Return to Use Initiative
2006 Demonstration Project
Kansas City Structural Steel:
Kansas City, KS
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
Centra 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.

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Barriers:
Uncertainty about appropriate
uses of the property; lack of clear
information about the site
Solution:
Preliminary reuse assessment
evaluation and information gath-
ering; active ongoing dialogue
with site owner and Realtor
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 ideasfor redevelopment,including a wheel manufacturing
facility,a golf driving range academy,a steel manufacturers counter top
manufacturer, and a residential development. El Centra 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
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
Before:
Cleaned up steel fabrication facil-
ity with a number of unsuccessful
redevelopment inquiries
After:
22 acres of available property, as-
sessed for commercial, industrial,
and residential reuse potential

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materials 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. EPA and the site
owner have also discussed the possibility that information about the site's potential is not reaching appropriate
audiences.
THE SOLUTION: EPA has proposed a preliminary reuse assessment to determine reasonable and protective
f uture 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 has 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. will 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 Centra 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.tonva@epa.gov.
Left to right: Kansas City Structural Steel site in foreground, railroad and adjacent industrial facilities in background; grass-covered
consolidated fill area in foreground, site perimeter fence looking west.
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
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