"The Brownfields Revitalization Act is a sensible piece of legislation, one that emphasizes the need for environmental stewardship all across the country....Environmental protection and economic growth can go on together."

– President George W. Bush, remarks before signing the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, January 11, 2002

What Is A Brownfield?

Brownfields are abandoned, idle, or under-used industrial and commercial properties, often in urban areas, where expansion or redevelopment is hindered or complicated by real or perceived environmental conditions.  Many areas across the country that were once used for industrial and commerical purposes have been abandoned or are underused for their location - some are also contaminated. Brownfield problems are not limited to large cities with long histories of heavy industry and large-scale manufacturing activity.  Small towns and villages in Michigan also have properties suspected of contamination, or old buildings which have become eyesores in need of demolition.  Brownfields present challenges to potential developers, whether contamination is discovered or suspected. 

Apply for assistance of environmental work, or NOMINATE a potentially contaminated site!  Fill out this form (you can do it anonymously) and return to the Brownfield Director.  Nominate a site that you feel may be contaminated from petroleum products, leaking materials, underground storage tank (UST), asbestos/lead, abandonment, disrepair, etc.  These forms are used to rank sites in order to use grant dollars to provide environmental assessments of the properties. 

CLEANUP a site!   Contact the Brownfield Director for a loan application to cleanup a contaminated site.  Are you the owner or potential developer of a site that needs cleanup funds?  Are you interested in a low-interest loan for these activities?  To obtain an application and more information, call 231-256-9812. Leelanau County was awarded $1 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for eligible cleanup activities on contaminated sites.  These funds are now available for loans to qualified applicants. 

PLEASE BE SURE to contact the Brownfield Director (231-256-9812), if you wish to verify the documents posted on this site are the most current version.