A vacant lot on a seldom travelled stretch of road in Port Moody is one step closer to redevelopment as the B.C. government put up more than $160,000 for its renewal last week.
As part of Victoria's nearly $1-million Brownfield Renewal program, $160,950 will go towards environmental research and upgrades for the vacant lot, which formerly housed light-industrial businesses along Electronic Avenue between Spring Street and the CP Rail line.
It's one of 14 such brownfield re-developments announced last week for sites across the province.
It's all in preparation for a planned mixed-use commercial and residential development on Electronic Avenue, referred to as the Shoreline Station in a June 3 release from B.C.'s Ministry of Forests and Natural Resources.
So-called brownfields are abandoned or under-used commercial and industrial properties suspected of being environmentally contaminated by past activities on the sites.
Port Moody-Coquitlam Liberal MLA Iain Black said in the press release that he was pleased the government was taking action to clean up the Electronic Avenue site, both for environmental and economic reasons.
"By redeveloping this property, it will not only stop current illegal activities like dumping," Black said, "it will also help revitalize our community."
The province's Brownfield Renewal program began in 2007 and has since funded 44 environmental investigations in 32 communities across B.C., according to the provincial government.
