Tire Town transformed into Stove Factory Lofts Property and Description Property is 401 and 402 S. Second St., Leavenworth, Kansas, 66048. The Great Western Stove Company 5-building complex was built between 1874 and 1910 along the Missouri River in downtown Leavenworth. The heavy masonry exterior shells with heavy timber interior structure encircle a central courtyard and contain over 1,000 windows. The buildings are listed on the Industrial Warehouse National Historic District Registry. At the beginning of the project, the operating business was known as Tire Town, a tire warehousing, vulcanizing, distribution, sales and servicing center. The City and Tire Town owner, Duane Becker, agreed to move Tire Town to a Fourth Street location along a state highway with a railroad right of way. Foutch Brothers, LLC agreed to redevelop the property into the Stove Factory Lofts once the City had it cleaned up to regulatory standards.
Nature of Threat to Public Health and the Environment Site is 100 feet from Three Mile Creek which feeds directly into the Missouri River. Assessments identified included lead, arsenic, mercury and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil later confirmed during cleanup sampling in soil below ground surface. Asbestoscontaining materials and lead-based paint were found throughout the buildings including in timbers and windows. Project Summary Industrial buildings were converted into 184 high-end loft apartments by Foutch Brothers, LLC., to address the housing needs of the community which includes military officers and Department of Defense civilians attending education programs on nearby Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Stove Factory Lofts is considered the anchor tenant for a downtown reviltalization of historic Leavenworth that includes new retail, residential and hotel components.
In 2008-2009, soils contaminated with lead, arsenic, mercury and PAHs, plus ACM and LBP were removed. The Brownfields funded cleanup met KDHE and EPA regulatory requirements and cost approximately $853,000.
A note on economic benefits to the City of Leavenworth: The newly completed Stove Factory Lofts project is providing housing to a higher-end market that does not currently exist in Leavenworth. With the first 36 units already being full and the next 100 units set to come on the market next spring, businesses have told the City they are already seeing an increase in customer traffic from nearby apartment dwellers. Leavenworth has a 28-block historic downtown and boasts unique shops, restaurants and businesses — some of which are military family or veteran owned. This infusion of new life into Leavenworth’s downtown has demonstrated the community’s commitment to keeping its infrastructure intact.
Partners n
Tire Town - Duane Becker, owner
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Foutch Brothers, LLC, General Contractor
Kansas Department of Health and Environment n
Kansas State Historic Preservation Office n
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Community Development Block Grants n
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EPA Region VII
Funding Resources for this Project
n 2004 – 2008 Assessment – The City of Leavenworth
used a 2003 $100,000 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant & City leverage to assess the property for $117,281 from 2004-2005. In 2008 EPA Brownfields Targeted Assessment Funds were used to assess additional PAH contamination found during cleanup.
n 2006 – 2009 Cleanup – The City of Leavenworth used
a 2008 $200,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant and $40,000 City cost share, EPA funded KDHE Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund $160,000 sub-grant and $40,000 loan & $413,000 City leverage to clean up the property for a total of $853,000. From the onset, the State Historic Preservation Office was included during cleanup and subsequent redevelopment to preserve the historic nature of the National Register property.
n May 27, 2009 – KDHE Brownfields Voluntary Cleanup Program issued a No Further Action Letter; the cleanup met regulatory standards.
n Revolving Loan Fund, $200,000. n KDHE Grant/Loan of $160,000. n Contractor Foutch Brothers, LLC., redevelopd the
property for $28 million. Kansas State Historic Tax Credits were used.
n Created 100 construction jobs for 2.5 years of redevelopment.
n Job retention of about 5 jobs.