Impressions of cities and towns 

are often formed when first arriving 

at their “gateways”: 

surrounding major thoroughfares or 

transportation centers that are too 

commonly plagued by abandoned or 

underutilized properties. EPA’s 

Brownfields Program has enabled 

many communities to clean up and 

redevelop their gateway districts, 

improving community images, 

leveraging jobs, and revitalizing 

local economies. 

JUST THE FACTS: 

• The master plan for Salt Lake City’s 

gateway redevelopment includes 10,000 

residential units, cultural facilities, 

commercial developments, and a 

transportation hub that will link bus, light 

rail, and commuter rail systems. 

• Coralville, Iowa developed an Urban 

Renewal Plan that enabled the city to 

issue municipal bonds to fund a $58 million 

convention center and 200-room hotel 

complex. 

• Additional EPA Brownfields grant 

recipients working to restore their 

gateways include Glen Cove, New York; 

Astoria, 

Massachusetts. 

Changing First Impressions: 

New Gateway 

Development 

Gateway Properties 

continued �

I 

An artist’s rendering of large-scale 

redevelopment in Coralville, Iowa. 

mpressions of a town or community are usually formed when first 

arriving. 

surrounding major thoroughfares or transportation centers which can consist 

of bridges, stations, ports, or parks but can also be abandoned or underutilized 

properties. PA’s Brownfields Program has enabled numerous communities 

to clean up and redevelop brownfields properties in gateway districts, and 

in turn improve community images, leverage jobs, and revitalize local 

economies. 

Rail lines and rail yards have been a fixture of Salt Lake City’s historic 

Gateway District since the late 1800s. 

Main Street, the 650-acre Gateway District was once home to a bustling 

immigrant community and thriving businesses. Although the presence of 

the railroad initially helped to develop the area, ultimately it became a 

hindrance as the district grew and rail lines in the street limited accessability. 

In the 1960s, Interstate 15, a major highway running north and south through 

Salt Lake City, was built on the western edge of the Gateway District and 

four on/off-ramps were constructed to bypass the area. 

highway traffic, the area fell into neglect and disrepair. 

In 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympic Games, and preparations 

for this major international event created a new wave of construction, 

development, and renovation projects. 

Interstate 15. 

behind fast-track cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields in the Gateway 

area. PA Brownfields Assessment 

Grant to conduct environmental assessments on the District’s 650 acres. 

As expected, there was some contamination, but perception was worse 

than reality and conditions were such that redevelopment could proceed 

without significant cleanup. Additional progress was enabled through a 

$200,000 EPA Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Grant in March 2000 

areas 

Oregon; and Salem, 

The initial images of a place are often of “gateways”: areas 

E

Located just three blocks west of 

Cut off from major 

This included a major overhaul of 

The new construction on the highway was a driving force 

In 1996, the city received a $200,000 E
CONTACTS: 

U.S. EPA-Region 1 (MA) (617) 918-1424 

U.S. EPA-Region 2 (NY) (212) 637-4314 

U.S. EPA-Region 7 (IA) (913) 551-7003 

U.S. EPA-Region 8 (UT) (303) 312-6312 

U.S. EPA-Region 10 (OR) (800) 424-4372 

Visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: 

http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ 

and another $500,000 resulting from the city’s designation as an EPA Brownfields 

Showcase Community. As part of the project, new on/off-ramps for I-15 were 

constructed to allow traffic to flow directly into the Gateway District. 

master plan for the District’s redevelopment includes 10,000 residential 

units, cultural facilities, commercial developments, and a transportation 

hub that will link bus, light rail, and commuter rail systems. 

In November 2001, Gateway Associates, a private development group, 

purchased the largest rail yard in the District and began a $375 million 

mixed-use, mixed-income development that incorporates the historic Union 

Pacific Rail depot. 

million square feet of shops, restaurants, office space, and housing. 

the Winter Olympic Games, 330 of these residential units were used for media 

housing, and most of the units are now occupied by long-term tenants. 

also purchased land needed to reconstruct the main street and build a 100-foot-wide linear park 

immediately west of the Union Pacific Rail Depot and former rail yard. 

than $11.2 million, the project will consist of infrastructure improvements, land acquisition, environmental 

assessments, and the construction of landscaped “Park Blocks.” Visitors coming in on I-15 are no 

longer treated to sites of abandoned rail yards and facilities. 

and its redevelopment agency, the railroad, EPA, other federal agencies, and private investors, there is 

new hope of jobs for area residents, opportunity for private investment, a cleaner environment, and a 

revitalized gateway community. 

