Moline, Illinois
Contact Information
Jon Grosshans (grosshans.jon@epa.gov)
Community Planner
U.S. EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd., SM-7J
Chicago, IL 60604
312-353-5617
Green Preservation and Multi-Modal Station
EPA Region 5 provided technical assistance to the City of Moline, Ill., and MetroLINK on a multi-modal transit station project that involves the rehabilitation and LEED certification of a historic building on a brownfield site. The EPA assistance was completed in conjunction with a DOT TIGER II grant. The City of Moline requested additional resources and expertise in the areas of green building and historic preservation (see case studies below).
This site directly adjoins a large brownfields redevelopment project, the John Deere Commons, which helped to revitalize Moline's downtown. Eventual reuse of the site will spur additional reinvestment in surrounding properties, many of which are identified in the City's brownfield inventory. The warehouse building, located in Moline's Downtown Commercial Historic District, represents a unique preservation challenge for developers. This challenge includes following both the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation while meeting the requirements for LEED-Silver certification. Despite the perceived challenges, there is tremendous opportunity in the project. The station development will not only bring intercity rail service to the Quad Cities, it will also spark new redevelopment opportunities in the Moline downtown.
This multi-modal station project illustrates a successful partnership between Region 5 EPA and Region 7 Federal Transit Administration to achieve mutual agency goals. The federal agency collaboration on this project is an outcome of the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
Green Preservation Case Studies
EPA Land Revitalization funds were used to develop case studies that demonstrate the successful renovation of an existing/historic structure to meet LEED certification standards. Green preservation case study content includes:
- Challenges in greening an existing/historic building and approaches to overcoming those challenges.
- Replicable methods of funding used to complete the projects in each of the case studies.
- Catalytic projects that spurred additional transit oriented development in the surrounding community.
Green preservation case studies include:
- King Street Station (Seattle, Wash.) (PDF) (7pp, 1.4MB About PDF)
- Union Depot (St. Paul, Minn.) (PDF) (8pp, 930K About PDF)
- Uptown Station (Normal, Ill.) (PDF) (4pp, 791K About PDF)
- Christman Building (Lansing, Mich.) (PDF) (7pp, 1.1MB About PDF)
- Wabash Station (Columbia, Mo.) (PDF) (6pp, 1.5MB About PDF)
Environmental Benefits
The Moline Multi-Modal Station Project will contribute to reduced air emissions, help to increase transportation efficiency, and reduce vehicle miles traveled. The adaptive re-use of an existing building, which retains a significant amount of embodied energy, and the green building features play a role in climate change mitigation. The project also contributes to the City's Green Enterprise Zone with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Upon completion, the station will serve as a model for future green renovations in the historic downtown commercial district, promoting sustainable development and livable communities.