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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Monroe, Ml
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is
real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
of which may be complicated by the presence or
potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George
W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the
Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The City of Monroe was selected to receive a
brownfields revolving loan fund grant. Monroe, with a
population of approximately 22,000, lies on the western
shore of Lake Erie, between Detroit and Toledo.
Throughout much of the 20th Century, Monroe was an
industrial city known for its paper production and port
facilities. By the latter part of the century, the paper
mills and numerous other industrial facilities were
shuttered and abandoned, leaving over 750 acres of
large brownfield sites near the heart of the city. In
addition to being unproductive eyesores, these sites
comprise over 70 percent of the developable land
within the city. The loss of industry has also had its
effects on the citizens of Monroe, with over 12 percent
of them now living in poverty. Over 400 acres of the
Revolving Loan Fund
Grant
$1,000,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Monroe for a
brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant
will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund
from which the City of Monroe will provide loans
and subgrants to support cleanup activities for
sites contaminated with hazardous substances.
The grant will target the 45-acre former Consoli-
dated Packaging Corporation Northside Plant
located at 921 East Elm Avenue, within the
Mason Run development area.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit
the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
brownfields.
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
312-886-7576
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
Grant Recipient: City of Monroe, MI
734-384-9135
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
large brownfields are in the target area of east/
northeast Monroe, where they lie adjacent to estab-
lished low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. Rede-
velopment efforts will concentrate on a former box-
board manufacturing facility which is within the
location of the city's Mason Run residential develop-
ment project. Brownfields redevelopment will create
housing and greenspace, reduce environmental threats
to human health and the environment, stimulate the
economic vitality of the downtown area, and increase
property values.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-099
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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