5 o T> Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet East Lansing, Ml EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders 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 East Lansing was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. Located in south central Michigan, East Lansing (population 46,525) is home to Michigan State University (MSU), one of the largest universities in the country. The university owns 5,200 acres of land within the city, and its students account for 63 percent of the city's residents. While the presence of the university benefits the community in many ways, the social and economic impacts of the enormous student body also strain the limited re- sources and services of the small, permanent popula- tion of the city. The impact of this large student population has led to an increasing growth of "student only" neighborhoods. These are neighborhoods of older single family homes typically converted into multi-unit apartments. This phenomenon has intensi- Assessment Grants $200,000 for hazardous substances $100,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the City of East Lansing for two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct community outreach, develop a brownfields site inventory, and perform approximately five baseline environmental assessments and ten Phase I and Phase II environmental site assess- ments. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct community outreach, develop a brownfields site inventory, and perform approxi- mately three baseline environmental assessments and five Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments. Although grant funds will target sites throughout the city, the focus will be on the East Village Redevelopment 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 East Lansing, MI 517-319-6864 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. fied the flight of families and the elderly from East Lansing. The city has been working with the university to develop creative solutions to this problem and make neighborhoods more balanced and viable. They have targeted the 3 5-acre East Village neighborhood for assessment. It is an area with an old, intensively used housing stock, and a commercial corridor. East Village Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-06-112 May 2006 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- is a gateway to the MSU campus. The corridor has at least two dozen sites that will require assessment. Once the area is assessed and cleaned up, the city plans a mixed-use commercial and residential neighborhood that will include students and residents of all ages and lifestyles. ------- |