Brownfield Redevelopment Program

About

The Brownfield Redevelopment program helps offset some of the extraordinary costs that come with urban development of contaminated, functionally obsolete properties. Additionally, the program may now be used to support housing development in a variety of ways. The program uses tax increment financing, which means that when the amount of property taxes increases because of private investment (new construction and/or building renovations), a part of those new taxes can be reimbursed to a developer for certain costs associated with the development.  The costs that are eligible for this reimbursement include:

  • Demolition
  • Lead and asbestos abatement
  • Environmental assessment and/or remediation costs
  • Site preparation
  • Public infrastructure improvements 
  • Ramped and/or underground parking
  • Urban stormwater management
  • Housing development activities

You can see a map of all of the City’s brownfield projects, and get information on the projects, including the amount of private investment, job creation, and in most instances, download the brownfield plans for each project.

The brownfield redevelopment program is a partnership that involves the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA), the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).  We help coordinate projects with our partners.


Brownfield and Housing Development

Michigan Public Act 90 of 2023, adopted by the State of Michigan Legislature and signed by the Governor on July 28, 2023, established new opportunities to support housing development using the Brownfield Redevelopment Program. Specifically, the law added housing property as eligible property and various eligible activities specific to housing development. The legislation allows the BRA to support both homeownership and rental housing projects that meet certain requirements defined in the legislation and local policy.

On October 25, 2023, the BRA adopted an amended BRA Administrative Policy as well as interim guidelines for Housing Development. The interim guidelines provide guidance on the criteria required for BRA support of both rent and income restricted apartments and income and sale price restricted homeownership units. The amended policy and a summary of the interim guidelines can be viewed below.

BRA Administrative Policy(PDF, 371KB)
Summary of Housing Development Interim Guidelines(PDF, 161KB)


Apply

Your first step to exploring eligibility for this program is to contact our office to discuss the project and its qualifications.

The application and approval process for a Brownfield Redevelopment project can take up to six months. You can find more information in the Resources section below.


Resources