A \ Brownfields 2005 Revolving Loan Fund Grant
Fact Sheet
Monroe, Ml

EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states,
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield 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. Additionally, 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 large
brownfields are in the target area of east/northeast
Monroe, where they lie adjacent to established
low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. Redevelopment
efforts will concentrate on a former boxboard
manufacturing facility which is within the location of the
city's Mason Run residential development 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.
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 Consolidated
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
(http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
(312) 886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)
Grant Recipient: City of Monroe, Michigan
(734)384-9135
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. The cooperative
agreement for the grant has not yet been
negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-099
May 2005

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