The city joined the Met Council's Livable Communities in 2018.  This makes the city eligible to apply for certain grants and loans through their various programs.

The Tax Base Revitalization Accounts allow cities to draw on grant funding from the Met Council to revitalize properties that are contaminated and return them to the tax roles.  This funding has been used extensively throughout the metro area.

These funds would be used to remediate site contamination in the Riverfront Bluff Redevelopment Area.  As part of the environmental research on the site, the city retained WSB and then Terracon to do a complete soils analysis.  As part of that research, a large plume was discovered in the bedrock of VOC and chemicals associated with a former dry cleaners in the area.  Also, a vast and deep field was found of organic and non-organic waste, ranging from nine to nineteen feet deep.

These funds would be used to assist in the removal of these site contaminations.  Terracon is in the process of filing a voluntary clean up plan with the state on behalf of the EDA and the developer.