What is the "RedevelopKS" Initiative?

The RedevelopKS initiative is designed to bring together buyers, sellers, developers and businesses interested in investing and redeveloping Brownfields properties in Kansas communities. The RedevelopKS web site provides information on properties for sale and financial incentives associated with certain properties. The program provides alternative locations for developers interested in new business opportunities. This program, partnered with the KDHE Brownfields program strives to return underutilized properties into productive use.

By redeveloping underutilized properties, local communities can turn existing brownfields into productive industrial, commercial, residential, and recreational properties. Consequently, the direct and indirect benefits of brownfield redevelopment include increased employment opportunity and tax revenue, in addition to environmental restoration and preservation.

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.

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.

Environmental Protection Agency New Brownfields Legislation

Links to non KDHE web sites are provided to assist users to locate information related to this subject. Such aids do not constitute endorsement or approval of any public/private web site, product, or service. 

KDHE is not responsible for the content or accuracy of information provided by these linked sites.

Click here to go to the Environmental Protection Agency New Brownfields Legislation

KDHE's Brownfields Target Assessment Program

KDHE has received grant funding from EPA to conduct Brownfield Targeted Site Assessments (BTA) at the request of local units of government, land clearance authorities, regional councils, redevelopment agencies, tribal organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and other quasi-governmental agencies across the state. Often, local governments have acquired contaminated properties through foreclosure for back taxes, land donations, or may already own property they would like to sell for redevelopment. It is sometimes difficult for communities to find adequate funding to pay for environmental assessments (Phase I and Phase II assessments for Due Diligence) prior to redevelopment. The BTA Program provides funding and technical assistance to assist communities in assessing properties. Often, it is the unknown condition of the environment that dissuades developers from considering properties, not actual contamination. Once communities can demonstrate a particular property is viable for redevelopment, these communities can then encourage redevelopment activities on these unused pieces of property.

What Does A Brownfield Targeted Assessment include?

A Brownfields Targeted Assessment includes:

• a screening (Phase I) assessment, including a background and historical investigation and a preliminary site inspection;
• a full (Phase II) site assessment, including sampling activities to evaluate the extent of environmental impacts.

KDHE's program targets properties that: are abandoned or publicly owned; have low to moderate contamination; include issues of environmental justice; suffer from the stigma of liability; or have a prospective purchaser willing to buy and pay for the cleanup of the property, if needed.

Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Program

KDHE has been awarded a $1,000,000 grant from EPA to create a Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) to cleanup brownfields properties that are publicly owned property, as well as properties owned by not-for-profit organizations. The purpose of the BCRLF program is to facilitate the reuse and/or redevelopment of contaminated properties by making low interest loans available for financing environmental cleanups. A limited amount of this grant is also available to provide subgrants to communities that qualify for this funding.

What Types of Activities Can Be Funded?

Projects that are eligible for funding utilizing BCRLF funds are limited to the cleanup of properties where there has been an actual release or substantial threat of release of a hazardous substance in the environment.

• Drainage controls;
• Construction of fences, warning signs, or other security or site control precautions;
• Stabilization of berms, dikes or impoundments or drainage or closing lagoons;
• Encapsulation of contaminated soils;
• Using chemicals and other materials to retard the spread of the release or mitigate its effects;
• Excavation, consolidation or removal of highly contaminated soils from drainage or other areas;
• Removal of drums, barrels, tanks or other bulk containers that contain or may contain hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants;
• Containment, treatment, disposal or incineration of hazardous materials; and
• Provision of alternative water supply where necessary immediately to reduce exposure to contaminated household water and continuing until such time as local authorities can satisfy the need for a permanent remedy.
• Site monitoring activities, including sampling and analysis, that are reasonable and necessary during the cleanup process, including determination of the effectiveness of a cleanup.
• Costs associated with meeting public participation, worker health and safety and interagency coordination requirements.

What Types of Activities Can NOT Be Funded?

• Site assessment, identification, and characterization;
• Cleanup of naturally occurring substances;
• Monitoring and data collection necessary to apply for environmental permits under other Federal and State laws;
• Development activities that are not removal actions (construction or demolition of facilities, marketing of property, job training).

Types of properties not eligible to receive BCRLF funding:

• Properties listed or proposed for listing, on the National Priories List;
• Properties at which a removal action must be taken within 6 months;
• and, Properties in which a federal or state agency is planning or conducting a response or enforcement action.

All applicants wishing to utilize BCRLF funding must also apply for KDHE's Voluntary Cleanup and Property Redevelopment Program. Click below for more information about KDHE's VCPRP Program.

Voluntary Cleanup and Property Redevelopment Program