Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund

Photo by Wes Wyche, City of Shreveport

Have a Brownfield Site that needs cleanup? Apply for the LDEQ’s Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund!

LDEQ’s Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) provides low interest loans with flexible terms to support the environmental cleanup of vacant and underutilized properties to get them ready for reuse.

LDEQ’s BCRLF currently has a 0% interest rate, and nonprofit and government entities are eligible for 30% loan forgiveness. Funding goes to the entity applying for assistance who then hires a qualified environmental contractor to complete cleanup activities. Repayment generally starts six months after the Certificate of Occupancy is issues or two years after the cleanup is completed (whichever is first) to allow time for the project to produce income.  

 If you are interested in applying for a Brownfield Cleanup Loan, we encourage you to complete the BCRLF Interest Form and submit it to Brownfields@LA.gov. A member of our Brownfields Team will follow up with you to help determine if the BCRLF is the best fit for your project.

BCRLF IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

LDEQ developed a BCRLF Implementation Plan that provides details on how the program will be administered, including project and applicant eligibility, how projects will be reviewed and selected, and the cleanup and loan repayment process.

Please note that that Implementation Plan is a living document that may be revised from time to time based on the dynamic Brownfield environment. In addition, as each Brownfield site is unique, each funding structure will be unique. LDEQ’s goal is to work with the funding applicant and the community to support their efforts to turn blighted properties in to community assets.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS AREAS

LDEQ’s BCRLF is initially focused on three geographic areas:

• Shreveport Common neighborhood in Shreveport
  • Partners:
    • City of Shreveport
    • Shreveport Common
• Historic Downtowns of Monroe and West Monroe
  • Partner:
    • Monroe / West Monroe/ Ouachita Parish Brownfield Coalition
• Rural areas throughout the State
  • Partner:
    • Louisiana Municipal Advisory and Technical Services Bureau (part of the Louisiana Municipal Association)

Projects in other parts of the State may also be eligible. We encourage you to complete the BCRLF Interest Form and submit it to Brownfields@LA.gov to determine what assistance might be available.  

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Public, private and nonprofit entities are all eligible to apply for funding as long as they are not responsible for causing or contributing to contamination at the site. Additional eligibility information is included in the BCRLF Implementation Plan.

PROJECT/SITE ELIGIBILITY

Projects are eligible for BCRLF funding if they meet the following criteria:

• The site must meet the EPA definition of a Brownfield site: a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
• The proposed reuse must be for a community benefit and/or be income producing. Examples include:
  • Health center
  • Fresh food center in a neighborhood that is a food desert
  • Park/recreational space open to the community
  • Nonprofit incubator
  • Affordable multi-family housing
  • Rental housing
  • Commercial & Industrial developments

Additional eligibility information is included in the BCRLF Implementation Plan. 

Photo provided by Sara McDaniel

BCRLF SUCCESS STORY

An $80,000 loan/line of credit from LDEQ's BCRLF awarded to real estate investment company Spanish Court LLC, headed by Sara McDaniel, funded the abatement of asbestos and lead-based paint at the Villas at Spanish Court site in historic Minden, LA. With funding to address the environmental concerns at each of the seven units spread between three buildings, Sara was then able to restore the 1930s villas into quaint short-term rentals. Not only did revitalizing this property remove environmental hazards from the community, but it also created both temporary and permanent jobs and added property, sales, and income tax revenues to the local tax base. In addition, the project supports the tourism economy in downtown Minden by providing a local place to stay and bolstered tourism in general through recent television and magazine features highlighting the project as well as local attractions.

BCRLF DOCUMENTS 

• BCRLF Interest Form
• BCRLF Implementation Plan

CONTACTS

For additional information, please contact LDEQ’s Statewide Brownfield Program Team at Brownfields@LA.gov.