United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-99-012 March 1999 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ PA Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Jackson County, Ml Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101) 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. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields solutions. The Pilots 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 the County of Jackson for a Brownfields Pilot. Jackson County (population 155,000) is located in south-central Michigan along the 1-94 corridor about 80 miles west of Detroit. The county consists of 26 local governments, including the City of Jackson. The city began as an agricultural town and quickly developed into an industrial and manufacturing community focusing on the automotive industry. When the nation's economy changed during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the county's industrial base fell apart as plants closed, resulting in job loss, population decline, and hundreds of vacant and abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Today, service-related jobs account for 62 percent of the county's employment, and the county's per capita income is $12,556, approximately half of that of the state. The Jackson County Redevelopment Authority estimates that there are more than 2,000 brownfields properties county-wide. The Pilot targets several commercial or industrial sites in the city's industrial corridor for assessment and redevelopment. The Grand River bisects the targeted area, offering opportunities for riverfront redevelopment. Prior to site selection, the Pilot will develop an inventory and site-prioritization system that will be available to the community and developers through the Internet. PILOT SNAPSHOT Jackson County, Michigan Date of Announcement: March 1999 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets commercial and industrial properties in the southeast quadrant of the City of Jackson's industrial corridor as well as surrounding townships. Contacts: Jackson County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (517)788-4455 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/ For further 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/ ------- OBJECTIVES Jackson County's objective is to create new jobs through private investment that has been leveraged as a re suit of the redevelopment of county brownfields properties. To aid this effort, the county plans to provide financial incentives available through its Brownfields Redevelopment Authority and the state. The Pilot will complete a brownfields inventory and develop a web site, perform environmental site assessments, and conduct community outreach seminars to support these objectives. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Developing an inventory and prioritized list of brownfields properties; • Creating a web site that includes a brownfields inventory, site maps, and prioritization system; and • Conducting approximately 20 Phase I site assessments, and Phase II site assessments as necessary. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Jackson County, Michigan March 1999 EPA 500-F-99-012 ------- |