Brownfields Success Stories

The Sweet Smell of Success

In early July 1997, the Kalamazoo City Commission approved the sale of a 1-acre parcel for $25,000 to MacKenzies' Bakery. The parcel, located at the southwest corner of Harrison and Ransom streets on a 3.5-acre brownfields site, will serve as the center for the company's baking operations, as well as a retail outlet. The new store will hire two new employees immediately, and ten more over the next two years. Redevelopment activities at the site were sparked when the Kalamazoo Brownfield Redevelopment Initiative (BRI), which was founded through a $100,000 EPA brownfields grant, identified the site as ripe for cleanup and redevelopment. The 1-acre parcel was then acquired by the City through the Michigan State tax reversion process. The City continued to purchase twelve nearby parcels from seven owners to make up the 3.5-acre site, which was then prepared for commercial redevelopment at a cost to the City of $89,000. In June, 1996 the BRI was awarded $29,000 by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to perform Phase I and II assessments on the site. Only low levels of heavy metal and hydrocarbon contamination were found at the site, meaning that the property required no remediation under Michigan State Law. Shortly after the assessment of the site, the BRI was approached by the local bakery, who felt the property was ideal for its expansion due to its location. The City will use $1,250 of the $25,000 purchase price to develop a job training program for neighboring residents, while the remaining $23,750 will go toward improvements in the infrastructure of the surrounding neighborhood. The BRI is collaborating with MacKenzies to develop an infrastructure plan that includes landscaping, curb cuts, sidewalk repairs and attractive street lighting. Tax revenue on the property is expected to be between $9,000 and $12,000 annually. For more information on the Kalamazoo Brownfields Pilot, contact Barbara Gordon at 616-337-8801.