Kansas City To Receive $4.9M For Parade Park Homes Sites

The Biden administration, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced Thursday, May 19, that Kansas City, Missouri, was selected to receive $5.75 million out of the $254.5 million in Brownfields and Revolving Loan Fund grants for 265 selected communities.

Kansas City was selected for $850,000 in Brownfields grants targeting Parade Park Homes sites and $4.9 million in Brownfields Revolving Loan Funds. Of that $4.9 million, $1 million will be available to the Bi-State jurisdiction area that includes Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County.

These grants are supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of $1.5 billion to advance environmental justice, spur economic revitalization, and create jobs by cleaning up contaminated, polluted, or hazardous brownfield properties.

$500,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant:

Kansas City was selected for community-wide assessment work and the development of two cleanup plans within the city’s 22 Urban Core Opportunity Zones. The priority site is Parade Park Homes–-South, which formerly housed a large steam laundry plant and drycleaning facility and a former paint and varnish manufacturer. This selected grant will also support a site reuse plan and the preparation of outreach materials in English and Spanish. Parade Park Homes–-South has 17 buildings and a total of 182 residential townhome units.

Kansas City was also selected for environmental assessment and the development of cleanup plans for the Parade Park Homes–-North site, which formerly housed a gas station, an auto repair garage, and a dry-cleaning operation, and is adjacent to other former gas stations and garages. This selected grant also will be used to develop a brownfields resource roadmap and conduct community outreach activities.

The Kansas City, Missouri, Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund was selected to receive $3.9 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding because it is a high-performing program with 10 projects completed and one cleanup near completion at the Hardesty Federal Complex Building #9, which is anticipated to be primarily redeveloped as mixed-income housing.

Other recent projects include the Negro League Baseball Museum Buck O’Neil Education Center at the former Paseo YMCA, which will host a grand opening this fall. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for more cleanups in the most overburdened areas of Kansas City, Missouri.

The Kansas City, Missouri, Bi-State Brownfields Coalition Revolving Loan Fund was selected to receive $1.0 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding because it is a highperforming program, having committed most of its initial funds to the cleanup of the Crispus Attucks Elementary School in the 18th and Vine District.

The historic school building is targeted for redevelopment as the Zhou B Arts and Cultural Center that will support local African American arts, and house Friends of Alvin Ailey and studio maker spaces. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will extend the capacity of the program to provide funding for more cleanups in the most disadvantaged areas in the Bi-State jurisdiction, which includes Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, and the Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County.

This funding does not require the normal cost share requirements for Revolving Loan Fund grants, thus further facilitating local communities and developers’ reinvestment into the reuse of the brownfield properties.

Brownfield projects can range from cleaning up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination to assessing and cleaning up abandoned properties that once managed dangerous chemicals. Once cleaned up, former brownfield properties can be redeveloped into productive uses such as grocery stores, affordable housing, health centers, museums, parks, and solar farms.

The Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 86% of the communities selected to receive funding as part of today’s announcement have proposed projects in historically underserved areas.

“With today’s announcement, we’re turning blight into might for communities across America,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, said. “EPA’s Brownfields Program breathes new life into communities by helping to turn contaminated and potentially dangerous sites into productive economic contributors. “

“Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are significantly ramping up our investments in communities, with the bulk of our funding going to places that have been overburdened and underserved for far too long.”

“EPA Region 7 is proud to announce the selection of Kansas City, Missouri, for two Brownfields Assessment Grants and two Brownfields Revolving Loan Funds,” EPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister said.

“The Brownfields program has a proven record of empowering communities through benefits ranging from local job creation to increased property values. This investment will uplift Kansas City and provide measurable and meaningful change to the residents of Parade Park Homes.”

“I am pleased to join the Environmental Protection Agency in announcing Kansas City’s selection as a recipient for Brownfields Assessment Grants, specifically targeting environmental testing and remediation for Parade Park Homes as they establish plans for redevelopment,” said U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (Missouri).

“As a proud supporter of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I am excited to see how the law is already helping critical, long overdue initiatives like this reach the heart of Missouri’s 5th Congressional District. It’s projects like these that are going to help us build a better America in Kansas City and beyond.”

“Right now, Wyandotte County families are living near contaminated sites, dealing with possible lead or chemical exposure and dangerous health effects – it’s unacceptable,” said U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (Kansas).

“I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve the health and economic outlook of our communities, and I’m glad to say that help is on the way to clean up these sites and ensure every Kansas family has clean air, clean water, and a brighter