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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 28, 2023
EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278
Jill A. Greenberg, EGLE spokesperson, GreenbergJ@Michigan.gov, 517-897-4965
EGLE awards funding to 3 redevelopment projects drawing $355.4 million in investment to the city of Muskegon
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is awarding a combined $3 million in brownfield redevelopment funding to 3 projects in the city of Muskegon. These projects are expected to draw $355.4 million in private investment and create more than 700 new housing units in the city.
Adelaide Point, 1204 West Western Avenue, Muskegon
This site on the south shoreline of Muskegon Lake was home to a foundry from the early 1900s until 2015, leaving it contaminated with PFAS, petroleum and solvent compounds, and metals. A $1 million EGLE Brownfield Redevelopment Grant will pay for the treatment of contaminated groundwater and the demolition of a concrete foundation. The concrete will be recycled to be used in a new road running through the area. Redevelopment plans call for a four-story apartment building with 55 units, a three-story building with retail, office, and restaurant space, and a 172-slip marina. The City says it will draw $82,400,000 in private investment and create 100 full-time jobs. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the city of Muskegon are also providing financial incentives. The State Legislature provided a $1 million appropriation as well. Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Andrea Ryswick, RyswickA@Michigan.gov, 616-401-0827, for more information.
Former Shaw Walker, 965 West Western Avenue; 920 & 930 Washington Avenue, Muskegon
The historic former Shaw Walker Furniture Company is going to be turned into 552 units of new condos and apartments, a parking ramp, and more than 17,000 square feet of a new commercial space. The 11-acre site is contaminated with metals, petroleum compounds, solvents, and cyanide. The city of Muskegon says 85% of the buildings on the property are vacant or blighted, have asbestos and lead paint, and are considered a public safety hazard. A $1 million EGLE Brownfield Redevelopment Loan will be used for further investigations, the installation of vapor mitigation systems, abatement of asbestos and lead paint, and removal of wood block flooring. The city and the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce Foundation provided site assessment grants. Overall, the project is expected to draw $163 million in private investment. Work paid for by the EGLE loan is expected to be finished by spring 2025. Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Andrea Ryswick, RyswickA@Michigan.gov, 616-401-0827 for more information.
Harbor 31, Viridian Drive & Terrace Street, Muskegon
A $1 million EGLE Brownfield Redevelopment Loan will help clear the way for new housing, a hotel, marina, boardwalk, and commercial space on Lake Muskegon. Continental Motors and Teledyne built engines on the site from the early 1900s until 1991. A $2.3 million state appropriation in 2021 paid for the removal of contaminated soil and wetlands mitigation. The EGLE loan will pay for further site assessments and the installation of a vapor mitigation system. The city has put $1 million into infrastructure improvements. The city expects the redevelopment to create 154 new housing units, 250 new jobs, and draw $110 million in capital investment. The project is scheduled to be finished by 2029. Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Aaron Assmann, AssmannA@Michigan.gov, 616-430-5275 for more information.
More than half of EGLE’s budget each year flows into Michigan communities through grants, loans and other spending that supports local projects, protects public health and the environment, ultimately creating economic growth and jobs for Michigan workers. Redevelopment of brownfields – vacant or abandoned properties with known or suspected contamination – increases property values both on the revitalized site and on other nearby properties. Overall, in 2022 EGLE provided $20.7 million in brownfield funding to 67 projects statewide.
EGLE’s Remediation and Redevelopment Division provides financial and technical assistance including grants, loans, tax increment financing and free site assessments to facilitate the redevelopment of brownfield properties.
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