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 ------- |