Oakland County gets $1M federal brownfield grant

metromode, 6/8/2009

Three looks like the charm for Oakland County and big federal brownfield grants.

The EPA recently gave Oakland County a $1 Million Coalition Assessment Grant, making it the third such award the feds have given to Michigan's richest county. It will help local communities and developers perform environmental assessments on contaminated or obsolete land.

Money from previous grants helped turn an old gas station in Wixom into a new strip mall. These funds also allowed an old illegal dumping ground just outside of the Palace of Auburn Hills to be turned into a large multi-use project, creating space for retail, a bank and a hotel.

"We're open to almost any type of project," says Brad Hansen, environmental program coordinator for Oakland County.

Half of the money will be evenly split between Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Pontiac. The remaining $500,000 will be available for projects in other county communities.

The Oakland County Brownfield Coalition plans to focus much of these funds on the Woodward Avenue, 8 Mile Road, and 10 Mile Road corridors. A number of prominent organizations in these areas, such as the 8 Mile Boulevard Association and Woodward Avenue Action Association, helped land the grant as part of the Oakland County Brownfield Initiative.

Source: Brad Hansen, environmental program coordinator for Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke

Farmington , Ferndale , Pontiac