2006 Demonstration Project
Kansas City Structural
Steel: Kansas City, Kansas
THE SITE: The 22-acre Kansas City Structural Steel site was home to a
smelting and refining company from 1880 until 1901 and a steel fabrication
facility from 1907 until 1984. The steel fabrication process produced by-
products that contaminated the surface soil and ground water at the site.
Heavy metal contaminants were detected in the soil; lead contamination was
the primary concern. In 1993, a removal action was carried out to excavate
contaminated soil up to four feet below grade and backfill the area with
clean fill. Buildings and concrete and asphalt pads were decontaminated,
demolished, and disposed of. Some of the excavated soils were placed
in a structural embankment in the southeast corner of the site, known as
the consolidated fill area. Piles of asbestos-contaminated brick were also
removed. BancAmerica Commercial Corporation acquired the property in
1984. In 1995, El Centre Inc., a local non-profit community development
organization, acquired the property from BancAmerica and entered into a
Prospective Purchaser Agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). At this time, institutional controls were implemented to
prevent future exposure to lead contamination at depth in site soils.
THE OPPORTUNITY: Since cleanup, the site has been vacant in an
otherwise mixed industrial, commercial, and residential area. Existing
infrastructure such as a nearby railroad and four-lane highway makes
the site attractive to residential, commercial, and industrial developers.
Alternatively, using the site as a recreational green space would also be
welcomed by community members. A number of interested developers
have pitched ideas for redevelopment, including a wheel manufacturing
facility, a golf driving range academy, a steel manufacturer, a counter top
manufacturer, and a residential development. El Centre Inc. is actively
involved in economic development efforts in the community and would
like for the site's reuse to bring in new jobs, increase the tax base, or
otherwise enhance the community's economic standing.
THE BARRIERS: All of the developer inquiries thus far have been
unsuccessful. The institutional controls restrict how buildings can be
constructed at the site. At least a four-foot clean fill layer must remain
below the finished grade. Buildings constructed on the site cannot have
basements, and crawl spaces cannot be more than two feet below the
finished grade. Foundations and support structures can extend below the
four-foot barrier, but special rules apply for handling hazardous materials
Barriers:
Uncertainty about appropriate
uses of the property; lack of clear
information about the site
Solution:
Preliminary reuse assessment
evaluation and information
gathering; active ongoing dialogue
with site owner and Realtor
Before:
Cleaned up steel fabrication
facility with a number of
unsuccessful redevelopment
inquiries
After:
22 acres of available property,
assessed for commercial,
industrial, and residential reuse
potential
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated June 2009
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during construction. These restrictions have deterred potential developers from acquiring the site, since many
industrial and commercial buildings require pits or open structures substantially below the finished grade. The
consolidated fill area is fenced off and cannot be used for any purpose.
THE SOLUTION: EPA proposed a preliminary reuse assessment to determine reasonable and protective future
uses, which would help the site owner and potential developers better understand the site's possibilities and
limitations. In an effort to bring all stakeholders together on the same page, EPA facilitated discussions among El
Centra Inc., local officials, the property Realtor, the EPA site attorney, and the EPA site assessment manager to
maintain a productive dialogue about what barriers not necessary for protectiveness can be addressed to support
the site's future use.
THE SITE NOW: Armed with clear and accurate information about what uses the site can reasonably support,
El Centra Inc. would be in a position to make the site available to potential purchasers and take the first steps
towards redevelopment, while ensuring that future site users will be protected. EPA Region 7 will continue to
work with El Centre Inc. to overcome any additional barriers that might arise.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Tonya Howell, Region 7 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator,
at (913) 551-7589 or howell.tonya@epa.gov.
Left to right: Kansas City Structural Steel site in foreground, railroad and adjacent industrial facilities in background; grass-cov-
ered consolidated fill area in foreground; site perimeter fence looking west.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated June 2009
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