DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A federal court approval of an agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a Quincy, Illinois, company to clean up a contaminated industrial site in Des Moines will pave the way for a major commercial development that could include soccer stadium.
The EPA confirmed Monday the approval of the settlement agreement that resolved a federal lawsuit over the site on the edge of downtown Des Moines along the Raccoon River.
Illinois-based Titan International will pay $11.5 million to the federal government to satisfy the EPA’s past costs for cleanup work, future demolition of contaminated buildings and a groundwater treatment system update.
The agreement requires Titan subsidiaries to transfer 43 acres of the site once used for manufacturing pesticides, steel wheels and tires to the city of Des Moines for future development.
“To see an area polluted for decades restored and returned to civic use demonstrates EPA’s commitment to communities affected by industrial contamination,” said Acting EPA Region 7 Administrator Ed Chu.
A group on Friday announced a large development that centers around a 6,300-seat soccer stadium on the site. Plans also call for three practice fields, a pedestrian plaza, a convenience store, an athletic training facility, a free-standing restaurant and a 150-room hotel and nearby housing.
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