WORCESTER, Mass. – Sen. Ed Markey was in Worcester on Wednesday to highlight more than $3 million in federal funding to support the Greendale Revitalization Initiative.

The plan encompasses 250 acres of land within the northern portion of Worcester, known as the Greendale Neighborhood.

It includes the environmental remediation of 51 acres of brownfields located on the former Saint Gobain campus, and the preparation of the area for future economic development.  

The Worcester Business Development Corporation is leading the project and said it's the largest project ever undertaken in their 60-year history.

“We are reclaiming 1.4 million square feet of old industrial property,” said WBDC President Craig Blais. “We are tearing down 45 buildings in four different phases. We are well on our way for the first 30 acres to be completed.”

“Every dollar of it is money well spent, turning eyesores into assets and polluted sites into public sanctuaries,” said Markey. “Remediating polluted sites breaths life back into the neighborhood. That is good for the environment, good for the community, good for business, creating more jobs.”

The WBDC said one of the major goals of the plans is to bring more employment opportunities to the area.