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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2026
EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Media-Office@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278
Josef Stephens, EGLE Spokesperson, StephensJ15@Michigan.gov, 517-897-4965
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is awarding a total of $3.595 million in Brownfield Redevelopment Grants to five projects that are expected to create 80 jobs and 378 new housing units. The projects are expected to draw nearly $255 million in combined capital investment.
350 South 5th Avenue, Ann Arbor
A $1 million EGLE grant will help create a 20-story high rise with 330 affordable housing units, with rents set for households between 30% and 80% of the Area Median Income. The ground floor will have 6,500 square feet of retail space, which is expected to generate 29 new jobs. The city will simultaneously work with the Ann Arbor Transit Authority to expand the platform of the Blake Transit Center next to the redevelopment, improving public transportation in the area. Grant funds will pay for demolition and removal of contaminated soil. The $209 million project is scheduled to be ready for move in by the fall of 2028. Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Heather Smith at SmithH29@Michigan.gov, 517-648-7987 for more information. Read more about the project.
Barton Malow Yard Expansion, 13000 West 8 Mile Road, Oak Park
Construction company Barton-Malow plans to turn three industrial properties into a $25 million office and warehouse facility. EGLE awarded the project a $285,000 grant to demolish one of the three buildings on the site, remove an underground storage tank, and to treat and dispose of contaminated groundwater. The redevelopment is expected to create 25 new jobs. Construction is scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2027. Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Abbie Hanson at HansonA2@michigan.gov, 906-202-1285 for more information. Read more about the project.
Former Maplewood Drycleaners, 148 East 32nd Street, Holland
EGLE awarded a $200,000 grant to a project that will turn a contaminated former drycleaner site into a new floral shop. Grant funds will pay for environmental assessments and a vapor mitigation system that will allow the developer to reuse the existing building. The $375,000 redevelopment is expected to create two new jobs. Renovations are scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2027. Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Doug Koop at KoopD@Michigan.gov, 517-245-5054 for more information. Read more about the project.
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, 512 Division Ave. South, Grand Rapids
The Grand Rapids University Preparatory Association, in partnership with Grand Rapids Public Schools, will build a 10,158-square-foot expansion onto the existing middle and high school. A $745,000 EGLE grant will pay for environmental assessments, demolition, and removal of contaminated soil associated with a former gas station. The $7.4 million expansion will include classrooms, labs, an expanded student health program, and a basketball/volleyball gym when it opens in the fall of 2027. Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Andrea Ryswick at RyswickA@Michigan.gov, 616-401-0827 for more information. Read more about the project.
William Schma House, 1900 Belford Street, Kalamazoo
A contaminated former paper mill site will be turned into new affordable housing with space for “wrap-around” recovery services like mental health care, recovery coaching, and workforce training. A $1 million EGLE grant will be used to remove contaminated soil, install a vapor mitigation system in the three new buildings, and install liners beneath stormwater retention ponds. The $19 million redevelopment's 48 apartments will be affordable to people making up to 50% of the Area Median Income when the William Schma House opens in late 2027. Contact EGLE Brownfield Coordinator Doug Koop at KoopD@Michigan.gov, 517-245-5054 for more information. Read more about the project.
More than half of EGLE’s annual budget supports local projects, protects public health and the environment, and helps create economic growth and jobs for Michigan workers. Redevelopment increases the value of brownfield sites and other nearby properties. In 2025, the EGLE Brownfield program provided more than $23 million in brownfield incentives to 76 projects in 52 Michigan communities. These projects are projected to create more than 440 housing units, 600 jobs, and result in more than $675 million in capital investment.
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