FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority Named Only Houston-Area Recipient of 2026 Community-Wide Brownfields Assessment Grant
$500,000 award marks a turning point for a community that has carried decades of disinvestment
HOUSTON, TX [August 8, 2026] The Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority (HCFBRA) has been awarded a $500,000 Community-Wide Brownfields Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), making it the only entity in the greater Houston area to receive a grant of its type during the current grant cycle. The funding, made possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is part of a national investment of more than $270 million the EPA announced to help revitalize communities across the country.
A brownfield is any property where the presence of hazardous substances or pollutants may complicate its reuse. These sites can include former gas stations, dry cleaners, and small commercial properties where activity from decades ago left a lasting mark. Many communities have brownfields that go unassessed. Through the identification and prioritization of these sites, a pathway can be created for cleanup and sustainable redevelopment efforts.
The Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority has worked to address blight through cleanup and redevelopment efforts for the last decade. In 2023, it acquired a former gas station at 4802 W. Fuqua Street that had sat vacant for years and became a site of illegal activity and neighborhood nuisance. Since then, staff have assessed the contamination, demolished the structure, and have plans to redevelop the property into a public green space connected to Simon Minchen Park and the Sims Bayou Trail. The EPA grant allows the Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority to begin similar assessment processes on dozens of additional properties across Harris County.
The Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority will conduct 21 initial assessments and follow up with deeper testing on up to five if necessary. This grant will also fund the development of proposed cleanup and reuse plans. Residents will have a voice throughout the process and will be kept informed every step of the way by signing up for our mailing list.
“This grant is a chance to do more of the work our community has waited years for. We’ve seen firsthand what it means to take a blighted, contaminated property and reimagine its future alongside the people who live, play, work and worship here. Now we can do that across our community. We look forward to keeping residents and business owners informed as this work moves forward,” said LeRon Wilson, Executive Director of the Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority.
Since 1995, the EPA’s Brownfields Program has provided more than $3 billion in grant funding nationwide to assess and clean up contaminated properties, leveraging more than $45 billion in cleanup and redevelopment investment and supporting more than 228,900 jobs.
About the Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority
The Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority invests in the planning, engineering, and construction of new streets, water distribution facilities, wastewater collection facilities, storm drainage improvements, roadway and street reconstruction projects, cultural and public facility improvements, parks, and other related economic development improvements. Learn more at hiramclarkefortbend.com.
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832-494-6484
kristyn@medley-inc.com
