Industrial Corridor to Community 

Park: Brownfields Redevelopment 

in the Jordan Valley 

Springfield, Missouri 

continued �

The Jordan Valley Corridor, a 300-acre, former industrial area in 

downtown Springfield, Missouri, was an underused stretch of land. 

Where factories and used-car dealerships once stood, there is now a 12-

acre public park and an ice arena, with an arts center, an Exposition 

Center, and a minor league baseball stadium underway. 

Over the last 150 years, there has been a variety of land uses throughout 

the Jordan Valley Corridor. As downtown Springfield expanded with an 

influx of industry and commerce, the demand for land grew. Factories 

and storefronts were built in residential neighborhoods, intertwining 

houses and industrial lots. As larger industries relocated to the outskirts of 

the city or neighboring cities and towns, smaller industries and businesses 

moved in, offering fewer jobs. Residents moved away from the area to 

be closer to new jobs and to avoid having a factory or used car 

dealership as their neighbor. 

lumber mills and car dealerships had relocated as well, leaving old, 

abandoned buildings in their wake with perceived contamination. 

In an effort to address the vacant industrial corridor, community members 

and Springfield's city council set out to draft "Vision 20/20: Creating the 

Future," a plan committed to the area's revitalization. During focus group 

sessions and community meetings concerning the future of Springfield, it 

became clear that residents wanted a community park to call their own. 

City officials and members of the newly formed Citizens Advisory 

Council conceptualized Jordan Valley Park, which would serve as the 

starting point for redevelopment of the entire industrial corridor. 

The project found its footing in 1999, when Springfield received a 

$200,000 Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant from EPA. This grant 

provided the initial push by funding assessments on six of the twentyeight properties acquired for the first phase of the Jordan Valley Park 

redevelopment project. Additional funds for the project were secured 

from the Federal Highway Administration, Economic Development 

Administration, and from many private contributors. 

Alexander, Project Manager for the park, stressed the importance of the 

EPA's Brownfields Program, "We had a vision and a plan, but I don't 

think we would have been as successful as quickly without the 

Brownfields program." 

The assessments revealed less contamination than expected, allowing 

for demolition of current buildings and redevelopment to start. In May 

Before long many of the factories, feed lots, 

Benjamin 

Redevelopment of the Jordan 

Valley park, in progress 

JUST THE FACTS:
 • The Jordan Valley Corridor, a 300-acre, 

former industrial area in downtown 

Springfield, Missouri, had become home to 

abandoned former industrial and commercial 

sites with unknown levels of contamination. 

• Environmental assessments of properties 

within the corridor revealed less 

contamination than expected, allowing for 

demolition of current buildings and 

redevelopment to start. 

• The city celebrated the grand opening of 

Jordan Valley Park after the first wave of 

construction had been completed. In 

addition to new greenspace, the park 

features a public amphitheater, an arts 

center, a water garden, and a pedestrian trail 

providing access to and from central 

Springfield. 

A $200,000 Brownfields


Assessment Pilot from EPA funded


assessments on six properties acquired for


the first phase of the Jordan Valley Park


redevelopment project. Additional funds were


secured from the Federal Highway Administration,


Economic Development Administration, and private


contributors. Benjamin Alexander, Project Manager,


indicated that "We had a vision and a plan,


but I don't think we would have been as


successful as quickly without the


Brownfields Program."

CONTACTS: 

For more information contact 

U.S. EPA-REGION 7 

(913) 551-7003 

Visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: 

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

2002, the city celebrated the grand opening of Jordan Valley Park after the first wave of construction 

had been completed. New greenspace includes a civic park that mimics the topography of the 

Ozark Mountains; visitors can stroll along a dry streambed path and walk through 

the Ozark hills. The park also boasts a public amphitheater, an arts center, and 

a water garden that is enjoyed by all. The park is very accessible, as a 

pedestrian trail has been built to connect it with central Springfield. 

The park has spurred a variety of new development in the area. In Fall 

2002, the city opened the Jordan Valley Ice Park, a two-rink skating 

arena. As the new home of an North American Hockey League 

(NAHL) team and a local collegiate hockey team, the ice arena has 

become a popular attraction to hockey fans and ice-skaters. Also 

completed is the Creamery Arts Center, which became the new home of 

the Springfield Regional Arts Council. The new center is an historic 

30,000 square foot building along the edge of the park. An expo center 

and parking deck opened in October 2003, and a privately funded baseball 

stadium is slated to open in spring 2004. A multi-purpose arena is in the 

design phase. 

The city recently received notification of a new Brownfields Assessment grant 

from EPA and a Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grant from the 

Department of Housing and Urban Development. On September 23, 2003, which was 

designated Jordan Valley Resource Day, the Regional Administrator of the EPA (Region 7), James 

Gulliford, and the Regional Director of HUD (Region 7), Macie Houston, presented the City with 

ceremonial checks for the grants. 

City to continue assessing properties it acquires for Jordan Valley Park, and the $1.2 million BEDI 

grant will secure an $8.0 million HUD loan guarantee to redevelop two Brownfield properties, 

creating 117 jobs and creating 30 additional housing units. Valley Resource Day was created 

through a partnership between EPA, HUD and the city to bring state, federal and local funding source 

representatives together to see progress made and to discuss the role of each entity. 

When this wave of construction is completed, more than 47 acres of Springfield's 300-acre industrial 

corridor will have been redeveloped. The construction of the Jordan Valley Park has also led to a 

surge in the restoration of buildings in the center of the city, including theaters and warehouse loft 

apartments. Springfield has become committed to redeveloping within city 

limits before growing beyond them. 

Residents of Springfield could not be more pleased with the direction 

in which their city is heading. Community members volunteered 

nights and weekends during the planning stages of the park and 

now, the results of their labor are coming to fruition. The support 

that the first portion of redevelopment has received from 

community members and visitors has been overwhelming. City 

officials feel certain that the ultimate goal of redeveloping the 300-

acre former industrial corridor will be possible due to the support of 

the community. 

Local residents enjoying the new 

Jordan Valley park 

The supplemental $150,000 EPA Assessment grant will allow the 

Jordan 

Brownfields Success Story Solid Waste EPA 500-F-00-254 

Springfield, Missouri and Emergency March 2004 

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