BROWNFIELD AREA-WIDE PLAN, BLACK HILLS ENERGY PLANT 5&6

Client: City of Pueblo
Location: Pueblo, Colorado
Project Status: Phase 1 Grant and Assessment Complete

In 2020, the City of Pueblo received an EPA Community-Wide Brownfields Assessment Grant for the property known as Black Hills Energy Plant 5&6. The site has a history of industrial uses, primarily energy generation, yet sits at the heart of downtown Pueblo, adjacent to historic Union Avenue. Landmarked by the City, but owned by Black Hills Energy, both entities had entertained redevelopment proposals to no avail.

Partners Environmental was hired by the City to perform the required assessment work to investigate and verify the need for environmental remediation. This information then sets the City up to apply for an EPA cleanup grant. Knowing the strongest grant applications contain a reuse plan, Partners Environmental brought in Connect One Design to master plan the site.

Connect One and Partners met with the City of Pueblo planning staff and Black Hills Energy leadership to understand each entities requirements, and to recognize any overlap and synergy. Initial concepts were presented and refined into two distinct reuse plans centered around the landmarked Plant 5&6. Despite initial mistrust between the primary stakeholders, a final concept was refined and incorporated into a comprehensive master planning document and presented to the public for comment. This plan will provide the framework for the cleanup grant application. However, the most rewarding deliverable of this effort was seeing the communication channels open, and collaboration bloom, between the City of Pueblo and Black Hills Energy.