Redevelopment Aims to Pump New Life into Wyoming and Wisconsin Communities

The City of Cheyenne, Wyoming, is moving ahead with plans to revitalize brownfields in an area near downtown. Known as the West Edge project, redevelopment plans will start to come into sharper focus in a project that aims to deliver comprehensive storm drainage management, brownfield redevelopment, and park amenities integrated into one package, creating vibrant gathering places on the “west edge” of downtown. Part of the area is pictured above.

The City recently approved a contract with Ayres Associates, which will help property owners benefit from a $1 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund Grant that offers cleanup funding for developers where environmental contamination has occurred. Ayres also will help the City stay within state and federal regulators’ rules governing the cleanup efforts. Ayres has helped the City win $2 million in EPA grants to help get environmental revitalization efforts off the ground.

This Wyoming Tribune Eagle article describes the current status of the project.

Meanwhile, the City of Kewaunee, Wisconsin, is pursuing replacement of its crumbling seawall as one of the key cogs in a pro-tourism machine that it’s building. The redevelopment effort is described in this Post Crescent article.

Ayres has been involved with various facets of the redevelopment effort since 2012 and has served the City on a range of projects for decades. Ayres provided grant writing assistance and ultimately demolition oversight for the former Klockner Manufacturing site to make way for future redevelopment of the waterfront property pictured at right.

Ayres recently provided preliminary plans for replacement of the seawall to greatly improve the curb appeal of the area slated for redevelopment. In addition to fixing the decaying and dangerous seawall, plans include a boardwalk, green space, lighting, benches, parking, and handicap accessible fishing areas.

Ayres Associates’ environmental services operations have delivered transformative brownfield redevelopment projects to many communities. This video outlines the process.