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/
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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
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