RETURN TO USE INITIATIVE
2007 Demonstration Project
RIVER ROAD INDUSTRIAL
CENTER (FORMERLY KNOWN AS
FMC CORPORATION):
Fridley, Minnesota
THE SITE: The massive River Road Industrial
Center, also more commonly known by its former
anchor tenant names at various points in its long history
as the FMC Corporation, United Defense, or BAE
Facility, is located in Fridley, Minnesota, just north of
the City of Minneapolis. Part of this sprawling industrial
site includes the 18-acre FMC Corporation (Fridley
Plant) Superfund site (the Site). From the 1940s until
1969, the facility at the Site generated solvents, paint
sludge and plating wastes and site operators disposed
of wastes in an on-site dump. Waste disposal activities
resulted in contamination of soil and ground water.
Contamination migrated to the Mississippi River,
which lies only 1,000 feet from the Site and serves
as the major source of drinking water for the City of
Minneapolis. In an effort to address the source of the
contamination, cleanup activities included excavation
of soil from the waste disposal areas and placement
of the soil in an on-site containment and treatment
facility. Cleanup also included installation of a ground
water containment system. Monitoring of two aquifers
near the Site is ongoing.
HE OPPORTUNE Conveniently located
within the city limits of Fridley, the River Road Industrial
Center already has access to public infrastructure and
utilities. Zoning permits industrial use of the property
Reuse and redevelopment of the industrial center
facility and property would help to transform the Site
into an asset for the community. The Site's open space
also presents opportunities for alternative interim uses.
THE BARRIERS: Market conditions and the Site's
location within the larger River Road Industrial Center
pose as barriers to the Site's redevelopment. The Site
occupies an 18-acre portion of the 140-acre property.
PICTURED: Aeromodellers enjoy the new flying field at River
Road Industrial Center (source: EPA)
BARRIER:
The financial limitations of purchasing the 140-acre industrial
center as well as uncertainties about the Site's contamination
have hindered redevelopment.
SOLUTION:
Partnership between EPA and the Academy of Model Aeronautics
resulted in the safe, interim reuse of the Site by a locai
aeromodelling club.
PICTURED: The Minneapolis Piston Poppers aeromodelling
club gathers on the Site for a picture, (source: EPA)
BEFORE:
A contaminated industrial dump.
AFTER:
Temporary recreational use of the Site while redevelopment
discussions for the entire 140-acre property take place and use of
renewable energy to power the remedial system on site.
United States
Environmental Protection	Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
1—J § m Agency
kAgency
Updated: November 2012 1

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Financial limitations and uncertainties about contamination at the Site have deterred redevelopment
plans.
HE SOLU ION: Although renewed interest in the Site's reuse has recently taken place, industrial
redevelopment of the Site may not occur immediately However, in 2005, EPA, the site owner and
a local Academy of Aeronautics (AMA) club collaborated to allow for an interim use of the Site as a
recreational space. The flat open space on part of the Site provided a perfect area for a model airplane
flying field. Utilizing a partnership established with the AMA, EPA worked closely with the site owner and
the interested AMA club, the Minneapolis Piston Poppers, to make sure that aeromodelling would not
affect the remedy in place or the Site's safety. EPA and the AMA celebrate the Site's reuse as the first
ground-up success story achieved through the EPA/AMA partnership, which began in 2005, The site's
owner feels that the Piston Poppers provide a valuable community service by flying their control line
planes on the Site. Until it is developed for industrial purposes, the AMA club most likely will continue to
fly at the River Road Industrial Center.
HE Si E NOW: The Minneapolis Piston
Poppers aeromodelling club continues to use a
portion of the Site at the River Road Industrial
Center for temporary recreational activities. In
exchange for use of the Site, the club provides
minor maintenance services such as mowing
the grass and keeping the field neat and clean.
While the cleaned up Site awaits industrial
development, the Piston Poppers serve as
responsible stewards of the land and their
regular presence helps to deter trespassing and
other inappropriate activities. A ground water
containment and treatment system continues to
operate at the Site. In 2009, BAE Systems and
FMC Corporation installed a 14.7 kilowatt solar
panel system at the Site to generate electrical
power for the ground water treatment facility The
solar panel system provides 30 percent of the
electrical energy needed for the ground water treatment facility and does not emit carbon dioxide into
the air. The production of renewable energy at the Site and the use of the Site by the local AMA club
demonstrate the benefits of site reuse and redevelopment. Developers have begun to actively pursue
redevelopment opportunities at the Site.
>
PICTURED: An aeromodeller enjoys flying his model plane on the flying
field on the Site, (source: EPA)
FOR MORE INFORMA ION, PLEASE CON FAC i Sheila Desai, Remedial Project
Manager, at (312) 353-4150 or desai.sheila@epa.gov. or Tom Bloom, EPA Region 5 Superfund
Redevelopment Coordinator, at (312) 886-1967 or bloom.thomas@epa.aov.
Pp|J| United States
^try\EnVir0nmental Protection	Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
Updated: November 2012 2

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