All News Releases By Date

 

Springfield, Mo., Receives $50,000 in Brownfields Technical Assistance to Sustain Commercial Street Historic District

Release Date: 07/29/2008
Contact Information: Belinda Young, (913) 551-7463, [email protected]

---

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., July 29, 2008) - The City of Springfield, Mo., has been chosen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to receive $50,000 in brownfields technical assistance to sustain redevelopment in the Commercial Street Historic District.

Springfield is one of only 16 communities nationwide to be chosen by EPA as a Brownfields Sustainability Pilot. The technical assistance funding will support the community by helping to achieve greener, more sustainable assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of brownfields projects. It will also support sustainable activities such as materials recycling, green building and green infrastructure design, energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy development and native landscaping.

The Commercial Street Historic District is a six-block area and is a National Historic Registered District. It has an industrial and commercial history, and has been a major focus of Springfield's recent revitalization efforts.

The focus of the Brownfields Sustainability Pilot project is to develop a plan to coordinate sustainable approaches for brownfields properties located in the historic district. The foundation has been laid for sustainable redevelopment to occur. This early stage in the redevelopment is the optimal time to engage environmental professionals to provide support for green building technologies, and potential Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for key properties embarking on redevelopment.

The three properties to be addressed in the historic district are Buz Brewery, 505 W. Commercial St.; Juliette's Day SPA, 233 E. Commercial St.; and the Commercial Club Building, 299 E. Commercial St.

Brownfields are sites where the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

# # #

Learn more about EPA Brownfields Sustainability Pilots