January 12, 2006

The Department of Environmental Quality announced today that the Village of Spring Lake in Ottawa County has been awarded a $90,000 Brownfield Redevelopment Grant and a $170,000 Brownfield Redevelopment Loan to address environmental concerns at a former industrial site. The funds will facilitate the reuse of the property as a mixed-use retail and office space development and were awarded as a part of Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s Jobs Today Initiative that will put thousands of Michigan residents to work through construction projects.

“Restoring sites like these into productive and active spaces is vital to the strength of our communities,” said Granholm. “This project creates jobs today and builds the framework for future investment and growth in Michigan.”

The Mill Point Station Project in Spring Lake will return a contaminated and idle industrial facility, the former Miller-Smith Plating Property, and an adjacent contaminated and abandoned parcel to productive use. The funding announced today will be used to conduct an environmental assessment on the 2.84-acre project area, perform demolition of existing buildings, and undertake the necessary due care and environmental response activities required to reuse the property.

Following this work, investments of at least $4,200,000 in private funds are anticipated for acquisition of the property, construction, and furnishings required for the development. The property will then become an active professional and commercial area with the proposed occupancy of a bank, a restaurant, and retail and office space. The Village of Spring Lake anticipates the development will bring 20 permanent new jobs to the community.

“Returning brownfields to productive use is key to Michigan’s environmental and economic strategy,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. “The DEQ is committed to working with communities to restore brownfield properties to their full potential.”

The Brownfield Redevelopment Program provides funding to local units of government for environmental response activities on brownfield properties where redevelopment is likely or proposed. Brownfield properties are vacant or abandoned properties with known or suspected environmental contamination.

The Brownfield Redevelopment Grant and Loan Program was initiated in 1988 and has provided over $121 million for 296 projects statewide.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

“Protecting Michigan’s Environment, Ensuring Michigan’s Future”

Revised January 11, 2006 by Pat Watson