parks Planning and Design Manager Community Services Director Div/Dept: Landscape Architecture Community Services
Phone: 510-494-4738 510-494-4330
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Consider authorizing the City Manager, or her designee, to submit grant applications to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and, if awarded, execute funding agreements and appropriate any grant funds received.
BACKGROUND: In 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provided over $1.5 billion to support planning, construction and operation of various public infrastructure improvements, including new and existing federal programs that could be valuable for brownfield revitalization projects. The Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grants program empowers states and communities to work together to prevent, assess, safely cleanup and sustainably reuse contaminated properties.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: In FY2026, the Brownfield Assessment Grants program has been funded with $35 million available for approximately 70 awards. This grant program provides funding for developing inventories of brownfield sites, conducting site assessments, and developing site-specific cleanup plans and developing reuse plans with the intent of bringing sites into productive reuse.
Staff will be utilizing GeoTracker (the California Water Board’s database available to public agencies for tracking environmental data) and other tools to identify viable candidates for the Assessment Grant and are proposing to request up to the maximum $500,000 from the EPA, to be used over a four-year project period. Typically, the types of sites that could be identified for assessment include former dry cleaners, gas stations, auto service stations, and railway corridors. Assessment Grants give the City an opportunity to work directly with the EPA in creating an inventory, site prioritization, community involvement, site reuse planning, assessment, and cleanup planning for brownfield sites. If awarded, the City would use the funds to create an inventory of potentially contaminated sites; execute Phase 1, Phase 2, and/or other environmental assessments on those properties through the City’s environmental consultants; initiate community outreach; and execute other grant-eligible activities to analyze potential properties for parkland acquisition.
Staff have determined that the City may also be eligible to apply for a Brownfield Cleanup Grant, a separate but related EPA grant under the same umbrella program. Staff are still researching the City’s eligibility but propose to apply for up to $1 million to address Council Staff Report (ID # 5596) Meeting of January 13, 2026 Updated: 1/9/2026 1:43 PM by Dina Lewis A Page 2
contamination at one or more brownfield sites, if applicable. The Cleanup Grant differs from the Assessment Grant in that it would be used to conduct onsite cleanup activities.
In FY 2025/26, $107 million in funding is available for approximately 36 awards, which are expected to have a four-year project period.
FISCAL IMPACT: No fiscal impact is anticipated, as neither grant requires a funding match.
Staff propose submitting applications to the EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant program for up to the maximum of $500,000 and potentially an application to the EPA’s Brownfields Cleanup Grant program for up to $1 million. Staff’s recommendation includes authorization to accept and appropriate any grant funds awarded.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The proposed actions are exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per, without limitation, each on a separate and independent basis, (1) CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that submitting grant applications will have a significant effect on the environment, and (2) CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b) as submitting grant applications, execution of funding agreements, and appropriation of funds are administrative and funding activities that will not result in physical changes in the environment and are not “projects” under CEQA.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the City Manager, or her designee, to submit grant applications to the Environmental Protection Agency, and if grants are awarded, accept the grants, execute grant funding agreements, and authorize the appropriation of any grant funds received.