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EGLE grant to help create new affordable housing in Oakland County
July 23, 2025
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is awarding a $410,000 Brownfield Redevelopment Grant to Royal Oak Township to help with the creation of 24 new affordable single-family homes.
The Royal Oak Cottages project covers 24 parcels of land on Woodside Road, Glen Lodge Road, Garden Lane, Parkside Street, and Westview Avenue. They were all once residential lots. The properties have been vacant since the homes were demolished between 1967 and 2019.
Site assessments found metals and chemical compounds in soil and groundwater. The contamination is believed to have come from fill material brought on-site following the demolition. The EGLE grant will be used to pay for transportation and disposal of contaminated soil. Oakland County is contributing $2.5 million towards the cost of redevelopment. Royal Oak Township sold the plots of land to the developer for $1 each. The township also approved Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) based on the amount of rent generated. PILOT is a way to encourage the development of low-income housing by allowing developers to pay a service fee instead of property taxes.
The new homes will be priced at 30%-60% of the Area Median Income. The township says the $15.7 million project will address a critical need for affordable housing in the community. Construction is expected to be finished in spring of 2026.
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 2024 EGLE awarded $25.1 million in brownfield incentives to 87 projects around Michigan.