About

Kansas City, Kansas (KCK) has identified a number of underused vacant properties that could potentially be defined as brownfields eligible. Most urban areas across the United States consist of brownfields due to historical uses of chemicals, such as lead and asbestos or proximity to runoff from industrial or commercial uses. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), there could be up to one million brownfields sites across the country. This reality impacts environmental and community health while also adding liability to developers interested in redeveloping urban areas. However, because of the prevalence of contamination, there are many funding sources available to address brownfields.

The UG is working collaboratively with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7, Kansas City Brownfields Initiative (KCBI), and community stakeholders to access millions of dollars of funding to assess and remediate brownfields. Turning brownfield sites into viable commercial, residential. and green spaces will help the KCK mitigate these potential environmental impacts while creating jobs and growing the local economy.