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Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund
Pilot
Oakland County, Ml
BACKGROUND
Oakland County is located in southeastern Michigan
immediately to the northwest of Detroit. The county has
along history of heavy industrial activity, particularly in the
automotive industry. There are abandoned and
contaminated sites in nearly every part of the county and
over 70 closed landfills. In addition, the county contains
1,400 significant waterways andlakes, which contribute to
fivedifferentregional watersheds. Many county households
rely on private water systems and groundwater. Water
quality and the reduction of runoff and groundwater
contamination are major concerns for the county.
Downsizing in the automotive industry continues to
contribute to the economic distress of county residents.
Fifty-one of the 61 local units of governments in the county
include low-to-moderate income census tracts, and there
are significant pockets of low-income and disadvantaged
populations. The county seat of Pontiac has 21% of its
residents living in poverty and an unemployment rate of
11%.
While there is some privately funded redevelopment
activity in the county, the degree of contamination at many
sites makes additional incentives essential to redevelopment.
To that end, ten local governments in the county have
formed, or are forming, Brownfields Redevelopment
Authorities that have assistedin20redevelopmentprojects
in recent years. The county has provided planning and
economic development support for many of these projects.
Under its current Brownfields Assessment Pilot, the
county is conducting an inventory of brownfields. The
county also is in the process of creating its own Brownfields
Redevelopment Authority to provide redevelopment
incentives.
BCRLF OBJECTIVES
The county's goal is to facilitate the cleanup and
redevelopment of local brownfields in order to protect
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
May 2002
Amount: $1,000,000
BCRLF Target Area:
Sites throughout Oakland
County
Oakland County, Ml
Contacts:
Oakland County Department
of Community and Economic
Development
(248)858-1352
Region 5 Brownfields
Coordinator
(312)886-2513
Visit the E PA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields
Forfurther information, including specific Pilotcontacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/brownfields
natural resources, create jobs in distressed communities,
and assist inlow-to-moderate income housing development.
By creating a pool of funds that can provide gap financing
for redevelopment of less desirable properties, the county
hopes to attract additional private investments to further
assist project success.
Under the BCRLF Pilot, each municipality in the county
will be asked to submit sites for consideration. Sites will be
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evaluated based on development potential, community
impact, likelihood of success, effect on water quality, and
other selection criteria. Special emphasis will be placed on
Pontiac anddistressed communities in the southern part of
the county. The greatest needs of municipalities in the
county are low-to-moderate income housing and
revitalization of the older urban core communities.
FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS
Oakland County is the cooperative agreement recipient
and will serve as the lead agency and fund manager. The
Oakland County Facilities Maintenance and Operation
Department will provide a site manager.
LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES
Oakland County's economic development team works
regularly with all available federal, state, and local incentive
programs. The county offers technical assistance to
downtown redevelopment programs for the 31 traditional
town centers in the county. Oakland County will encourage
municipalities to form Brownfields Redevelopment
Authorities, which allows access to a number of
redevelopment incentives, including tax increment
financing; state tax credits, grants, and loans; Clean
Michigan Bonds; and Clean Michigan Initiative funds.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, and all
CERCLA restrictions on use of funding also apply to BCRLF funds.
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-02-014
May 2002
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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