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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

       Kalamazoo,  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 Kalamazoo was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in southwest
Michigan, Kalamazoo (population 77,145) was once
known as the "Paper City" due to the large number of
paper-related manufacturing jobs that dominated the
local economy. A decline in this industry over the past
ten years cost the region more than 1,500 paper-
manufacturing jobs. Only one paperboard plant
remains operational, leaving behind many abandoned
and underused manufacturing facilities. The city has
identified  155 brownfields sites totaling more than 425
acres. The per capita income in Kalamazoo is 78
percent of the national average, and 24.3 percent of
individuals in the city live below the poverty level. In
some neighborhoods of Kalamazoo, the unemploy-
ment rate exceeds 12 percent. The city's ability to
  Assessment Grant
  $200,000 for hazardous substances
  EPA has selected the City of Kalamazoo for a
  brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
  stances grant funds will be used to conduct
  community-wide environmental site assessments,
  cleanup planning, and community outreach
  within the City of Kalamazoo.
  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 Kalamazoo, MI
  269-337-8336

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
raise revenues is limited by the fact that almost 40
percent of its land area is tax-exempt. This landlocked
city is nearly 95 percent built-out and cannot grow
beyond its borders. Abandoned, environmentally
stigmatized properties often are the city's only choice
for development. Assessment, cleanup, and eventual
redevelopment of Kalamazoo's brownfields properties
are expected to improve the area's job market, increase
the local tax base, and attract new residents to the city.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-06-116
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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