United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA 500-F-01-277
April 2001
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
&EPA EPA Brownfields
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Washtenaw 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, and safely clean up
brownfields to promote their sustainable reuse. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and
commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental
contamination. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years,
with additional funding provided for greenspace) to test assessment models and facilitate coordinated assessment
and cleanup efforts at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels; and 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 program (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) to provide financial assistance 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 Washtenaw County for a
Brownfields Assessment Pilot. Located in southeast
Michigan approximately 40 miles west of Detroit,
the county encompasses 720 square miles and 28
municipalities, including the City of Ann Arbor. This
historically rural area has experienced rapid
urbanization as a result of population growth and
changes in the agricultural economy. Redeveloping
the many obsolete industrial facilities that once
supported automotive and other industries will help
slow the rate of urban sprawl and ease pressures to
develop agricultural lands.
The county faces the challenge of more efficiently
using existing urban land in order to protect the
area's rural character and valuable natural resources.
Despite the fact that local governments have state
authority to establish their own zoning ordinances
and land use plans without county-wide coordination,
the individual localities would greatly benefit from
institutionalized regional coordination. The county is
working to create a process for voluntary
coordination between local governments to establish
five or six regional collaborative plans. The county
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
April 2001
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot will assess ten to
fifteen obsolete industrial facilities and
link brownfields redevelopment with
local and county-wide land use
planning efforts to ease pressures to
develop agricultural lands and slow
the rate ofurban sprawl.
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Contacts:
Washtenaw County Dept. of
Environmental and Infrastructure
Services (734) 994-6361
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 5
(312)886-7576
Visit the E PA 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/
-------
will integrate these local plans into a comprehensive
landuseplanthatwillsupportsustainable development
throughout the county. With additional information
on specific brownfields sites, the county will be
betterequippedtocollaboratewithlocalgovernments,
business developers, environmental groups, residents,
and universities.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Pilot is to link brownfields
redevelopment with local and regional land use
planning efforts to support the county's goals of
encouraging sustainable growth and curbing urban
sprawl. The Pilot will enable the county to identify,
prioritize, and assess brownfields properties and
provide community outreach throughout the process.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting a county-wide community outreach
program with the help of students from University
of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University;
• Reviewing historical information to determine past
property use and ownership;
• Conducting 10 to 15 Phase I and Phase II
environmental site assessments; and
• Conducting up to five baseline environmental
assessments at properties owned by developers
or local governments.
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 Washtenaw County, Michigan
April 2001 EPA500-F-01-277
------- |