Construction on Katterjohn property delayed by more environmental testing

Over the past few weeks, construction activity has slowed at the former Katterjohn building site located at 1501 Broadway, as the State of Kentucky is conducting an additional environmental review before the construction of 12 new homes.

In March, the City of Paducah approved the transfer of the property through a development agreement with Westwood Development, LLC. In early June, an environmental contractor was on site installing monitoring wells. Now in the near future, the State of Kentucky will lead an additional assessment of the site’s soil.

Mayor George Bray said in a press release that although he was expecting the state to be done with its actions by now, he appreciates their thoroughness since this is a site where homes are going to be built. He said the city will comply with every request as part of the development process.

Two years ago, during the initial environmental assessment, a 6,000-gallon underground storage tank and its contents were removed. More than 276 tons of soil from the area around the tank, and water from the excavation pit were also removed. 

A closure assessment report for the project was submitted to the state in March 2025 with a recommendation of no further environmental action. However, in May of this year, the city received notification from the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, Division of Waste Management, Underground Storage Tank Branch that four monitoring wells were required in the vicinity of the former tank. 

In early June, the monitoring wells were installed as required. The city’s on-site environmental contractor indicated that the laboratory results of the groundwater samples are below applicable clean-up levels. 

Kentucky's Division of Waste Management Superfund Branch has offered to assist with the assessment of the top layer of soil at the site. The testing involves the deployment of 18 to 24 passive soil gas samplers, which are thumb-size vials that are placed in the ground for two weeks. The city anticipates the results of this test to take 30-60 days, and then development of the site can resume.

The Katterjohn site, a 3-acre property purchased by the city in 2023, previously contained a large building that deteriorated. In 2024, the city demolished the structure and invited developers to submit proposals for the site in 2025.