University officials have secured a $2 million federal grant to clean up a contaminated 2-acre plot in Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande District, bringing much-needed funds to kickstart the revitalization of a blighted part of downtown.
The money comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield Remediation Program, designed to help bring distressed, but otherwise valuable, real estate back into use.
“This area has long been an industrial railroad corridor and it’s exciting to play a role in its revitalization,” said Isabeau Tavo, the University of Utah’s deputy director of real estate development, at a press event on May 29, outside the historic Rio Grande Depot. “The university is aligning its future development plans with the vision laid out in the Rio Grande District Plan. The vision transforms the heart of the district into a vibrant innovation hub.”
EPA Regional Administrator Cyrus Western announces a $2 million grant to the U to clean up its vacant parcel near the Rio Grande Depot, pictured in the background. Photo credit: Brian Maffly
Joining U officials at the announcement were officials with the city, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and EPA Regional Director Cyrus Western. The award is part of the $267 million in brownfields grants announced nationally by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
“Projects like this are just one chapter of this city and of this basin,” said Western, until recently a Wyoming lawmaker. “Someone could drive through here and come to the conclusion this space isn’t worth much, there’s no potential here, there’s nothing that can be done here. But these brownfield projects are a good example of when we have local partners, we can in fact turn it into something that is incredible.”
The University of Utah Research Foundation acquired the land in 2021 in the form of seven adjacent parcels along 400 South at 550 West, about one block southwest of the historic Rio Grande Depot, the architectural anchor of the ambitious redevelopment project targeting 20 blighted acres on the west side of downtown.
Redevelopment of the land stalled over the need to remove hazardous materials, such as arsenic and volatile organic compounds, permeating the ground, the legacy of myriad industrial uses dating back to 1911. All the buildings have been razed since the U bought the land for $6.8 million and only foundations and weeds remain.
The Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency (CRA) is leading the larger Rio Grande Plan, for which the U land is a critical component. The plan calls for a complete makeover of the land encircling the Utah Transit Authority’s Salt Lake Central Station just west of the historic depot.
“We are trying to capitalize on our access to transit to make this walkable and bikable and sustainable and have a great place with a lot of active uses that will bring the district to life,” said Cara Lindsley, the CRA’s deputy director. “The plan calls for breaking up our large city blocks into a more walkable scale. By doing this, we create safe and comfortable connections. When this is fully realized, this will really be a memorable destination.”
However, little of this vision can be accomplished without support from landowners along with state and federal agencies.
“There are unique challenges to redevelopment before land can be returned to productive use and these challenges often require multiple partners to come to the table. Remediating the contamination on the university property will make it so their site can be incorporated into the implementation of this vision for the Rio Grande District,” Lindsley said. “The impact of the EPA’s and the university’s investment in this district can’t be overstated.”
The total cost of the cleanup is expect to exceed the EPA grant by up to $1.5 million, which will be covered by the U. That work will entail a combination of removing contaminated soil and treating the rest in situ with chemicals that would render the contaminants harmless, according to Michael Brehm, an engineer with the U’s Environmental Health & Safety Department. The goal is to bring the ground up to environmental standards for commercial use, but not for residential use, which would be cost-prohibitive.
Western praised the city and the university for making the leap to transform a blighted, but once vital part of Salt Lake City into a place that will spur economic growth and the city’s renewal.
“It’s an inspiring story. For every dollar of funding we put into projects like this, it creates $20 of community impact,” he said. “It tells the story that with a little initiative and a little bit of public funding, we can unlock the secret sauce of all the private dollars coming in to take it from what it is now to what it can be.”
Banner photo: Isabeau Tavo, the university’s deputy director of real estate development, discusses the U’s plans for a blighted 2-acre parcel it acquired near the Rio Grande Depot in 2021. Credit: Brian Maffly.
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