Sustainable economic development or "green" development can be a pathway for cities to achieve economic prosperity.
A growing number of cities are recognizing that our economic development can occur in a way that brings environmental benefits as well as economic ones.
Lawrence VenturePark
An example of this work in the City of Lawrence is the former Farmland Industries site on K-10 (now Lawrence VenturePark), at the eastern gateway of our community. In 2010, the City began its largest redevelopment project to date by acquiring the former Farmland Industries Nitrogen Plant site. Abandoned since 2001, the site requires environmental remediation to clean up the excess nitrogen fertilizer. The City is remediating the contamination while simultaneously developing the property for tenants engaged in industry, business, and research.
As we develop the future business park, we are incorporating/exploring the following sustainable features:
- Sustainable approaches to stormwater runoff
- Bike lanes and trails
- A regional detention pond on the site
- Possible on-site renewable energy (i.e. solar)
The City was the recipient of the EPA’s Repowering America’s Lands technical assistance grant in 2012. A team from the EPA and National Renewable Energy Labs produced this report about potential renewable energy applications at the former Farmland Industries site.