EGLE grants are helping bring new housing, jobs to Ann Arbor

Brownfield funding from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is helping bring 92 new housing units and 100 full-time jobs to the banks of the Huron River in Ann Arbor.

The Broadway Park West redevelopment will put four buildings full of townhomes and condos, plus a hotel, restaurant and commercial space at the site of the former Broadway Manufactured Gas Plant at 841 Broadway Street.

The plant was in operation from 1899 to the 1960s, when it was converted to a DTE gas service center. The center closed and the buildings were demolished in 2009. The 13-acre site has been vacant since then. The property was left contaminated with metals, petroleum compounds, and cyanide. DTE was responsible for the contamination.

Under an agreement with EGLE, DTE addressed the most significant contamination including removing visibly impacted “blue soil” and coal tar and preventing oil from seeping into the Huron River. A $499,000 EGLE Brownfield Redevelopment Grant was used in 2021 to dispose of other less-contaminated soil during construction of the park space on the property. An additional $501,000 in brownfield funding awarded this year will be used for disposal of contaminated soil from the housing and commercial section of the property. Other funding is coming from a $20 million grant from the State of Michigan and $17 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) approved by Washtenaw County. TIF allows the increase in property tax revenue on the finished project to reimburse the developer until it has recouped eligible brownfield costs.

When finished, the $100 million Broadway Park West will consist of four six-story buildings that will have two floors of for-sale townhomes and four floors of for-sale condos.Two single-story buildings will provide up to 10,900 square feet of commercial space. A nine-story hotel with a “destination” restaurant will be built on the northeast section of the property. There will be public and private parking as well as a public park with Huron River access, a pavilion and an ice rink. Grant-funded work is expected to be finished in winter 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.