Congressman Cleaver Announces $4 Million Brownfields Grant Has Been Awarded to Kansas City
The federal funding will be used to clean up 47 vacant parcels known as the Washington Wheatley Vacant Lots site on Agnes Avenue, East 19th Street, and East 20th Street, as well as the former Benson Manufacturing Company Site
(Kansas City, MO) – RealEstateRama – U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the City of Kansas City a $4 million Brownfields Cleanup Grant. The federal funding will be used to clean up 47 vacant parcels known as the Washington Wheatley Vacant Lots site on Agnes Avenue, Walrond Avenue, East 19th Street, and East 20th Street, as well as the former Benson Manufacturing Company Site, located at the intersection of East 18th Street and Agnes Avenue.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invested more than $1.5 billion through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program, which included a major increase in EPA Brownfield Grant funding, enabling local communities to clean up, redevelop, and reinvent areas previously contaminated by toxic substances,” said Congressman Cleaver. “I’m pleased to see this highly successful program continue to support the public health and economic development of neighborhoods like Washington-Wheatley in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, and I’ll continue pushing for bipartisan solutions that benefit Missouri families like this one moving forward.”
EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfields investments leveraged over $42 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding was able to leverage over 220,500 jobs from both public and private sources.
The Washington Wheatley Vacant Lots were used primarily as residential properties since 1936 and are contaminated with PCBs, semi-volatile organic contaminants (SVOCs), and heavy metals. Operations at the former Benson Manufacturing Company site included the production of fabricated brass, aluminum, and other metal alloys used in aircraft parts, light fixtures, architectural ornamentation, appliances, and aluminum barrels for breweries. Over time, the site also housed a lumber mill, a coal and ice company, a furniture manufacturer, a printing company, a limousine service, and various other commercial businesses. It is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), petroleum, and heavy metals. Grant funds also will be used to conduct 16 public meetings.
Additionally, the City of Kansas City Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) has been selected to receive $2 million because it has a high-performing RLF program with significantly depleted funds. The RLF program has successfully made loans or subgrants leading to 11 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Projects highlighted for use of the funding include the Parade Park Homes Redevelopment site—which Congressman Cleaver has strongly supported—and the Unity Campus.
Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone,?and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.
