Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
	Date of Announcement: March 2000 Amount: $150,000 Greenspace: $50,000
Target Area: Downriver Community Conference, MI Profile: The Pilot will target several sites in nine communities in the Downriver Area Brownfield Consortium (DABC).

BACKGROUND

EPA awarded the Downriver Area Brownfield Consortium (DABC) supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Pilot and additional funding for assessments at a brownfield property to be used for greenspace purposes. The DABC consists of nine communities in southeastern Michigan. The purpose of the DABC is to develop, test, and implement a program for Downriver communities to redevelop brownfield properties. The communities that make up the DABC are varied, ranging from older urban communities to suburban communities with industrial areas. These communities also range in population from 20,000 to 90,000. Industrial use in these communities ranges from light to heavy.

Through its Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative, the DABC has played a role in the construction of facilities for commercial, industrial, residential, and recreational use. These facilities have provided employment opportunities, facilitated addressing the problem of contaminated properties, and added value to the city's tax base.

OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES

The DABC will use the supplemental assistance at priority sites for which cleanup and redevelopment can improve environmental quality, enhance the tax base, and meet the overall needs of the community. In addition, by performing these assessments, the DABC projects will become eligible for additional Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) funding, which is used for cleanup activities.

The Pilot will use the greenspace funding to target a 25-acre privately held parcel that has state and national historical significance as an 18th century settlement and site of Michigan's largest battles as part of the U.S. Northwest Campaign in the 1800s. It is the intent of DABC to facilitate planning and assessment actions to revert the vacant, former paper production facility on the property to an open space for monumentation, interpretation, and archeological research.

To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to:

• Consider several criteria to identify potential sites within the DABC for redevelopment;

• Conduct Phase I and Phase II site assessments to determine the nature and extent of contamination; and

• Prepare redevelopment reports and plans based on the results on the assessments and the intended future use of the sites.

The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.

CONTACTS

Development Department
Southgate, Michigan
(734) 281-0700

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 5
(312) 886-1960

Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/