Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Brownfield News: Redevelopment and New Jobs in Oceana County

A new cleanup project will utilize a $178,635 grant to address environmental concerns and facilitate the development of a contaminated property in the city of Hart. The project announced today will result in investment of over $2.7 million in downtown Hart.

The Lake Point Elderly development will improve a contaminated lakefront property and create a residential area for senior citizens. The downtown property was used as a fuel storage area by the Oceana Electric Cooperative until the 1980s, and subsequently as office space and storage. The grant will be used to demolish a small building on the site and remove contaminated soil and groundwater resulting from underground storage tanks operated by the electric cooperative.

Following this work, private investment of over $2.7 million is anticipated for construction of moderately-priced apartments for senior citizens. The development is within walking distance of several downtown businesses and health care facilities.

The Michigan Brownfield Redevelopment Grant and Loan Program provides funding to local governments for environmental response activities on brownfield properties where redevelopment is proposed. Brownfield properties are vacant or abandoned properties with known or suspected environmental contamination. The Brownfield Redevelopment Grant and Loan Program was initiated in 1988, and has provided over $132 million for 307 projects statewide.

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