KDHE Home - Division of Environment - Bureau of Environmental Remediation - Remedial Section - State Response and Property Redevelopment Unit - Brownfields
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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. Brownfields Redevelopment Success in KansasKDHE'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 GuideIn 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. Upcoming Events & News ArticlesRecycling Kansas: Kansas Brownfields Program Workshops KDHE is sponsoring three regional workshops for communities in Kansas interested in learning more about the Brownfields process.
The workshop is intended for local government agencies, economic development staff, community groups, real estate developers and brokers, and others interested in identifying financial resources for local redevelopment. The cost is $10 to attend. For more information, download our brochure. 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 2008-2009 Brownfields Newsletter (.pdf) KDHE Brownfields 2008 Petroleum Assessment Grant Application Federal Brownfields Tax Incentive Click here to sign up to receive periodic emails about Kansas Brownfields programs. Some of the files above require the Adobe Acrobat Reader® plug-in. For assistance with download, installation, or use of the plug-in, please contact Adobe Systems, Inc.® |
