Rome-Floyd County Development Authority (RFCDA) in partnership with the City of Rome and Floyd County was awarded a grant from the USEPA to perform Brownfield Community-Wide Assessment in the community. The RFCDA, with over 75 years of experience in economic development, will lead the project team and do its best to ensure success, creating jobs and improving environmental conditions for our community. The goal of these efforts to incentivize sustainable redevelopment of priority brownfield sites, bring jobs, and increase tax revenues.
What is a Brownfield?
Real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties protects the environment, reduces blight, and takes development pressures off greenspaces and working lands. (US EPA Definition)
What is involved in redeveloping brownfield sites?
The Grant identified two priority sites for assessment and the development of a brownfields inventory for the area to identify and prioritize additional sites for future redevelopment potential. The priority sites are:
Battey Business Complex
O’Neill Manufacturing
Priority Site 1: Battey Business Complex – In 2015, the City of Rome and RFCDA commissioned a redevelopment plan for the Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital (NGRH) site that includes industrial, advanced manufacturing, high-tech, and civic uses. Redevelopment of this site is also recommended in the Comprehensive Plan. RFCDA plans to demolish most of the buildings and prepare the site for redevelopment into an industrial/manufacturing/office park.
Priority Site 2: O’Neill Manufacturing – O’Neill Manufacturing Company is a blighting force on the Blossom Hill section of North Rome. The RFCDA plans to increase accessible job opportunities for residents. Redevelopment concepts include light industrial/advanced manufacturing or the creation of a community center with small business/tech incubator and makerspace.
Once redeveloped, these properties can bring renewed hope to residents and connection to the community at large. The benefits of this reuse strategy extend to the whole community. Successful implementation of the redevelopment plans will lead to increased tax revenue for the City and County, not only by putting the sites back into productive use, but by catalyzing additional investment in the Target Area and capturing Rome’s share of the regional economic growth. In addition to these economic benefits for the City and County, there are immediate noneconomic, development-oriented benefits for the surrounding neighborhoods such as added amenities, increased livability, environmental protection, beautification, and safety.
Brownfield Advisory Committee
Feedback and involvement from the community stakeholders is critical to the success of this program. The RFCDA Brownfields Program is guided by an Advisory Committee consisting of the following partners:
• Georgia Power Community Development
• South Rome Alliance
• North Rome Community Action Committee
• Northwest Georgia Housing Authority
• Greater Rome Existing Industries Association
• Rome Floyd County Library
• Greater Rome Board of Realtors
• Community Foundation of Greater Rome
• Rome Rotary
• Georgia Northwestern Technical College
• Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Georgia
• Rome Floyd Chamber
• Rome Floyd County Community Kitchen
• Rome Floyd Recreation Authority
The Brownfield Advisory Committee meets twice a year to provide guidance to on how to best prioritize site assessments and spend grant funding. Additional information on opportunities for community involvement are detailed in the Community Relations Plan and will be updated in the “News and Announcements” section.