Brownfield Program

Oakland County received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct environmental assessments on brownfield sites. This work is typically done during the initial stages of redeveloping a property that may be contaminated with hazardous materials.

Is your Project Eligible?

• Be a site located in Oakland County
• Have land or a building with actual or perceived environmental contamination
• Be a new/prospective property owner or a current landowner that is not responsible for contamination at the site

What will the grant fund?

Full or partial funding is available for approved projects to conduct:

• Phase I Environmental Site Assessments that gather information about existing property conditions, historical uses of the site, and examine potential threats to human health and the environment.
• Phase II Environmental Site Assessments to further investigate, sample, and test soils found at the site to determine the presence, concentration, level of exposure, and extent of hazardous substances.
• Hazardous Materials Surveys that conduct a field investigation at the site to inspect all suspect building materials that could contain harmful substances.
• Baseline Environmental Assessments that describe Phase I and Phase II results and include the sampling and analysis to confirm that the property is contaminated above acceptable levels.
• Due Care Compliance Reports that outline the actions a property owner must take to manage, mitigate, and prevent further contamination and protect against exposure to existing contaminants, especially when they are aware of contamination on the property.

How do I nominate a project?

Oakland County is seeking nominations for the program from local units of government, residents, businesses, developers, and property owners.

To be considered for grant funding, complete the Brownfield Intake Form

All potential projects will be evaluated and scored based on how well a project aligns with grant criteria and desired outcomes. Once a project is approved by the County and accepted by the EPA, a pre-qualified County Contractor will coordinate with the property owner to obtain site access and review work to be completed prior to conducting approved brownfield assessments.

Project nominations will be accepted through September 30, 2028 or until grant funds have been exhausted.

See if your site qualifies for funding and nominate a project today!

1. Is the property located in Oakland County?
2. Does the property have land or a building with actual or perceived environmental contamination?
3. Is the current or prospective property owner responsible for contamination at the site?
4. Complete a Brownfield Intake Form

QUESTIONS? Please contact Brad Hansen
hansenb@oakgov.com | (248) 858-8073

Grant Brochure

The first step of any Oakland County Project is to reach out to Brad Hansen, Oakland County’s Department of Economic Development, to discuss all aspects of the project: hansenb@oakgov.com

APPLICATION PROCESS

For a project to be considered by the OCBRA, the following steps shall be completed:

• The Applicant shall contact the local unit of government where the project is located to initiate the development approval process (zoning compliance, site plan review, etc.).
• A Local Host Committee is formed to informally confirm project scope and host community support.
• Once the County deems the draft Brownfield Plan is ready for formal review, the Applicant will be requested to complete and submit the following information to the Program Coordinator:

• Cover Memo with Project Description and Location
• Complete Brownfield Application Form 
• Documentation of Site Control Proof of Ownership (e.g. property deed)
• Key Approval Dates (Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, City/Village Council or Township Board)
• Final Site Plan / Engineering and Building Plan sets
• Renderings, if available
• Project financials (in the proforma format provided by MEDC and/or MSHDA)
• Cost estimates dated within six months of application
• Anticipated rent roll, if a rental housing component is included in the project
• Estimated number of new jobs created and retained jobs
• Documentation of property eligibility under Act 381
• Draft Brownfield Plan in final form

• Remit payment for the applicable Application Fee. The current Fee Schedule approved by the OCBRA is posted at: www.OakGov.com/BrownfieldRedevelopment

REVIEW

Upon receipt of an application, and prior to any public consideration of the application, the Program Coordinator will provide the relevant details of a project to other County departments and the local unit of government to confirm that the Applicant is eligible to do business with the County and the project is permissible as outlined in the Plan. The results of this review must confirm the following:

• The Applicant (including all individuals and non-person entities that will have an ownership interest in the project) are compliant with County and local taxing jurisdictions.
• The project is in conformance with the local unit of government’s zoning ordinance.
• The Applicant is not delinquent on any financial obligation to the local unit of government or the County.
• The Applicant does not have outstanding written orders or an adverse history of code compliance violations.
• The Applicant, including its affiliated entities, have not defaulted on the terms of previously executed agreements with the local unit of government, County, or the OCBRA.
• After the Administrative Review is complete, the Program Coordinator will schedule a project meeting with the Applicant to discuss any questions or revisions needed to the draft Brownfield Plan.
• If the Applicant is applying for incentives from the State, the appropriate State representative(s) will also be invited to the meeting.

