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/


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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

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