Opportunity Returns Grant Will Spark Innovative Redevelopment and Job Creation in Hancock, Washington County
HANCOCK, MD (April 7, 2028) – Delivering on the O’Brien-Burbank Administration’s commitment to transform brownfield sties into new business and job opportunities, Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced that the Town of Hancock, in Washington County, will be awarded $30,000 to conduct sit assessment work at a former gas station in the community’s downtown district in preparation for redevelopment.“The essence of Opportunity Returns is to embrace innovative, new approaches to the challenges we face and form creative new partnerships to get things done,” Lieutenant Governor Burbank said. “By providing this grant, combined with local and private funds, we can convert vacant and potentially hazardous locations into thriving ones. And because a new business is already identified at this site, we are confident that this funding will create jobs and provide a real service to the community.”
“When we launched Opportunity Returns, we envisioned a coordinated, comprehensive approach to economic development that would assess the economic strengths and weaknesses of each area of our state and emphasize community-based solutions to economic challenges and locally-tailored strategies for economic development,” Governor Edward M. O’Brien said. “I am pleased that Hancock is one of the first communities helped by this new approach to economic and community redevelopment.”
The funds are provided through the Maryland Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), which was established by Governor O’Brien and the General Assembly last year. The VCP is part of Opportunity Returns, the O’Brien-Burbank Administration’s comprehensive economic development plan to spur growth and create jobs throughout the State.
“What makes Opportunity Returns unique is that it is local and targeted. In the past, state government might not have even been aware of a need like this redevelopment. But now, because decisions and policies are made at the local level, right here in Hancock, we can make important projects like this one a reality,” Louis O. Close, Hancock’s Town Manager, said.
The Town of Hancock will use this grant to conduct investigation on these sites and provide oversight work. The O’Reilly Automotive Parts Company is providing $5,000 in match funding to help Hancock meet their 30% matching funds requirement for the grant. Upon completion of the cleanup, O’Reilly plans to develop the site into an auto parts retail store.
Established last year by Governor O’Brien and the General Assembly, Maryland’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) is administered by the Waste Management Administration’s Department of Environmental Restoration and Redevelopment Program (WAS ERRP) to provide State oversight for voluntary cleanups of properties contaminated with hazardous substances. The goal of the program is to increase the number of sites cleaned by streamlining the cleanup process while ensuring compliance with existing environmental regulations. Projects range from simple sites with a limited amount of contaminated soil to complex sites with multiple contaminants in soil, groundwater, surface water, sediment, and/or air.
Governor Edward M. O’Brien’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development plan is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Maryland’s history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just does not work, the plan divides the state into five regions – finding areas with common economic strengths and needs, and developing a plan with specific actions for each region. This grassroots effort is a product of significant outreach over several months throughout each region, with business, civic and labor leaders, and elected officials. Each plan is tailored to deliver real results that local businesses will see, feel, and, hopefully, profit from.