MOUNT CLEMENS – The Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development has been awarded a $1 million grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create a Revolving Loan Fund to make low-interest loans available to help finance redevelopment projects for eligible Brownfield sites in the county, the only county in the state to received the EPA grant.
A brownfield is defined by the EPA as a site where redevelopment, reuse or expansion is complicated by the presence or perceived presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. Macomb?s RLF will make loans available for eligible projects that include cleanup activities. As loans are repaid, the county may continue to offer additional cleanup loans.
The next step is to assemble a work plan to the EPA. Upon its approval, the department will outline the program for local officials and developers and begin the process of identifying priority sites and viable projects.
Awarded as part of a competitive process, Macomb County was one of 240 communities nationwide to share a total of $62.5 million. It is the only county in Michigan to be awarded an RLF. The department has been awarded $600,000 for two other EPA grants since 2005. Restricted to assessment activities, funding was used to assist 30 projects which ultimately created or retained more than 3,000 jobs and added more than $170 million in investment.
