RELEASE: Lansing Brownfield Redevelopment Authority awarded cleanup grant and loan for Michigan Avenue development

For Immediate Release: January 3, 2018

Contacts:
Janet Michaluk, MDEQ Brownfield Coordinator, michalukj@michigan.gov, 517-643-0314
Tiffany Brown, MDEQ Public Information Officer, brownt22@michigan.gov, 517-284-6716

Lansing Brownfield Redevelopment Authority awarded cleanup grant and loan for Michigan Avenue development

LANSING, MICH. Two blighted, contaminated properties in Lansing will be transformed into a pedestrian-friendly commercial and residential building with help from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). A $500,000 grant and a $500,000 loan were awarded to the Lansing Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to address environmental contamination at the former gasoline filling station and automotive repair/sales business located on Michigan Avenue.

"The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and the Lansing Brownfield Redevelopment Authority are working closely with MDEQ to redevelop blighted, functionally obsolete and contaminated properties in Lansing,” said Karl Dorshimer, Director of Business Development at LEAP. “Projects like this would not be possible without financial assistance from the MDEQ.”

The MDEQ brownfield grant and loan will help mitigate environmental contamination and remove blight. 2200 Block, LLC, with its agent and general contractor, The Gillespie Company, LLC, will build a new 4-story mixed-use residential and commercial retail building on Michigan Avenue between Michigan State University and the State Capitol. The $7,000,000 redevelopment will create 15-20 new full-time jobs and approximately 33 new residential units.

The project site borders both a residential neighborhood and a busy commercial district. Public transit is just a few steps away. The developer has been working closely with AARP to incorporate “aging in place” design elements, which help people with decreased mobility, physical impairments, or other changes due to aging to remain independent.

The City of Lansing has approved a brownfield plan to help pay for environmental and site preparation costs and public improvements.

The MDEQ partners with communities to protect public health and the environment and revitalize contaminated property. MDEQ grants and loans pay for environmental investigation and cleanup on brownfields. Brownfields are vacant or abandoned properties with known or suspected environmental contamination.

Partnerships between MDEQ and communities have created $4 billion in private investment and 29,000 new jobs over the life of the Brownfield Redevelopment Program. For each grant or loan dollar invested by the MDEQ in protecting residents and the environment, an average of $23 is invested in the state’s economy. When brownfields are redeveloped, property values increase both on the revitalized site and on other nearby properties. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/deqbrownfields.

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