Coralville, Iowa Picture driving down Interstate 80 and, approaching Coralville, Iowa, you see a beautiful 

river, with a giant coal pile, an abandoned truck stop, an old municipal dump, and a rail spur next to it— 

not a pretty picture. y, this was the “gateway” view that greeted visitors arriving in 

Coralville. 

hotel alongside the same river. ’s edge, you rest at a gazebo 

and consider walking to Iowa City via the new pedestrian bridge. You may even picnic on the newly 

restored banks of the Iowa River. 

This more appealing scenario is what the Coralville community had in mind when it participated in a 

brainstorming session for the revitalization of the 157-acre, declining industrial park that had for so long 

been the gateway to Coralville. To jumpstart revitalization, the City Council first brain-stormed different 

redevelopment scenarios and developed the First Avenue Revitalization Plan, which called for a new 

convention center/exhibit hall and hotel. With the help of EPA, which awarded a $200,000 Brownfields 

Assessment Grant to the City of Coralville in 1998, along with supplemental awards of $100,000 in 

2000 and 2002, and $1,500,000 in leveraged funding, this scenario is now becoming reality. 

continued �

The 

The first 30 acres have been redeveloped to create two 

During 

Salt Lake City 

With an estimated cost of more 

Through the combined efforts of the city 

Until recentl

Now imagine arriving for a meeting at a new conference center with an exhibit hall and a 

As you stroll along a pathway on the river

Brownfields Success Story Solid Waste EPA-560-F-04-264 

Gateway Properties and Emergency September 2004 

Response (5105T) www.epa.gov/brownfields/ 
Mixed-use redevelopment in 

Salt Lake City, Utah. 

In 1997, a First Avenue Corridor Study identified $15.4 million in roadway improvements needed to provide necessary 

access to the park. 

funds from city bonds. 

and construction to improve pedestrian access—an important step as the park provides the only access to the Iowa 

River. PA funds to conduct environmental assessments of the park, which, along with 

three subsequent assessments, have acted as a catalyst for redevelopment. 

In addition, the city has developed an Urban Renewal Plan, which enabled it to obtain a designation that allowed 

Coralville to issue municipal bonds to fund the $58 million convention center and 200-room hotel complex in 2002. 

Since then, the conference center and hotel have opened the door to plans for a much larger redevelopment project 

adjacent to the conference center: WA Child project. 

approximately 15 percent of the 30 acres needed) that will be used to house an ecologically-oriented learning 

environment that includes a 4.5-acre indoor rainforest with an aquarium, as well as outdoor exhibits of Iowa’s 

indigenous ecosystem including prairies and wetlands. The project is envisioned as a learning laboratory for visitors, 

students, teachers, and researchers. ’s brownfields status, riverside location, and proximity to the conference 

center and hotel are well matched to the ecological project’s aims. The brownfields properties along First Avenue 

corridor are being transformed into appealing and functioning areas for both residents and visitors alike. 

In addition to Salt Lake City and Coralville, several other EPA Brownfields grantees 

are redeveloping their gateways. York—with an initial EPA 

Assessment Grant in 1997 and a Showcase Community designation in 1998— 

underutilized properties are being redeveloped into a regional tourist destination 

with waterfront restaurants, new maritime attractions, a hotel conference 

center, and a pedestrian promenade along the water’s edge. Astoria, 

Oregon, the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department 

Brownfields Assessment grantee is rekindling abandoned mill sites along 

the road approaching town into new residential communities with views of 

the Columbia River. And in Salem, Massachusetts, the EPA grantee is 

planning to clean up and redevelop the 132-acre Boston Bridge Mason Corridor, 

an important gateway to downtown Salem. 

Through EPA investment, gateway properties are being revitalized and once abandoned 

buildings and factories are being transformed into parks and thriving business centers. 

assistance, additional brownfields communities will be able to redevelop their gateway properties, changing the 

outlook for brownfields-affected communities. PA’s Brownfields Program, visit EPA 

Brownfields website at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or by contacting the EPA Office of Brownfields Cleanup 

and Redevelopment (OBCR) at (202) 566-2777. 

These improvements are being funded by the Iowa Department of Transportation with matching 

The initial phase of these improvements was completed in 2001, including sidewalk repair 

In 1998, the city had used E

the IO The city plans to acquire the land (they have acquired 

The site

In Glen Cove, New 

In

In the future, with continued 

For more information on E

Brownfields Success Story Solid Waste EPA-560-F-04-264 

Gateway Properties and Emergency September 2004 

Response (5105T) www.epa.gov/brownfields/