Pueblo Brownfields

What is a brownfield?

Brownfields are properties that have untapped potential, but their use and development are often limited due to environmental challenges from past activities. These challenges might seem like roadblocks, but they actually hold the key to unlocking exciting new opportunities for growth! By addressing these issues, we can bring these properties back to life, creating space for new development, boosting the economy, and building stronger, more vibrant communities.

Brownfields come in all shapes and sizes, and they can be found in almost every community—whether it's an empty lot, an old gas station, an auto repair shop, or even a former manufacturing site. These spaces might have been impacted by hazardous materials like asbestos, lead paint, or even illegal dumping, but with the right approach, they can be transformed into valuable assets.

Revitalizing brownfields isn’t just about cleaning up the past—it's about creating a bright future. By breathing new life into these properties, we open the door to exciting new developments that benefit both the local economy and the community.

City of Pueblo Brownfields Program

Pueblo has been building a robust brownfields program with the help of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding. In 2020, the City celebrated the award of its first $300,000 Brownfields Grant, and just a few years later, in 2024, Pueblo received an additional $1 million grant to keep the momentum going. This funding is fueling the City’s efforts to revitalize underperforming properties, offering valuable technical assistance to property owners ready to transform their spaces. It’s a big win for Pueblo and a bright step forward toward a vibrant, sustainable future.

Free technical assistance is available to provide public and private property owners with a range of environmental assessment and planning services to catalyze revitalization, site transformation, and visioning for neighborhoods and for individual properties. Eligible activities include:

  • Environmental site assessments to evaluate past uses and test for contamination.
  • Testing building materials for asbestos and lead.
  • Preparing cleanup plans or site re-use plans for underperforming properties.
  • Reuse planning such as conceptual reuse plans, economic evaluations, infrastructure analyses, and more.
  • While the grant can be used to plan for cleanup, it cannot be used to conduct cleanup activities. Technical assistance is available to help property owners move to the next phase of cleanup and site reuse if contamination is identified.

Who will benefit from this assistance?

We all will. Brownfields cleanup and reuse offer something for everyone—local communities, developers, investors, and the environment. Communities see improvements in public health, higher property values, and economic opportunities. Developers and investors have the chance to bring new businesses, homes, and infrastructure to revitalized land. The environment also benefits through the removal of hazardous materials and sites that may pose safety and health concerns. In the end, these efforts lead to stronger economies, healthier communities, and a more sustainable future for all.

How can you benefit from this assistance?

The City welcomes site nomination forms from property owners and the community. You may nominate your own property, or a site you’d like to see revitalized. Property owner participation is voluntary. The City will review each site nomination, determine eligibility, and facilitate property owner engagement.

Properties with a need for environmental assessment, cleanup planning, and/or re-use planning and where revitalization supports broader community goals and visions will be prioritized for consideration. The City will respond to each nomination to discuss opportunities for revitalization assistance.

Completed nomination forms can be submitted using the online form below. The form may also be downloaded and completed electronically for transmittal via email or U.S. mail to the contacts listed below.