The Chouteau Courts Priority Site, located near Downtown on Independence Avenue, is a former 140-unit public housing site. Prior to its construction in 1958, the site was known as "Belvidere Hollow," a poor community of improvised housing and cottage industries. Property uses included a paint store, a battery company, a coal, metal and junk business, and iron and metal working business, residential homes, grocery/deli/drug, hardware. Other sensitive uses on nearby properties included a drycleaner, garages, filling station, metal shop. The site was razed and filled for construction of an adjacent highway interchange. A portion of the site became the housing development, and the remainder became Belvidere Park. The fill caused chronic structural problems in the housing units and preliminary assessment has identified elevated levels of lead, arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). <p></p>
In December 2021, a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) identified recognized environmental conditions (RECs) and vapor encroachment conditions (VECs) in connection with possible contamination related to imported fill material and, to a lesser extent, related limited on-site historic use as junk yards, and nearby off-site historic automotive and dry cleaner businesses. In September 2022, a Limited Phase II ESA was conducted to further delineate extents of contaminants of concern (COC), including PAHs, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) metals, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Soil results indicated the presence of arsenic and lead above their respective Missouri Tier 1 Risk-Based Target Level (RBTL) for residential and non-residential land uses. The highest levels of arsenic and lead were found at the south and east ends of the subject property. Concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene were detected above the RBTL for residential surface soils in two surface soil samples, and above the RBTL for non-residential surface soils in one surface soil sample. Elevated levels of benzo(a)pyrene in soil were reported at the south end of the property where significant fill was observed. In addition, no reported VOC analyte concentration exceeded their RBTLs in any of the three soil-gas (vapor) samples collected at depths between 5 and 6 feet below ground surface (bgs). Groundwater was not encountered to the maximum explored depth of 24 feet bgs, therefore no groundwater samples were collected. Based on the Phase II ESA results, a Risk Management Plan (RMP) to prevent the transport of the CoC through the environment was recommended. The property is in the Missouri Brownfields/Voluntary Cleanup Program (BVCP); who reviewed the Phase II ESA. In January 2023, the BVCP determined no further contaminant delineation is necessary and agreed with the recommendation to develop a RMP dependent on the determination of the future use of the site. <p></p>
Future Uses: The redevelopment of this site is identified as a priority by the Paseo Gateway Community Transformation Plan. The Site occupies approximately 15 acres overlooking downtown highways, and is combined with Belvidere Park, an isolated and underused amenity. As a part of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) grant, the Transformation Plan was created with the participation of a large group of community stakeholders including Chouteau Court residents, neighborhoods, local leaders, businesses, educational institutions, and social service agencies. The Transformation Plan calls for the replacement of the Chouteau Courts public housing site and identifies strategies to address the challenges of the surrounding community, including education, social services, and infrastructure. Implementation is well underway to replace the former dilapidated housing units and create mixed-income housing, mixed-use developments, and enhancements to neighborhood assets to shape a new identity for the entire Paseo Gateway area. Redevelopment of the intersec