Funds available for property assessments in Leelanau County
From staff reports
The Leelanau County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (LCBRA) was awarded two Brownfield Assessment Grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October of 2014. These funds were granted to assess contaminated or potentially contaminated sites, provide cleanup planning and community outreach activities. Although Brownfield sites are typically contaminated sites, they may also be blighted, functionally obsolete, tax reverted, or historic properties and eligible to receive assessment dollars. The County currently has $340,000 in funds available to ‘assess’ sites (Brownfields) to help return abandoned, underutilized and typically contaminated properties to productive use. The property may be owned by a Local Unit of Government (LUG), privately held with potential interest from a developer, or need site preparation to encourage redevelopment.
To answer questions about available funds and to continue our community outreach efforts, the LCBRA will be hosting an Informational Session on March 16th from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Leelanau County Government Center. If you are interested in attending, RSVP to Trudy Galla at 231 256-9812 or tgalla@co.leelanau.mi.us by March 11th. More information about the session is available on the LCBRA website.
If you know of a site that may be contaminated or is suspected of contamination from leaking tanks, fuel oil spills, chemical storage, etc. Or, if you know someone currently selling or buying a piece of property on which there may be contamination from past use, is blighted, functionally obsolete or historic, let us know. There are funds available to assess these sites in order to identify any contamination concerns, and provide liability protection for prospective buyers. To nominate a site, please provide as much information as possible on the LCBRA Nomination Form. This form and applications for assessment work are available online at http://www.leelanau.cc/lcbrareports.asp
Sites can be nominated anonymously—you do not need to provide your name or contact information. This program is voluntary, and no information will be released publicly without the owner’s consent. The LCBRA will NOT pursue any actions on properties that are found to be contaminated. If a property owner is not interested in participating in this grant program, their property will not be considered.
Please send nomination forms to:
Leelanau County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority 8527 E. Government Center Dr., Suite 108 Suttons Bay, MI 49682 Alternatively, FAX to (231) 256-0174
For more information and/or RSVP to the Informational Session, please contact Trudy Galla, LCBRA Director at (231) 256-9812, or toll-free (866) 256-9711, ext. 6. Or you may visit the LCBRA website at http://www.leelanau.cc/brownfield.asp.
