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EPA-560-F-08-297 brownfields September 2008

at-a-glance

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development 

& Hennepin County, MN 

2401 EDGEWOOD AVENUE Revolving Loan Fund Grants 

Former Lithium Manufacturing Facility Cleaned Up 

with the Help of Innovative Partnerships 

ADDRESS: 2401 Edgewood Avenue Sq., St. Louis Park, MN 55426 

PROPERTY SIZE: 5.8 acres 

BUILDING SQ FT. 79,000 

FORMER USES: Sand pit, brick manufacturing, lithium refining,

 food production 

CURRENT USES: Multi-tenant industrial building; 80 percent currently 

leased by promotional distribution company 

EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: 

The Minnesota Dept. of Employment 

and Economic Development loaned 

$150,000 and Hennepin County 

loaned $450,000 in Brownfields 

Revolving Loan Fund funding. 

PROJECT PARTNERS: 

Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic 

Development (DEED); Hennepin County; 

Metropolitan Council; City of St. Louis Park; 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Edgewood 

Investors/Real Estate Recycling 

For additional data and geographic information for this 

and other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA’s: 

Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/bms_query 

Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The 2401 Edgewood Avenue property has had a variety of industrial uses since the early 1930s, including: a sand pit 

and brick manufacturer (1931-1942); a lithium refinery (1942-1960); and a food production facility (1960-1988). The food 

facility was closed in 1998 and remained vacant for more than 5 years. Potential developers did not pursue the property 

due to contamination issues. During this period of vacancy, the property was the subject of more than 45 police calls, 

including those associated with a methamphetamine laboratory operating on site. The property eventually became a 

source of concern because of its close proximity to an elementary school and a heavily-used regional trail. To assist 

in restoring 2401 Edgewood and other blighted properties, Hennepin County and DEED received EPA Brownfields 

Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund grants in 1999 and 2003, respectively. 

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 

• Removed more than 13,000 pounds of soil contaminated with lithium, 

petroleum, lead, and barium from the property; removed asbestos 

from structures. 

• Leveraged more than $6 million toward additional cleanup and 

redevelopment efforts, as well as 100 jobs. 

• Became the first lithium-contaminated property in the state 

of Minnesota to be cleaned up and redeveloped by a private 

redevelopment firm. 

OUTCOME: 

The newly developed Edgewood Business Center provides 79,000 square feet of multi-tenant, modern office 

warehouse space–the first of its kind in the City of St. Louis Park. More than $6 million was leveraged for cleanup and 

redevelopment, bringing 100 jobs to the site upon project completion. Following redevelopment, the property value 

increased from approximately $1 million to $4.7 million and property taxes increased by 350 percent. 

New Edgewood Business Center in St. Louis, Park, MN 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 5 at (312) 353 2513