EPA-560-F-08-297
September 2008
2401 EDGEWOOD AVENUE
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
& Hennepin County, MN
Revolving Loan Fund Grants
Former Lithium Manufacturing Facility Cleaned Up
with the Help of Innovative Partnerships
ADDRESS:
PROPERTY SIZE:
BUILDING SQ FT.
FORMER USES:
CURRENT USES:
2401 Edgewood Avenue Sq., St. Louis Park, MN 55426
5.8 acres
79,000
Sand pit, brick manufacturing, lithium refining,
food production
Multi-tenant industrial building; 80 percent currently
leased by promotional distribution company
EPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
The Minnesota Dept. of Employment
and Economic Development loaned
$150,000 and Hennepin County
loaned $450,000 in Brownfields
Revolving Loan Fund funding.
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic
Development (DEED); Hennepin County;
Metropolitan Council; City of St. Louis Park;
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Edgewood
Investors/Real Estate Recycling
For additional data and geographic information for this
and other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA's:
Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/bms_query
Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf
PROJECT BACKGROUND:
The 2401 Edgewood Avenue property has had a variety of industrial uses since the early 1930s, including: a sand pit
and brick manufacturer (1931-1942); a lithium refinery (1942-1960); and a food production facility (1960-1988). The food
facility was closed in 1998 and remained vacant for more than 5 years. Potential developers did not pursue the property
due to contamination issues. During this period of vacancy, the property was the subject of more than 45 police calls,
including those associated with a methamphetamine laboratory operating on site. The property eventually became a
source of concern because of its close proximity to an elementary school and a heavily-used regional trail. To assist
in restoring 2401 Edgewood and other blighted properties, Hennepin County and DEED received EPA Brownfields
Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund grants in 1999 and 2003, respectively.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
• Removed more than 13,000 pounds of soil contaminated with lithium,
petroleum, lead, and barium from the property; removed asbestos
from structures.
• Leveraged more than $6 million toward additional cleanup and
redevelopment efforts, as well as 100 jobs.
• Became the first lithium-contaminated property in the state
of Minnesota to be cleaned up and redeveloped by a private
redevelopment firm.
OUTCOME:
New Edgewood Business Center in St. Louis, Park, MN
The newly developed Edgewood Business Center provides 79,000 square feet of multi-tenant, modern office
warehouse space-the first of its kind in the City of St. Louis Park. More than $6 million was leveraged for cleanup and
redevelopment, bringing 100 jobs to the site upon project completion. Following redevelopment, the property value
increased from approximately $1 million to $4.7 million and property taxes increased by 350 percent.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at htr
:ov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 5 at (312) 353 2513
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