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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 15, 2024
Josef Greenberg, EGLE spokesperson, [email protected], 517-897-4965
EGLE awards grants to two job-creating brownfield redevelopment projects
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is awarding Brownfield Redevelopment Grants to projects that will create new jobs in Washtenaw and Macomb counties.
300 North Zeeb Road, Scio Township, Washtenaw County
A $1 million grant will help turn a blighted, vacant industrial property into a high-tech jobs incubator. The site was used to manufacture microfiche from 1965 to 2009 and has been vacant since then. Soil and groundwater are contaminated with chlorinated solvents and metals. The grant will pay for additional investigations, the removal and disposal of contaminated soil, and some interior demolition of the building. The additional investigations will determine if a vapor mitigation system will be needed. The developer plans to rehabilitate the 162,500 square foot building as part of what could eventually be a $115 million project. It will be turned into an incubator where high-tech startups can get mentoring and networking while also sharing facilities like clean rooms and wet labs with other businesses. The developer and the Washtenaw County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority expect it to create approximately 300 new jobs.
Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Heather Smith, [email protected], 517-648-7987, for more information.
Utica Mixed-Use Development, 7525 Auburn Road, Utica, Macomb County
A $400,000 EGLE Brownfield Redevelopment Grant will be used to help will enhance the area between downtown Utica and the city’s baseball stadium, Jimmy John’s Field, by turning a former unregulated landfill into new office and commercial space. The property was used as a dump from the 1960s until 2000, leaving the 1.36-acre site along the Clinton River contaminated with methane and organic compounds. The site has been vacant since 2008. The grant will pay for the removal of contaminated soil and the installation of a vapor mitigation system. The new building will include 10,500 square feet of office, commercial, meeting, and event space. It will serve as the headquarters of the United Shore Professional Baseball League, which plays at Jimmy John’s Field. There will be a covered patio for the public to use. The city estimates the $5,040,000 project will bring 35 full-time and 16 part-time jobs to downtown Utica. The new building is expected to be finished in fall of 2025.
Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Michelle Bakun, [email protected], 586-233-3408, for more information.
More than half of EGLE’s annual budget supports local projects, protects public health and the environment, and helps create economic growth and jobs for Michigan workers. Redevelopment increases the value of brownfield sites and other nearby properties. In 2023 EGLE awarded $31.3 million in brownfield incentives to 88 projects around Michigan.
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