For Immediate Release | Nov. 13, 2025
Press contact: Department of Strategic Impact | 616-738-4852

'Opening Doors for Further Investment'

$500,000 in EPA funding available for landowners, municipalities and more to offset costs of brownfield cleanup assessments

WEST OLIVE -- Cracked pavement. Decomposing building materials. An office building that's technically in use, but 90 percent empty. Every community has vacant, blighted, or underutilized property in need of revitalization. What stands in the way of redeveloping these sites? Contamination -- or the mere perception of it.

Environmental assessments can ease contamination concerns by providing answers but can be expensive. Now, interested parties have an opportunity to offset these costs and set underutilized properties back on the path toward redevelopment thanks to $500,000 in assessment grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

A group including EPA officials, local developers, City of Hudsonville officials and others tour Terra Station, a new 12-building mixed-use complex spread over 4.5 acres in downtown Hudsonville. Funds from a previous EPA assessment grant were used to ensure this property was safe to redevelop. [Photos by Rich C. Lakeberg/Ottawa County]

"Many properties can languish for years because of contaminant fears," said Becky Huttenga, Ottawa County Agriculture & Economic Development Coordinator. "Having a completed assessment can open doors for further investment."

First announced in May, these Brownfield Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) funds are now available for conducting Phase I site assessments, which help reveal current property conditions and any possible environmental threats; and Phase II environmental site assessments, which are conducted if any known or potential contamination has been found on said property. Additionally, these funds can also be used for any other due care or cleanup planning and reports.

Qualified developers, local units of government or individuals can complete a nomination form by visiting miottawa.org/brownfields and scrolling to the United States Environmental Protection Agency Grant Funding dropdown. Once submitted, the Ottawa County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (OCBRA), EPA, and in some cases EGLE will evaluate the property information. If approved, a qualified environmental professional contracted by the County will perform the authorized assessment or planning activities. For more details on the process, view our one-page fact sheet.

Priority is being given to sites in the cities of Holland and Grand Haven near waterways but may be used for other areas following a thorough site selection process overseen by OCBRA. Grand Haven, for its part, relishes this chance to revive underutilized sites.  

"The EPA's brownfield assessment funds present an exciting opportunity for Grand Haven and surrounding communities," said Dana Kollewehr, Assistant City Manager for the City of Grand Haven. "These resources allow us to evaluate and prepare underutilized sites for new investment, paving the way for transformative redevelopment that supports local businesses, housing, and community growth."

Photos: Clockwise, from top: USEPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel and Veneklasen Construction Director of Commercial Real Estate Jami Buth lead a tour of Terra Station, a new brownfield TIF-supported mixed-use development in Hudsonville last month. Bottom Right: Economic Development Coordinator Becky Huttenga (right) chats with Jakob Bigard, Economic Development Director, City of Hudsonville, and Trevor Petroelje, Moxie Development, during a tour of Prospect Flats in Hudsonville. Bottom left: Jami Buth, (far left) Anne Vogel, Kirk Perschbacher, Senior Brownfield Specialist at Fishbeck, and Lexi Willison, District Director for Congressman Bill Huizenga tour a Terra Station building.

This is the third time Ottawa County has received funds for site assessment from the EPA since the OCBRA was first established in 2008. Previous grants have made a major impact on brownfield development within the County. With a $400,000 award in 2013, the County was able to assist 34 different projects and leverage approximately $35.6 million worth of investment into brownfield properties. With a $300,000 award in 2020, the County assisted 29 different projects and leverage approximately $90 million of investment into brownfield projects.

Recognizing these previous brownfield successes, USEPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel and several other EPA staffers joined Huttenga, City of Hudsonville officials, and local developers for a roundtable chat and tour of two brownfield sites in Hudsonville last month. After the brief discussion, attendees gathered for a tour of two brand-new developments supported by brownfield redevelopment incentives – Terra Station and Prospect Flats.  

Following the tours, Vogel spoke to media about the roundtable and successes of the OCBRA. "You don't get more (funds) unless you do a really good job with the first two (grants) the EPA has awarded," she said. "So it's to their credit this amount keeps going up."

About the Ottawa County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority 

For high-quality versions of the images in this release, please email plan@miottawa.org or call 616.738.4852.