Environmental Reviews Confirm Former East Broadway Property is Safe for New Development
The City of Sedalia is moving forward with confidence on the development of the new Fire Training Center and the Memory Lanes Bowling Alley after decades of environmental review confirm the property is safe and suitable for redevelopment.
Located on the north side of East Broadway Boulevard near Hancock Avenue, the approximately 15-acre site has sat vacant for many years. The planned projects represent a major investment in Sedalia’s future by strengthening public safety, expanding recreational opportunities, and helping activate the east side of the community with facilities that serve residents for generations to come.
Because the property has a documented industrial history, environmental evaluation has been a required and ongoing part of the planning process. That work did not begin recently; it has been underway for more than 30 years and has involved multiple independent engineering firms and oversight from state and federal agencies.
Although the site recently appeared as an open grassland before construction began, historical records show it once functioned as part of an active railroad yard from the late 1800s through much of the 20th century. Rail maintenance operations, coal storage, and related activities occurred across the property. In addition, several petroleum-related businesses operated along the southern edge of the site near Broadway Boulevard between the 1920s and 1990s.
Those historic uses are precisely why environmental investigation was required before redevelopment. One of the earliest and most significant environmental actions occurred in the early 1990s, when underground storage tanks were removed from a former Hudson Oil filling station located near the southeast corner of the property. Soil excavation, groundwater monitoring, and follow-up sampling were completed under the oversight of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). In November 1999, MDNR issued a formal closure letter stating that no further investigation or cleanup was required at that location — a determination commonly referred to as “No Further Action.”
That closure remains valid today and was specifically referenced in subsequent environmental studies. After rail operations ceased and the property became vacant, the site was enrolled in the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Brownfields/Voluntary Cleanup Program. A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment was completed in 2008, followed by a detailed Phase II investigation in 2009. That work included surface soil sampling, subsurface soil borings, and limited groundwater sampling.
The 2009 investigation identified shallow surface soils with elevated metals associated with historic rail activity, limited low-level petroleum impacts near former oil businesses, and shallow groundwater impacts. Importantly, the report concluded these conditions did not pose a threat to non-residential redevelopment and did not require large-scale cleanup. Instead, regulators and engineers recommended practical safeguards, including soil cover, controlled excavation procedures, and restrictions on groundwater use.
When the City of Sedalia formally acquired the property in 2021, those recommendations were implemented through a recorded environmental deed restriction. This restriction ensures the land is used only for appropriate commercial or industrial purposes and cannot be developed for housing, schools, or childcare facilities.
Before any new construction planning began, the City again conducted updated due diligence. In March 2025, AP Engineering & Consulting completed a modern Phase I Environmental Site Assessment in accordance with current standards. The review confirmed the site’s known history and recommended updated shallow soil sampling and the creation of a Soil and Groundwater Management Plan prior to construction.
New sampling conducted in April 2025 showed that site conditions have improved since 2009. Only two sampling locations lightly exceeded non-residential screening levels, and the overall footprint of shallow soil impacts is now smaller than previously documented. Based on these findings, APEC prepared a comprehensive Soil and Groundwater Management Plan in May 2025, which governs all construction activities on the site.
That plan proved effective in early 2026, when contractors encountered petroleum-impacted soil during excavation for a detention basin. Work was immediately paused, the soil was tested, and results later confirmed the material was non-hazardous. It has been properly disposed of at a licensed landfill exactly as outlined in the approved management plan.
Throughout this process, the City coordinated closely with MDNR. Concerns raised by residents were also reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which concluded that extensive due diligence had already been completed, that appropriate controls were in place, and that no federal involvement was warranted.
Taken together, more than three decades of professional investigation show a consistent conclusion: while the property has an industrial past, the environmental conditions present are limited, stable, well-understood, and manageable. There is no evidence of uncontrolled contamination, no risk to surrounding neighborhoods, and no barrier to safe redevelopment.
Redevelopment of former industrial land is common across Missouri and the nation. When guided by proper planning, engineering oversight, and regulatory compliance–as has occurred here–these properties can be safely returned to productive community use.
To support transparency, the City of Sedalia has made environmental reports, laboratory results, management plans, and agency correspondence available for public review on a dedicated project webpage. As construction progresses, that information will continue to be updated.
The City looks forward to sharing the completed Fire Training Center and Memory Lanes Bowling Alley with the community and is proud to move this long-vacant property into its next chapter–safely and responsibly.