EGLE grant will help clean up a contaminated site and create new jobs in Detroit

A $560,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) will help make a contaminated property safe for redevelopment into a new restaurant in Detroit’s Morningside neighborhood. The 0.11-acre site at 16215 East Warren Avenue was home to a drycleaner from 1957-2005 and has been vacant since then. The property tax reverted to the Wayne County Treasurer in 2020. Environmental assessments show it is contaminated with chlorinated solvents and metals.

The EGLE Brownfield Redevelopment Grant will pay for removal of an estimated 950 tons of contaminated soil. It will also cover limited demolition work to allow access to the contamination. Following soil removal, a vapor venting system will be installed beneath the structure to keep potentially harmful vapors out of the rehabilitated building. EGLE also awarded the project $18,000 in Brownfield Site Assessment funding to pay for environmental investigations.

The developer plans to invest $1.11 million to create a build-your-own pasta restaurant called the Cash Only Bistro that will employ 16 people. Much of the financial backing comes from philanthropic and community groups focused on revitalizing neighborhoods by improving commercial corridors. The project is in a part of Detroit that’s considered disadvantaged and has experienced long-term disinvestment. 

The Wayne County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, the recipient of the grant, believes the redevelopment will turn a blighted and contaminated site into a catalyst for continued growth in the neighborhood. 

“Brownfield redevelopment is about more than cleaning up contaminated properties, it is about creating new opportunities for our communities,” Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans said. “By partnering with EGLE, we are turning environmental challenges into economic assets, increasing the tax base, supporting local entrepreneurship, and advancing the revitalization of one of Wayne County's historic neighborhoods." 

Construction of the Cash Only Bistro is expected to be finished in the spring of 2027.  

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 2025, the EGLE Brownfield program provided more than $23 million in brownfield incentives to 76 projects in 52 Michigan communities. These projects are projected to create more than 440 housing units, 600 jobs, and result in more than $675 million in capital investment.