What are "Brownfields"?

Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Often the potential liability associated with contamination complicates business development, property transactions, or expansion on these properties.

Cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields properties is necessary to preserve neighborhoods, reduce urban sprawl, and stop the continued development of new industrial and commercial facilities on farmland. By investigating and cleaning up a brownfields property and taking care of the site's potential health or environmental risks, communities can use local land again - producing jobs, increasing the tax base, or adding other benefits such as creating a park or residential area.

Every city and county, in both rural and urban areas, has brownfields properties. KDHE currently has programs to assist communities with the redevelopment of brownfields properties

Click here for more on KDHE's Brownfields Program

What are "Greenfields"?

Greenfields are undeveloped lands such as farmlands, woodlands, or fields located on the outskirts of urbanized areas. Businesses often prefer to develop new facilities on greenfields to avoid the real or perceived difficulties associated with brownfields redevelopment. This tendency to develop on open spaces on the outskirts of cities promotes urban sprawl, taking land away from communities who would otherwise use these areas for recreation or other quality of life purposes.

National Brownfields Conference 2011

April 3-5, 2011
Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA

The deadline to submit a full session, short presentation or poster gallery idea is July 30, 2010.

This year, conference organizers are particularly interested in topics related to…

• Community Engagement and Environmental Justice
• Green Jobs
• Green Technology and Emerging Solutions
• Planning for Community Revitalization
• Sustainability, the Path Forward

Contact: Rashmi Mathur
EPA Region 3
215-814-5234
mathur.rashmi@epa.gov

Brownfields Redevelopment Success in Kansas

KDHE's 2008 report, Brownfields Redevelopment Success in Kansas (.pdf, 3MB) presents case studies of 72 Brownfields sites all over the state of Kansas, and their successful redevelopment into productive properties.

KDHE Partners with ASTSWMO for Brownfields Toolbox Guide

In association with the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials, KDHE has developed the Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox: Enabling Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment in Kansas Communities (.pdf) to assist small and rural communities plan and implement their Brownfields projects.

KDHE Brownfields 2008 Petroleum Assessment Grant

The 2008 Petroleum Assessment Grant was awarded to KDHE by the EPA to provide funds to assess the environmental impact of closed or abandoned gas stations along US Highways 56 and 281 in Barton, McPherson, Rice, Pawnee, Stafford, Reno, Ellsworth, and Edwards counties. These highways are no longer used as much as they were before the interstate highway system was developed in the United States. Throughout the years gas stations in these counties began to disappear, leaving a legacy of abandoned property, often in prime central locations within many Kansas communities.

Winter 2009-2010 Brownfields Newsletter (.pdf) |

Brownfields Targeted Assessment Application Package |

Federal Brownfields Tax Incentive |

Click here to sign up to receive periodic emails about Kansas Brownfields programs.

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