Redevelopment
On this page:
- About the Superfund Redevelopment Program
- Redevelopment at the Site
- Economic Activity at the Site
- Case Studies and Success Stories
About the Superfund Redevelopment Program
Superfund Redevelopment works with communities to provide site-specific reuse support and help return Superfund sites to productive use. Learn more at Superfund Redevelopment Program and view reuse updates from this site and others around the country.
Redevelopment at the Site
Operable Unit 1
The Colorado Smelter site is part of EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Initiative, which provides reuse assessment tools to collect and evaluate information to develop assumptions about reasonably anticipated future land use(s).
EPA sponsored the Colorado Smelter Revitalization Project (CSRP), a collaboration of local, state, federal agencies, and stakeholders that aims to improve commercial areas and neighborhoods within and around the Colorado Smelter study area.
On October 30, 2018, the CSRP hosted a community visioning event that built upon existing knowledge and efforts, including the 2016 community-led visioning session and ongoing work at the Colorado Smelter Superfund site. Focus areas for the 2018 visioning session were:
- Connectivity and cultural heritage
- Thriving neighborhoods
- Vibrant commercial
These efforts resulted in the Colorado Smelter Revitalization Plan (pdf) (12 pp, 11 MB, About PDF) developed in July 2019 and will help to inform a neighborhood plan update for the Bessemer and Eilers area. Visioning efforts also help to inform the local land use planning process that is under the city and county jurisdiction.
In July 2020, the City of Pueblo accepted public comments on the draft plan. The Revitalization Plan was approved by City Council on October 26, 2020. The local health department also received a $350,000 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation. This grant supported 1.5 staff over two years to facilitate the CSRP and help implement revitalization projects.
For updates on the Colorado Smelter Revitalization Project, now known as the Bessemer, Eilers/Bojon Town, Grove Improvement Network (BEGIN), please visit these websites:
In March 2021, EPA awarded grant funding to a project in Pueblo to improve food access and long-term resiliency in neighborhoods near the Colorado Smelter Superfund site. Read the press release: EPA announces grant funding to Bessemer Historical Society, Inc. (dba Steelworks Center of the West) to develop an urban agriculture project in Pueblo, Colorado.
On April 28, 2023, BEGIN debuted it’s Art and History Walk which was the culmination of years of work by the group.
Operable Unit 2
On January 31, 2024 EPA led a visioning session to discuss the future land use of the former smelter area. Owners, community members, and agencies attended. EPA, the state and local health departments and Pueblo city planning participated.
- OU2 Future Use Future Use Work Session Summary (pdf) (6 pp, 1.4 MB)
Economic Activity at the Site
As of December 2024, EPA had data on 8 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 35 people and generated an estimated $23,205,702 in annual sales revenue. View additional information about redevelopment economics at Superfund sites. To review economic data at Superfund sites please visit this map.
Case Studies and Success Stories
EPA developed a case study evaluating the effect of listing the contaminated area in Pueblo as the Colorado Smelter Superfund site on real estate prices. The case study revealed that although a Superfund designation can initially increase the impacts of stigma on a neighborhood, it also provides long-term benefits. These benefits include having the certainty of a sampled property and knowledge of where contamination may exist and where it has been remediated. Once properties in the area have been cleaned up, property values tend to increase. During cleanups, EPA often coordinates with other federal, state and local agencies to enlist other programs and resources to help address long-standing neighborhood needs outside the scope of the cleanup. Read the case study:
Reducing Lending Challenges During Residential Cleanups: The Colorado Smelter Superfund Site Case Study (pdf) (46 pp, 3.8 MB)