Brownfields 2009 Cleanup Grant Fact
Sheet
Kansas City, MO
RECOUERY.GOV
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states,
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield 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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed
into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to
jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of
jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the
Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate and
clean up former industrial and commercial sites. Under
this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Kansas City was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. The site targeted for cleanup
is in the East Downtown area of Kansas City
(population 437,657). From the late 19th century to the
late 1950s, East Downtown was a densely developed
residential neighborhood with commercial and light
industrial facilities. From the 1950s to the mid-1990s, it
experienced a long decline and now contains at least 54
brownfields, including metal-working shops,
commercial laundries, and foundries. The prevalence of
vacant and underused brownfields is a blighting
influence that discourages new investment. In this area,
66.2 percent of residents are minorities, and 36.5
percent of residents live in poverty. The unemployment
rate is 13.8 percent. When the target site is cleaned up,
the city plans to redevelop it with townhouses, retail and
commercial space, or a hotel. This redevelopment
project is expected to encourage further private and
public investment in the area, create new jobs, and
increase tax revenues.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
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 - former Greyhound Bus Terminal site at
1111 Holmes Street. The site has been a laundry,
paint store, and bus terminal, and is contaminated
with arsenic, volatile and semi-volatile organic
compounds, and metals. 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
(http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 7 Brownfields Team
(800) 223-0425
EPA Region 7 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brown fields)
Grant Recipient: City of Kansas City
(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 negotiated.
Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-09-067
May 09
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