About the BRACG
The Brownfield Redevelopment
Authority of the County of Gratiot (BRACG)
was established in 1999 through the auspices
of the Gratiot County Board of Commissioners,
under the authority of the Michigan Brownfield
Redevelopment Financing Act (PA 381 of 1996,
as amended). The authority provides
a mechanism to support the cleanup and redevelopment
of brownfields - properties that are, or are
perceived to be, environmentally contaminated,
blighted and functionally obsolete.
To promote further collaboration between county,
city, and township governments, Greater Gratiot
Development, Inc. is the administrator of
the county-wide BRACG.
The BRACG
provides support through the following
programs:
U.S. EPA Site
Assessment Grants
The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has
awarded the BRACG two grants totaling
$400,000 to complete environmental
assessments on brownfield sites with
known or suspected petroleum or
non-petroleum hazardous materials.
Currently, Greater Gratiot Development,
Inc. staff is compiling a list of
potential sites for redevelopment, which
will be prioritized for assessments
based on criteria including human health
hazard and redevelopment potential.
Look for a list of potential sites to be
posted on this website in the near
future.
Michigan Brownfield Laws
and the
Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality (MDEQ)
All Michigan
brownfield projects require the
cooperation of the Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to
ensure that properties are cleaned up to
a standard that is safe for future use.
The State of Michigan strives to have
the best Brownfield Law in the nation,
in terms of environmental protection for
residents, liability protection for new
facility owners, and incentive packages
allowable under the law. Gratiot
County is a model community for
cooperation between federal, state, and
local government agencies. The MDEQ recently performed Phase I and
Phase II assessments on the 20-acre
former Sumner Township dump, allowing
the Gratiot County Parks & Recreation
Commission to further consider expanding
the adjacent Paul Hubscher County Park.
Incentives for
Developers
- Liability
protection from existing
contamination
- TIF
reimbursement for eligible
demolition/cleanup costs
- Potential
environmental assessments through
federal grants
- Typically
below average land cost
In
Process:
City of Alma Downtown Waterfront
The
City of Alma Downtown Waterfront
Brownfield Redevelopment is an effort
that has been in the planning stages for
decades, and is now quickly moving
forward. The project's purpose is
to move a half-century-old metal recycling facility off the Pine
River to an industrial area of the city,
and redevelop the riverfront into a
mixed-use residential and/or retail
center. The project would not be
moving forward without the cooperation
of the City of Alma, the BRACG, EPA, MDEQ, and the Alma Iron & Metal
management.
If you have any questions
about Brownfield Redevelopment in
Gratiot County, please contact us at
(989) 875-2083.
|
Success Stories
The Dixon Car Wash project in St.
Louis, Michigan demolished a former
filling & service station and adjacent
dilapidated house. Utilizing a
combination of the City of St. Louis EPA
Site Characterization Grant and the
Michigan Brownfield Redevelopment law,
through the BRA of Gratiot County,
Michigan, the project cleaned up a 35
year old problem.
The
Discount Muffler & Brake
project in St. Louis, Michigan
demolished a filling & service
station to construct a new
store. The project resolved a
visual problem and addressed
contaminated soil coming from a
previously leaking UST. It
utilized a combination of the
City of St. Louis EPA Site
Characterization Grant and
Michigan Brownfield
Redevelopment law through the
BRA of Gratiot County, Michigan.
For more
information on Brownfield
Redevelopment in St. Louis,
click here.
|
The Brownfield Redevelopment Authority of the County of
Gratiot
