The city of Birmingham is turning its attention toward making old industrial properties usable again with a new assessment of brownfields in the city.

United Consulting Group Ltd. is being hired by the city to assess brownfield properties and help leaders narrow down the list to move forward with environmental testing at select locations. A brownfield is property where the presence of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants from past industrial activity stymies redevelopment, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Birmingham, a city built on steel, mining and heavy manufacturing, contains many contaminated properties left by industries that have closed or moved.

Rick Journey, director of communications for Mayor Randall Woodfin, said the city’s Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits expects the program will support efforts to rebuild neighborhoods, restore environmental assets and promote cleaner, modern development while honoring Birmingham’s industrial heritage.

“The EPA’s Brownfield Assessment Grant is a key tool for the city in rebuilding communities affected by legacy industrial activity, protecting and restoring natural assets, and pursuing cleaner, modern practices while honoring Birmingham’s industrial heritage,” he said. The city won that $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency in the fall.

Earlier this month, the City Council approved a three-year, nine-month agreement with United Consulting for up to $424,000 to help the city develop and implement a “Communitywide Brownfield Assessment and Citywide Brownfield Redevelopment Strategies.” The environmental and engineering consulting firm is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, and has offices in Leeds.

It will conduct Phase 1 site assessments to identify environmental conditions associated with properties. The city then will select six sites that move forward to Phase II based on factors including community involvement, site access, redevelopment potential and the likelihood of accelerating economic activity in surrounding neighborhoods.

The city’s planning department has not yet selected specific sites for assessment, though it has identified Ensley, north Birmingham and east Birmingham as target areas with redevelopment potential. Sites listed as priorities in EPA information about the grant include 48-acre U.S. Pipe & Foundry site, the 40-acre former Carver High School, the 600-acre Ensley Works site and a 2.8-acre brick building at 2000 Pleasant Hill Road.

Councilor Clinton Woods said in a statement that the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites could generate a substantial amount of additional tax revenue annually in Birmingham:

“We’re really trying to lay the foundation as a technology and medical research hub for the South, so having large, sprawling sites really helps put us in play for recruiting new companies to Birmingham,” Woods said. “We’ve seen other cities in the region attract these large developments, so this will help us clean up these sites and get them shovel-ready so that we can be in contention for major investments.”