By Matthew Hutchison / news@whmi.com


The Brighton City Council did not make a decision Tuesday night on a request from Pulte Homes to amend the Brownfield Plan for its West Village of Brighton development at 1010 State Street.

Pulte is building 107 townhomes at the former Lindbom Elementary School property, where underground contamination has required environmental cleanup and vapor mitigation work monitored by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy EGLE).

The company is seeking $820,000 in additional brownfield reimbursement tied to higher-than-expected environmental costs. The city is not writing Pulte a check. Brownfield reimbursement would allow Pulte to be repaid over time from future tax revenue generated by the development.

City Manager Gretchen Gomolka said the project’s switch from rental units to for-sale townhomes is expected to result in a higher taxable value long-term.

Gomolka said the estimate discussed Monday was roughly $231,000 in additional tax revenue per year. She estimated the $820,000 reimbursement taking about three-and-a-half years to pay back.

Councilmember Bill Albert raised concerns about the cost, saying city taxpayers would essentially absorb the additional $820,000 during the reimbursement period.

Several council members praised the switch from rental housing to for-sale townhomes, while also saying they wanted more financial information before making a decision.

“Pulte’s been good to the City of Brighton,” Councilmember James Bohn said, adding that he would keep an open mind but wanted to see a fuller financial presentation.

The council is expected to revisit the request at a future meeting.