Blight or boomtown? EPA funding study of cleanup need in West Millcreek area
The area seems to have everything going for it. Two TRAX stations are just a short walk away, and new developments are popping up left and right.
But no one seems to want to build here.
The land is littered with salvage yards, industrial businesses, and vacant or neglected properties. Salt Lake County leaders fear the land could be tainted, thwarting any plans for development.
"Both existing property owners and potential developers will face a range of financial risks due to the uncertainty of remediation costs associated with potential environmental cleanup," according to a 2007 study of the area for the county's redevelopment agency.
To eliminate that uncertainty, the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday awarded the county a $200,000 brownfields grant.
The money will be used to do an environmental assessment of the area, which stretches between 300 West to State Street and 3900 South to the Murray city border. The area has a long history of commercial and industrial operations, with trucking and paving companies, a cement plant and printing and graphics businesses.
"With the high vacancy rate, you can't help but think it's a deterrent for development," said Emily Farmer, the county's redevelopment manager.
The area is also home to the old Murray Laundry property on 4200 S. State. That land has been on the EPA's radar since 2000 as a potential hazardous site.
Bill Bang apparently didn't get the memo about not buying land in that area.
He bought the old Murray Laundry site about five years ago, knowing full well that the laundry solvents likely contaminated the land. He just hoped the contamination wasn't "overwhelming bad."
Lucky for him, the site wasn't so bad that the federal government has stepped in.
"I figured it was a risk worth taking," Bang said. "I guess I'm a little bit of a gambler. Most people wouldn't have done it. I'm one of the stupid ones — what do I know?"
County officials fear Bang is the exception, not the norm.
Even if the land in West Millcreek is not contaminated, the land is marred with a reputation that it is.
"There are a lot of areas down there that do have that kind of reputation, and the perception is there," said Rita Lund, the county council's liaison to the east-side unincorporated areas. "Nobody knows."
County officials hope the grant money will help set the record straight.
The $200,000 will only analyze and identify sites that are contaminated. Any cleanup will likely cost a lot more.
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