The Environmental Protection Agency is sending $1 million Macomb County's way so that local economic development officials can redevelop brownfield property that may be contaminated.
A brownfield is land that can be difficult to redevelop, reuse or expand because of pollution or perceived pollution. The upside is that brownfields let developers use municipal infrastructure that's already in place and also preserve open space.
“Brownfield sites create special challenges due to the expense involved with environmental cleanup,” says Stephen Cassin, executive director of Macomb County Planning and Economic Development. “These funds will help put some of our vacant properties back into new use while creating investment and new jobs in our key industrial areas.”
Macomb County and one of 240 communities nationwide, and the only county chosen in Michigan, to receive the grant from the EPA's Revolving Loan Fund.
In coming weeks and months, county officials will begin to identify and prioritize sites that have the most redevelopment promise.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Stephen Cassin, executive director, Macomb County Planning and Economic Development
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