U.S. Army transfers first parcel of Pueblo Chemical Depot land to PuebloPlex

The first large parcel of land at the Pueblo Chemical Depot has been transferred to PuebloPlex, the agency charged with redeveloping the site.

The last of 780,000 chemical munitions at the Pueblo Chemical Depot were destroyed in June 2023, with decommissioning operations set to follow.

The first transfer consisted of 5,109 acres of space that contained former munitions bunkers, also known as "igloos."

PuebloPlex President and CEO Russell DeSalvo noted that the igloos are currently full of household items, vehicles, and other things.

"We have a redevelopment plan for the entire surplus portion of the Pueblo Chemical Depot," DeSalvo said. "We'll basically be implementing that redevelopment plan. There are a lot of uses contemplated — mostly industrial storage, distribution, research and development type uses."

DeSalvo said he was excited to finally reach the next stage in the process.

"We've been at this close to 30 years," he said. "It's a big deal to acquire this first traunch."

DeSalvo said he expects that another 1,100 acres will be transferred by the end of the year, and PuebloPlex will continue working with the U.S. Army to clean up the property from an environmental standpoint to make it safe for redevelopment.

"We'll be working with the Army over the next few decades to transfer the rest of the property to PuebloPlex," he said.

The eventual goal will be to sell the property to the private sector, said DeSalvo.

"Part of our mission Is to enhance Pueblo County's tax base, and so the sooner we get this property sold and generating property taxes for Pueblo County, there's a lot of benefit for both PuebloPlex and our infrastructure build-out, and also Pueblo County to have another source of revenue — this property has been off the tax rolls for 85 years," he said.

There are also plans for open space, wildlife management, and public recreation, according to DeSalvo.

"This is a big accomplishment for our organizations and it really does provide significant opportunities for the community to grow. We're just really thrilled with the outcome of this first transfer," he said.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: U.S. Army transfers first parcel of Pueblo Chemical Depot land to PuebloPlex