5 o T> Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet Kansas City, MO EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description The City of Kansas City was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Kansas City (population 441,545) is a federally designated Enhanced Enterprise Community. The target community consists of the eastern portion of downtown Kansas City and the West Paseo neighborhood. From the late 19th to the mid-20th Century, the downtown district was among the most densely developed areas of the city with apartments, hotels, and small commercial and retail businesses. The area's decline was hastened by the construction of an interstate loop in the 1960s that divided the community. The area today is one of the most economically disadvantaged in the city. It has a 36.5 percent poverty rate, and 66.2 percent of area residents are minorities. The city plans to redevelop the target site as part of the East Village Project, a $360 Cleanup Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the City of Kansas City for a brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the East Village Project—Greyhound Bus Terminal site at 1111 Holmes Street in downtown Kansas City. For more than a century, the site was used for a variety of commercial operations including a laundry facility, paint store, machine shop, and bus terminal. Site soil and groundwater are contaminated with metals, volatile organic hydrocarbons, and inorganic compounds. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/ brownfields. EPA Region 7 Brownfields Team 800-223-0425 http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brownfields Grant Recipient: City of Kansas City, MO 816-513-3002 The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti- ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. million project that is expected to bring housing, jobs, and services to the community. Cleanup of the site will help reduce potential exposure to environmental contaminants and is expected to remove a critical barrier to redevelopment. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-08-171 April 2008 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |