&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-204
July 1998
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Saginaw, 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 City of Saginaw for a
Brownfields Pilot. Saginaw (population 69,512) is
located approximately 100 miles north of Detroit. The
City is situated atthe north end of Michigan's industrial
corridor and near the gateway to the State's
recreational areas. Principle employment is
automotive manufacturing, medicine, education, and
agriculture. In the past, lumber, oil, and coal industries
have been large employers for the region. Saginaw's
31.7% poverty level is among the highest in the nation,
and the unemployment rate is 9.75%.
The City has hundreds of idle and abandoned former
industrial and manufacturing sites. During the last 3 0
years, more than 800 abandoned properties in the
central business district have reverted to City or State
ownership. The Pilot targets City-, State-, and
privately-owned commercial and industrial properties
located within or adjacent to the State-designated
Renaissance Zone and on the City's riverfront. As a
result of the Renaissance Zone designation, the City
has received numerous inquiries from developers and
prospective businesses about properties and tax
benefits. Uncertainty about the existence of
environmental contamination has hindered
redevelopment.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Saginaw, Michigan
Date of Announcement:
July 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
City-, State- and privately-
owned commercial and
industrial properties
located within or adjacent
to the State-designated
Renaissance Zone or on
the City's riverfront.
Contacts:
City of Saginaw
(312)886-7257
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/
Forfurtherinformation, 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
Saginaw's primary objective is to increase
redevelopment and create jobs in the target areas by
encouraging private and public investment. To assist
in this effort, the Pilot will develop a working inventory
database of brownfields target properties; address
those properties with high economic priority; and
attempt to maximize the communities' involvement
and understanding of the benefits of brownfields
redevelopment.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Developing a brownfields site inventory;
• Conducting an economic analysis of prospective
properties within the target area;
• Performing Phase I and II environmental site
assessments for those targeted properties; and
• Providing outreach and education to the community
regarding brownfields redevelopment issues.
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 Saginaw, Michigan
July 1998 EPA 500-F-98-204
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