By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The Village of Milford has been awarded state funding to help remediate and redevelop a contaminated former industrial property.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy awarded $2 (m) million in brownfield funding to the Village of Milford Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

Following completion of activities to address the environmental contamination on the property, South Summit Incorporated and North Summit Incorporated plan to construct Summit View of Milford - a residential development that will include 16 townhouses and 44 single-family homes. The property is located in downtown Milford, at Summit Street and North Milford Road.

To assist with the environmental activities and facilitate the redevelopment of the property, EGLE’s funding – a $1 million grant and a $1 million loan – will be used to demolish existing buildings and remove underground storage tanks, asbestos and contaminated soil. The grant also will fund the installation of a vapor mitigation system to prevent exposure to harmful vapors.

Contamination on the nearly 8-acre site is believed to result from the property’s use as various industrial and light manufacturing operations beginning in 1939. The property has been underutilized for the past 35 years and has sat vacant since 2013.

In addition to EGLE brownfield grant and loan funding, the Village of Milford has approved a brownfield plan to help pay for additional environmental and site improvement costs.

Overall, this summer EGLE will provide $15.6 million in brownfield funding to 21 projects statewide. The other four projects awarded brownfield grants and loans include the development of a community hub in Bad Axe, a community center in Pontiac, the expansion of a beverage manufacturing facility in Ann Arbor and a mixed-use complex in Ann Arbor.

A press release states more than half of EGLE’s budget each year flows into Michigan communities through grants, loans and other spending that supports local projects and protects public health and the environment. It noted that when brownfields – vacant or abandoned properties with known or suspected contamination – are redeveloped, property values increase both on the revitalized site awards and on other nearby properties.