Consultants present Broadway/Main Street brownfield plan; 17 sites assessed, grant funding ends in September

Consultants presented a brownfield-focused update on the Broadway/Main Street corridor at the Feb. 17 Green River Planning Commission meeting, reporting that the team has assessed 17 parcels in the focus area: seven properties returned no recognized environmental condition while 10 showed recognized environmental conditions such as asbestos and will need further Phase 2 testing or EPA review.

"Of the 17 properties that have been assessed, seven of those have come back as a negative, no environmental condition," a project team member said, noting several Phase 2 assessments remain in process and that the federal grant funding the assessments is scheduled to end in September. The consultants urged the city to accelerate assessments where possible to take advantage of grant dollars before they lapse.

The team also shared ideas gathered from outreach: residents want sustainable, job-creating development, stronger river access and curated tourism that preserves a small-town feel. Consultants flagged community fatigue with planning outreach and warned that residents are wary of large-scale tourism growth ("we don't want to become Moab").

Consultants suggested catalytic projects such as converting an old gas-station site to a small retail incubator, enhancing river trails and adding modest public-art or wayfinding features to entice visitors to spend more time downtown. They emphasized that property-owner cooperation will be essential for sampling, cleanup and reuse and that funding options may include cleanup grants, historic-preservation tax credits and redevelopment financing; specific funding amounts were not specified in the meeting.

The presentation concluded with the recommendation that the commission and staff refine priorities and prepare to move from concept development into a targeted set of Phase 2 assessments and redevelopment concepts over the coming months.