A vacant industrial property in Cedartown could be one step closer to redevelopment thanks to new federal funding.

The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Part of that money will be used to study the former Hale Manufacturer property in southeast Cedartown to determine whether it is safe for future development and what cleanup may be needed.

The funding is part of $13 million in EPA brownfield grants awarded across Georgia. Brownfields are abandoned or unused properties where possible environmental contamination has made redevelopment more difficult.

EPA Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber said the grants give communities the chance to turn neglected properties into places that can benefit local residents. He said cleaning up old industrial sites and planning for their future can bring new life to neighborhoods.

The regional commission will use the grant to complete environmental studies at sites across its 15-county region. The funding will also help create cleanup plans, redevelopment ideas, and provide opportunities for public input.

One of those sites is the former Hale Manufacturer property near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Cedar Hill Street. The 12-acre property has been used for industry for more than a century, serving at different times as a cotton mill, clothing factory, and manufacturing plant.

The facility closed in 2005 and has remained vacant ever since. Over the years, the property has deteriorated and now raises environmental and safety concerns.

According to the Polk County Joint Comprehensive Plan, local leaders hope to redevelop the site into an affordable neighborhood with about 60 single-family homes. If the property can be cleaned up, the project could provide new housing while improving a long-vacant section of the city.

The EPA’s Brownfields Program was created in 1995 to help communities identify, clean up, and redevelop contaminated properties. Since then, the program has awarded more than $3 billion to projects across the country.