At a recent event held at the newly-opened Thrive Apartments in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood, Kelly Watkins of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 office joined Denver Mayor Michael Hancock; Denver Housing Authority CEO David Nisivoccia; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Regional Administrator, Erik Amundson; Denver City Council President, Jamie Torres; and Sun Valley resident, Craig Allento, to announce a $1,049,300 Brownfields cleanup grant to the Denver Housing Authority (DHA).
The grant, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be used to clean up the eight-acre Former Zuni Tank Farm at 2514 West 13th Avenue and 2501 West 11th Avenue in Denver. DHA will oversee the redevelopment of the site into new, energy-efficient affordable housing units and a riverfront park expanding the greenway and connecting the neighborhood to the river. The park will feature environmental education, a water-feature play area, cafes, play fields and courts, and multi-use trails.
“EPA continues to support city and community leaders as they work to revitalize the Sun Valley neighborhood,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “This cleanup grant will address contamination at a critical property along the South Platte River, improving green infrastructure and water quality and providing opportunities for new housing and recreational amenities.”
The Zuni Tank Farm is a prominent property in Sun Valley near Invesco Field and the South Platte River. Former uses of the site include a scrap metal warehouse, landfill, coal-fired power plant, aboveground storage tanks and detention ponds. Soil sampling identified the presence of benzo[a]pyrene and other polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Heavy metals, asbestos, lead, and other inorganic contaminants have also been found in buildings and storage tanks on the site.
“Denver Housing Authority is thrilled to have been selected as an EPA Brownfields Grant recipient,” said David Nisivoccia, chief executive officer of Denver Housing Authority.“Utilizing the grant funds, this site will be cleaned to residential standards and a portion of the land will be converted into a future park that borders the South Platte River. The project property is adjacent to our newest housing developments, GreenHaus and Thrive, which just completed construction, are leasing now and will serve 264 family households, in addition to the 187 families being served by the Gateway Apartments.”
As new families move into the Sun Valley community, the economic benefits of affordability, new jobs, increased tax revenues and more consumer spending will continue to bring new life to the target area and surrounding businesses.
The City and County of Denver charged DHA with implementing the Sun Valley Neighborhood Transformation Plan. DHA created Sun Valley Zuni, LLC, to assume site ownership and clean up at the tank farm property.
EPA’s award for the Sun Valley project is among eight Brownfields grants totaling more than $5 million announced this month for cleanup and revitalization projects in communities across Colorado. Other grantees are receiving funds for projects in Brighton, Buena Vista, Pueblo, Silverton, San Luis, San Miguel County and Trinidad.
