The Colorado Brownfields Foundation has been instrumental in community and economic development projects by providing technical assistance, training, funding leads, and project coordination resources to communities since 2003.

In 2012 and beyond, Colorado Brownfields Foundation will continue to ensure that our communities have economic opportunities and that we are responsible stewards of our own environmental resources.

Denver has partnered with the Greenway Foundation and the Colorado Brownfields Foundation to conduct a South Platte River Corridor planning process that started in the Fall of 2011. This project aims to encourage economic development activity and investment along Denver’s recovering urban river way. Historically, dumping solid waste along the banks and piping untreated waste water directly into the river was common practice for nearly a century. Cleanup efforts that began in the 1970’s led to a cleaner river with new parks and trails and natural areas. These improvements have attracted new development along sections of the river to be enjoyed as a scenic and recreational amenity.    

Although significant improvements have been made in recent decades, there is much more to do to encourage further improvements along this important urban waterway. A grant from the EPA and in-kind efforts by Denver staff will involve the public to explore reuse of underutilized land along the 11 mile river corridor in Denver. Conceptual planning studies will explore opportunities for neighborhood connection, revitalization, stabilization, and redevelopment and clean up of strategic sites along the river. 

CBF is a project partner with the City to provide education, technical assistance and site review to the project and community.

The Colorado Brownfields Foundation is providing consultation to the Government of British Columbia’s brownfield renewal strategy administered by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. The project team is being led by HB Lanarc of Nanaimo, B.C. and includes Urbanics Consultants of Vancouver. The project team is developing a brownfield incentives program to assist local governments and encourage brownfield redevelopment in their communities.

The Colorado Brownfields Foundation has been working with the Centennial Mental Health Center and the owner of the adjacent lot to facilitate the Health Center’s expansion. The lot was a CERCLIS site and the former location of the Sterling Manufactured Gas Plant requiring additional cleanup to achieve closure under the State’s Voluntary Cleanup Program. CBF has been advising the property owner and the Board of CMHC to assist them in crafting a plan for the owner to donate the parcel to CMHC without causing CMHC to acquire excess liability. CBF also assisted CMHC in locating legal assistance and composing a successful Targeted Brownfield Assessment grant application to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. It is anticipated that CBF will continue to provide coordination in applying for cleanup grants and interfacing with CDPHE. It seems like a win/win for CMHC and the west side of Sterling as the redevelopment, which was stalled when contamination was discovered, can now avail itself of additional information and hopefully cleanup will arrest the situation.

CBF provided Las Animas with environmental and regulatory guidance, and developed a repurposing strategy for Bent County’s historic High School, an Art Deco style structure. Most significantly, CBF helped secure a successful $96,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for removal of asbestos and pigeon waste. This abatement is a critical first step on the road to redevelopment, both for the former High School and the greater community which is in need of updated office space and community venues.

A Public Radio Station in Cortez? In the small town of Cortez (population 8,500), you can tune into KSJD Dryland Radio which has been on the air since 1988 with only one exception. In 2003, it went off the air for a couple of days as the organization convened all interested community members to save it from bankruptcy.  In response to the crisis, 100 community members came forward with the funds to save the station. It has been a community fixture ever since.  As part of Cortez’s 2008 Comprehensive Plan, which emphasizes historical preservation and downtown development, the radio station was relocated to the historic Montezuma Valley National Bank Building, built in 1909. CBF assisted the station in acquiring a $55,400 grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to abate asbestos in the building. The overall redevelopment plan calls for renovations to include radio broadcast and administration facilities as well as a 120 seat community theater facility.

The historic Ute Ulay mine town site and mill in Hinsdale County has long been an unofficial visitor attraction despite its deteriorating condition and unknown environmental safety. When the current owner offered to donate the historic town site to the County, the County reached out to CBF for guidance on transaction strategies, environmental due diligence, and gap funding. CBF helped secure granted environmental due diligence prior to acquisition and is providing technical assistance and advocay for the cleanup phase.

Templeton Gap Landfill (TGap) is a closed 43 acre landfill located within a business park development at the growing northeast edge of Colorado Springs in El Paso County. It served the Colorado Springs community from 1957 until 1980 and is currently under Cleanup order with the State of Colorado. An active pollution prevention system is in place to protect groundwater quality from possible threats from the former landfill. The Colorado Brownfields Foundation (CBF) now controls the TGap site and is creating a business model for developing renewable energy at the site with the dual goal of providing locally generated renewable energy and ultimately creating a revenue stream to run a long-term pollution prevention system. CBF was first introduced to this site by the El Paso County Environmental Department with concerns regarding the long-term protection of human health and environment. CBF agreed to act as project coordinator, negotiate control of the site, and advance this project.

[Overview and PDF Slideshow]

CBF cleaned up a former methamphetamine lab operation and replaced it with a new, modern, energy-efficient home. Once it was discovered by police, the house was vacated, sealed, and foreclosed upon. The property was donated to CBF by Chase Bank, and with grant assistance from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, the cleanup of asbestos and meth contamination was completed. The house was demolished and a new home was built by CBF's local development partner Community Builders, Inc.

The Sugar Beet Factory Initiative identified twenty-two former sugar beet plants as having operated in Colorado at one time or another in the previous century. This collaborative effort, funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency, engages government, non-profits, and private industry to address redevelopment issues facing sugar beet factory communities in Colorado. Stakeholder communities serving as models impacted by a disappearing sugar beet industry include: Greeley, Eaton, Fort Morgan, and Longmont.

Click here for more information on this initiative.