United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5105)
EPA 500-F-00-225
October 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
oEPA Brownfields Showcase
Community
Des Moines, IA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
Brownfields are abandoned, idled or underused industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is
complicated by real or perceived contamination. In May 1997, Vice President Gore announced a Brownfields National Partnership
to bring together the resources of more than 15 federal agencies to address local cleanup and reuse issues in a more coordinated
manner. In 1998, this multi-agency partnership designated 16 "Brownfields Showcase Communities"—models demonstrating
the benefits of collaborative activity on bmwnfields. In October 2000, the partnership selected 12 additional "Brownfields
Showcase Communities" to continue the success of the initiative. The Brownfields Showcase Communities are distributed
across the country and vary by size, resources, and community type. A wide range of support will be leveraged, depending on
the particular needs of each Showcase Community.
BACKGROUND
The Brownfields National Partnership has selected
Des Moines, Iowa, as a Brownfields Showcase
Community. The city identified about 250
brownfields sites throughout Des Moines, located
primarily in the following targeted redevelopment
areas: the 1,200-acre Agribusiness Park, the 300-acre
Riverpoint West area, and the city's federally desig-
nated Enterprise Community. All three of the
targeted areas have higher concentrations of minori-
ties and families living below the poverty level than
the rest of the city. The highest rates are in the
Enterprise Commu-
nity: 29.7 percent
minority population,
compared with the
city average of 10.8
percent, and 32.9
percent poverty rate,
compared with the
city's rate of 9.5
percent. Redevelop-
ment of the three
targeted revitalization
areas will create
approximately 8,000 new jobs and add approxi-
mately $400 million to the city's tax base.
Community Profile
CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
In the Agribusiness Park, which contains salvage
yards, an agricultural chemical manufacturer, and
other industrial facilities, the city has conducted Phase
I site assessments on 94 properties and found that 61
do not require further cleanup. The city completed
Phase II assessments on 12 of the remaining 33
properties, and no soil or groundwater contamination
was found that required cleanup. Phase I site assess-
ments were also conducted in the Riverpoint West
area, former home to foundries, rail yards, and an
industrial chemical manufacturing facility. Fifty-eight
properties were assessed
and 19 were found to not
require cleanup. The other
39 properties, comprising
175 acres, require further
investigation, and the city
is in the process of
preparing for Phase II
assessments.
Des Moines, Iowa
The City of Des Moines has put together
an impressive coalition of public and
private entities focusing its brownfields
redevelopment efforts on creating
residential, commercial, industrial and
recreational developments in the
Agribusiness Park and Riverpoint West
projects. The city is developing an area-
wide redevelopment strategy to
assemble private property and has made
significant progress in identifying the
extent of contamination in these areas.
The City of Des Moines
has a number of
brownfields redevelop-
ment projects underway in partnerships with EPA, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department
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of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development, and many others. One
leading example of these partnerships is the Federal
Home Financing Board's $2 million equity commit-
ment for the Riverpoint West project, a break-
through step for the Federal Home Loan Bank
System. In addition, the community has invested
nearly $200 million in local funds for brownfields
redevelopment in the downtown, northeast Des
Moines, the Agribusiness Park, and the federal
Enterprise Community.
EPA has awarded Des Moines a Brownfields
Assessment Demonstration Pilot for the
Agribusiness Park, a Supplemental Assessment
Demonstration Pilot for the Riverpoint West project,
and a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund
Pilot for brownfields redevelopment in the city.
Additionally, strong community involvement from
citizen, environmental, and civic and governmental
groups in the Des Moines brownfields redevelop-
ment project has helped revitalize the targeted areas.
These include, but are not limited to Des Moines
Neighbors (a coalition of 49 neighborhood associa-
tions), the Enterprise Community Steering Commit-
tee, the Good Neighbor Task Force, the City of Des
Moines, Polk County, and the State of Iowa.
Several business, lending, educational, and local
labor organizations are also involved. The city also
solicits community input in drafting urban renewal
plans and identifying redevelopment opportunities,
and uses public forums to help keep the public well
informed of the nature and extent of contamination at
the sites targeted for redevelopment.
SHOWCASE COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES AND
PLANNED ACTIVITIES
As a Showcase Community, Des Moines'
brownfields revitalization plans focus on residential,
commercial, industrial, and recreational redevelop-
ment in three targeted areas: the Agribusiness Park,
Riverpoint West, and the federal Enterprise Commu-
nity area. Through partnerships with many federal,
state, and local government and private sector
entities, Des Moines is creating a model for other
urban centers in America's heartland. The
Agribusiness Park will attract new value-added
agricultural enterprises and create about 7,000 jobs.
The reuse plan will also encourage the use of more
environmentally conscious development approaches.
The Riverpoint West will be developed into a mixed-
use urban village with 1,000 townhouses, 850,000
square feet of office space, and environmental and
recreational improvements are expected to create
approximately 8,000 jobs. The urban design of the
development will encourage people to walk to work.
In the Enterprise Community, about 20 brownfields
site will be redeveloped for residential and commer-
cial use.
Contacts
Office of Economic Development
City of Des Moines
(515)237-1351
U.S. EPA-Region 7
(913)551-7786
For more information on the Brownfields Showcase
Communities, visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/showcase.htm
Brownfields Showcase Communities
October 2000
Des Moines, Iowa
EPA 500-F-00-225
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