According to the U.S. EPA, a brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land and both improves and protects the environment.
The Amazon facility in Shelby Township is a great example of a Brownfield site here in Macomb County.
Macomb County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority
The Macomb County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority promotes the revitalization of environmentally distressed areas, either by providing incentives for developers to clean up contaminated or functionally obsolete property, by receiving grants to perform the clean up before a development is involved, or a combination of the two. As stated in Public Act 381 (1996), an authority may: (1) capture increases in property tax revenues generated by the redevelopment of eligible properties to reimburse parties for costs of eligible development activities; (2) use captured revenues to finance a local remediation revolving fund to address other eligible sites; and (3) provide eligibility for single business tax credit to taxpayer for their investments on the eligible site. Brownfield authorities can qualify for Brownfield site assessment grants, redevelopment grants and the state revitalization loan fund.
The Brownfield Authority is comprised of nine members: one MISD representative and eight community leaders. It includes:
- David Scurto (Chair)
- Brandon Jonas (Vice Chair)
- Bonnie McInerney-Slater (Secretary / Treasurer)
- Dana Camphous-Peterson
- Dennis E. Champine
- Joseph Aragona
- Julijana Misich-Rasanehr
- Paul Bodiya (MISD)
Staff Contact: Amanda Minaudo, AICP, Program Director (amanda.minaudo@macombgov.org)
Current incentives / funding opportunities
Macomb County has available low-interest loan funds that are available for clean-up activities on eligible sites impacted by Hazardous and/or Petroleum substances. Sites eligible for hazardous funding are those sites with the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants, such as, but not limited to: heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, asbestos and sites contaminated with controlled substances.
Click here to access the Project Preliminary Application (Step One)
Click here to access the Property & Borrower/Subgrantee Eligibility Determination Form (Step Two
The Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act, mcl Act 381 of 1996, enables the Macomb County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to authorize tax increment financing for the implementation of redevelopment projects.
The incremental increases to property tax revenues can be captured and used to finance eligible activities on a site, including baseline environmental assessments, due care activities and additional environmental response activities.