APPROVAL PROCESS

Once the draft Brownfield Plan is considered Administratively Complete, the Applicant can begin the following Approval Process:

• The Applicant shall seek approval from the local elected legislative body (e.g. Township Board, City or Village Council) for the proposed Brownfield Plan in the form of a resolution. If a resolution is passed by the local elected legislative body, Applicant shall notify the Program Coordinator and provide a copy of the Certified Resolution.
• The Program Coordinator will provide a sample resolution upon request.
• The project will be placed on an upcoming OCBRA meeting agenda.
• The Applicant will be notified of the OCBRA meeting and requested to attend the meeting, make a formal presentation, and answer any questions related to the project.
• If the OCBRA approves the Plan and the Program Coordinator deems that the Applicant’s project information is accurate and complete, the Program Coordinator will submit the information with a resolution to the Oakland County Economic Development & Infrastructure Committee (ED&I)** for consideration.
• If ED&I approves, it is then forwarded to the Finance Committee** for review and approval.
• If the Finance Committee approves, the County will schedule and publish a notice for the Public Hearing** and forward the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.
• Subsequent to holding the Public Hearing, the Board of Commissioners** will review the project and approve or deny the Brownfield Plan.
• Subsequent to the Board of Commissioners approving the Brownfield Plan, the Applicant shall remit payment for the Processing Fee.
• The current Fee Schedule approved by the OCBRA is posted at:  www.OakGov.com/BrownfieldRedevelopment
• Once payment is received and verified by the Program Coordinator, the Applicant will receive a copy of the County transmittal letter and executed Brownfield Plan.
• If the Brownfield Plan is approved, the County Corporation Counsel will prepare a Reimbursement Agreement specifying the agreed terms including any Administrative Fees as allowed by Act 381.

Oakland County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Guidelines for Brownfield Plan Review and Approval Process

**The County’s Brownfield Program Coordinator will send notice to the Applicant of the dates and times of the ED&I, Finance, Public Hearing, and BOC meetings with a request to attend the meetings to answer questions.

• A BRA provides an opportunity at the local level to address brownfield properties of concern.
• When a BRA has designated a property eligible, local and school property tax revenues can be used for approved activities, such as environmental response, demolition, lead or asbestos abatement, infrastructure improvements, and site preparation.
• The impact to the taxing jurisdictions is minimal during the brownfield redevelopment phase due to increasing property values.
• Ultimately, when the TIF ends, all taxing jurisdictions receive increased tax revenues that may not have been realized without this incentive.

• A Brownfield TIF provides reimbursement to developers for eligible redevelopment activities.
• The incentive begins when the redevelopment achieves increased taxable value.

The Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) is the administrative board advancing the goals and accomplishing the tasks identified for the Oakland County Brownfield Initiative.

Brownfield Redevelopment Authority is utilized specifically:

• To assist key developments in communities that may be averse to establishing their own BRA as part of the county's ongoing economic development efforts and/or to protect key environmental assets
• To assist specific developments in communities that may have few parcels or limited capacity to administer a redevelopment project

Under state law, a BRA is able to access tax increment financing to recover eligible remediation expenses for projects. BRAs also allow for the development of a revolving loan fund and a means for recovering administrative costs of the BRA.

Capture of increased local and school property tax revenues on eligible property by a brownfield redevelopment authority to pay for the costs of the following eligible activities:

1. Environmental response, demolition, and lead or asbestos abatement statewide
2. Infrastructure improvements and site preparation in qualified local governmental units

Core Communities

• City of Ferndale
• City of Hazel Park
• City of Madison Heights
• City of Oak Park
• City of Pontiac
• Royal Oak Township
• City of Southfield

Tax increment revenues are generated by investment in, and redevelopment of, eligible property which includes contaminated, blighted or functionally obsolete. The eligible property must be approved in a brownfield plan.

Eligible Activities and Costs

Eligible activities are conducted on the property as part of the redevelopment project. As the property value increases, the captured tax increment revenues are used to reimburse the eligible costs. If captured school taxes will be used to pay for certain environmental response activities or all of the non-environmental activities, prior approval of a work plan by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy/Michigan Economic Development Corporation (EGLE/MEDC) is necessary.

A business, person, or municipality that who incurs eligible costs under an approved brownfield plan is entitled to reimbursement with tax increment revenues captured by a BRA. Visit Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's (EGLE) Online Environmental Mapper to learn about active brownfield redevelopment projects.

• EGLE RIDE Mapper an interactive online map showing remediation and redevelopment sites

Tax Increment Financing: for Local Communities

• A BRA provides an opportunity at the local level to address brownfield properties of concern.
• When a BRA has designated a property eligible, local and school property tax revenues can be used for approved activities, such as environmental response, demolition, lead or asbestos abatement, infrastructure improvements, and site preparation.
• The impact to the taxing jurisdictions is minimal during the brownfield redevelopment phase due to increasing property values.
• Ultimately, when the TIF ends, all taxing jurisdictions receive increased tax revenues that may not have been realized without this incentive.