ADEM’s Brownfields Program Offers Grants, Site Cleanup Assistance to Multifamily Housing Developers

For developers seeking to secure funds for multifamily housing, clearing AHFA’s threshold environmental requirements is a critical part of the application process. In addition to AHFA’s required compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) plays a key role.

To learn more about ADEM’s services, AHFA interviewed Sonja Favors, who serves as ADEM’s Industrial Hazards Waste Branch Chief. Favors explained ADEM’s role and shared how ADEM assists developers, helps local governments, and provides guidance for AHFA developments.

Favors runs ADEM’s Brownfields Redevelopment and Voluntary Cleanup program, which oversees the voluntary assessment and cleanup of contaminated brownfields sites. This provides significant liability protections during and after assessment and cleanup activities.

How does ADEM provide environmental protections for multifamily developments?

“Through our Voluntary Cleanup program, we offer what we call third-party liability protection. In layman’s terms, that means we become a part of the team when you include us in the process, and what we’re ensuring is that the work that you’re doing is overseen by environmental professionals with ADEM. In turn, we can say that the remedy is protective for the development, and we stand with that by providing a letter of concurrence saying that you’ve done everything needed for the property to be developed.”

Why is environmental safety so critical for multifamily developments?

“Our mission at the agency is to ensure human health and protection of the environment with clean air, clean water, and making sure that any exposure you have doesn’t impair your lifestyle. When talking about where you live, where you spend a large portion of your time, we want to make sure that there isn’t anything that could have a negative impact. This is why it’s really important to involve us early in the process. Environmental safety is imperative to ensure the quality of life for all residents, especially the great citizens of Alabama.”

How does ADEM help developers apply for grants or access voluntary cleanup funds?

“The grant process is competitive and there are grants offered every year starting in the fall. You need to think about that early, as every grant that you apply for will need to have a letter of concurrence, which is a letter of support. You want this letter of concurrence because it shows that the state, through the Brownfield program, finds the project to be viable and supports the project. ADEM also helps determine if a project would align with any of the grants offered. We work with partners to bring information to developers and also host workshops that provide information on the Brownfield grants. I don’t think a lot of people understand that you want to create partnerships that provide opportunities to stack funds from the Brownfield program, the USDA, and other funding sources. Once a strong initial partnership is secured, others are more inclined to join in on a viable project. We also try to be a liaison for our federal colleagues so that developers can take advantage of all those resources that are available. We offer workshops to discuss available grants and explore forming these partnerships and hope to do one in the near future.”

What message would you like developers to take away from working with ADEM?

“Let us ADEM be a part of the team. It’s a team effort. We want to be here and be a resource. We want to help produce solutions because we truly believe that if we can be a part of the team, then it is beneficial for the citizens of this great state. We are not here to be a roadblock, but to have a hard hat on with a shovel seeing how we can help make life better for all those that we can.”

To learn more about ADEM’s role and assistance for developers, please plan to attend AHFA’s 2026 Application Workshop. Favors will present additional information directly to multifamily developers during a dedicated question and answer period.