United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-110
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
\>EPA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Oakland County, Ml
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected Oakland County for a
Brownfields Pilot. Oakland County was also
selected to receive additional funding for
assessments at Brownfields properties to be used
for greenspace purposes. Oakland County
(population 1,225,000) is located northwest of
Detroit and comprises 61 cities, townships, and
villages within its 900 square miles. More than 26
percent of the county's residents have low to
moderate incomes, with poverty rates in certain
areas between 12 percent and 27 percent. Although,
automotive production and other heavy industries
historically dominated the economy, today Oakland
County is also home to agrowing high-tech industry.
However, the years of industrial production and
farming have yielded numerous brownfields
throughout the county. Aging urban corridors,
environmental contamination, and failure to utilize
the existing built infrastructure all contribute to
their abundance.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Oakland County, Ml
Date of Announcement:
May 2000
Amount: $200,000
Greenspace: $50,000
Profile: The Pilot focuses on
using brownfields redevelopment
to restorevacantorunderutilized
properties to productive use,
promote economicgrowth, and
protect natural resources
throughout Oakland County.
Contacts:
Oa kland County, [
(248)858-1352
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 5
(312)353-3161
Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
Forfurther 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/
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OBJECTIVES
The Pilot's obj active is to promote the redevelopment
of brownfields throughout the county in an effort to
fostereconomic growth and protect natural resources.
Through site assessments, the creation of advisory
groups, and the involvement of the community to
supportbrownfields redevelopment, the Pilot willhelp
return vacant and underutilized properties to public
and private uses. In turn, this will conserve
undeveloped land, create jobs, expand the county's
tax base, and leverage additional funds for future
brownfields redevelopment. Ultimately, communities
will be empowered to restore their previously
developed and underutilized land to productive use. In
addition, the Pilot will use greenspace funding for
planning and assessment purposes to restore the
Clinton River in the City of Pontiac. The site is
currently a parking lot but will be redeveloped into an
open-air channel for the river.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Establishing a Brownfields Advisory Board from
municipalities with existing Brownfield
Redevelopment Authorities (BRA) and encouraging
other municipalities to establish BRAs;
• Identifying brownfields sites within Oakland County
for assessment;
• Performing Phase I and Phase II site assessments
and baseline environmental assessments;
• Conducting community outreach activities; and
• Carrying out Phase I and II site assessments at the
Clinton River site for redevelopment into a
greenspace use.
The cooperative agreementforthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Oakland County, Ml
May 2000 EPA 500-F-OO-110
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