State and Local Leaders Discuss How Brownfield Grants Build Up Communities, Strengthen Workforces, and Create Healthier Environments

In communities across Michigan, sites that were once abandoned and considered unusable are being transformed into vibrant places for Michiganders to live, work and play. Today, Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Director Phil Roos met with state and local leaders to tour one such site, the Village at Grand Traverse Commons and hosted a roundtable discussion about how brownfield redevelopment is reshaping Michigan communities.

Thanks to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s prioritization of these investments, EGLE has provided more than $151 million in brownfield grants, loans, and incentives to 359 sites across 50 communities, supporting over 19,229 jobs and $7.3 billion in private investments since 2019. Additionally, the state recently won a $129.1 million award from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act that will accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, with $10 million of the programming focused on developing brownfield sites.

"Redeveloping brownfield sites is about addressing past environmental issues and building a promising future for our communities, economy, and environment," said Director Phil Roos. "The Village at Grand Traverse Commons showcases how these initiatives can breathe new life into local areas, support economic opportunity and small businesses, offer vibrant spaces for the community to use and enjoy, and create another tourist destination in Traverse City. EGLE is dedicated to helping communities throughout the state clean up and reuse brownfield sites, creating healthy, safe environments for generations to come."

Once scheduled for demolition, the former Traverse City State Hospital site has been revitalized as the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, boasting housing, shops, restaurants, a brewery, and hundreds of acres of preserved parks, wetlands, and hiking and biking trails. The project is one of the largest adaptive reuse projects in the country, preserving and renovating several buildings, including the iconic Victorian-Italianate style former state hospital building built in 1883.
 
The 63-acre Traverse City State Hospital operated from 1885 to 1989. The interior, exterior, and mechanical systems of the 400,000 square-foot Building 50, a landmark part of the former hospital complex, were coated with lead paint in unusually high concentrations. Soil from exterior paint projects, vehicle and machine storage, and repairs also became contaminated. The restoration project also included interior lead paint abatement for 700,000 square feet of wall space for $10 per square foot.

“Brownfield redevelopments are an important tool that local governments can use to help redevelop old sites and revitalize communities, while also being good stewards of our environment,” said State Senator John Damoose. “This redevelopment opens many new doors for the Traverse City area by bringing in new commercial space and additional units to help increase available housing in the area. This is a tremendously exciting development and I look forward to seeing what the future holds.” 

A nearly $3 million grant-and-loan package from EGLE made it possible to safely redevelop the buildings and grounds into active community with residents, offices, restaurants, shops, galleries, and events. The cleanup led the way to a total of $182 million in investments in the property, increasing the tax base by $24 million and supporting the creation of 782 jobs.

“The significant contamination burdens on this former state facility— primarily of lead-based paint and asbestos— was a barrier to historic preservation and adaptive re-use of this landmark site,” said Ray Minervini, President of the Minervini Group. “The essential investment by EGLE and the DNR in the early days of our redevelopment proved to be the key push to get the project rolling forward. The multi-phase redevelopment of the Commons is already in its twentieth year, with at least another 5-7 years to complete. The Village at Grand Traverse Commons is a testament to the value of long-term private-public partnerships."

Director Roos was joined by state and local leaders to celebrate the impact of Michigan’s investment in Traverse City, share Michigan’s commitment to rebuilding clean and prosperous communities, and discuss how the state can continue to partner with communities to support successful collaborative projects.

"Brownfield projects are key in the repair and revitalization of Traverse City," said Traverse City Mayor Amy Shamroe. "Projects like The Commons only enrich our community by restoring existing spaces and cleaning up forgotten places. Without brownfield investments from local and state partners like EGLE, Traverse City would not be the beautiful place it is today."

For more information on the program, visit EGLE’s Brownfield Redevelopment web page.