EPA Brownfields in Detroit and Southeast Michigan
Redevelopment success stories through EPA funding
Brownfields in Detroit
Detroit has a rich history of manufacturing and innovation as the home of the American automotive industry. The Motor City experienced immense growth in the early twentieth century as a center of production for World War II and during the post-war economic boom. As industrial supply chains decentralized and manufacturing relocated domestically and overseas in the latter half of the century, Detroit began a long period of economic decline and population loss. Deindustrialization and out-migration left many abandoned and potentially contaminated structures throughout the region, creating many brownfields : properties where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances or other contaminants.
EPA, together with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) [ EXIT ], has contributed to redevelopment efforts in Detroit by funding brownfield site assessments and cleanups. Numerous local governments and community organizations have used EPA brownfields grants to transform contaminated properties and revitalize their communities.
As of April 2025, the Region 5 Brownfields Program has assessed 3,429 properties, cleaned up 93 sites, leveraged more than $2.68 billion, and created 22,055 jobs in Michigan over the last 20 years.
Use this StoryMap to see notable EPA-funded brownfield projects in Detroit and throughout Michigan.
Current and former industrial sites along the Detroit River in Southwest Detroit
Map of Detroit Brownfields
Use this map to see brief descriptions of notable brownfield redevelopment projects funded by EPA in Detroit and throughout Michigan. You can navigate through the success stories by either clicking on the points on the map or on the box in the left-hand column. More details for select sites are provided below. Some stories allow you to scroll down as the narrative and photos change; other stories are in a slideshow format and you can click the arrows on the left and right to go through. Sites in Detroit are listed first, followed by sites in Metro Detroit, then sites in broader Michigan.
Detroit RiverWalk
Detroit - The riverfront was mainly an industrial and warehouse district for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Now, more than 3 million people annually enjoy the RiverWalk, the pedestrian/bike path that runs along the Detroit River from Belle Isle to Rosa Parks Boulevard. It’s one of downtown’s most popular attractions. The Detroit Wayne County Port Authority conducted the necessary environmental investigations using its EPA brownfields assessment grant. State grants from Michigan EGLE helped tear down vacant industrial sites and build the pedestrian walkway with railings, lighting, landscaping, and street furniture.
Outdoor Adventure Center
Detroit - Located on Detroit’s riverfront in the historic Globe Building, the Outdoor Adventure Center gives Detroit residents a taste of Michigan’s great outdoors in the heart of the city. In 2016, its first full year of operation, the Outdoor Adventure Center saw 100,000 visitors. The City of Detroit made the first investment in the Outdoor Adventure Center using a $200,000 EPA brownfields cleanup grant to remove contaminated soil on the site.
Orleans Landing
Detroit - Upon its opening in 2017, Orleans Landing was the first new market-rate residential construction project on Detroit’s East Riverfront in 25 years. An EPA brownfields assessment grant to the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority funded the environmental investigation needed to demonstrate the feasibility of residential construction on the site. More than $4,000,000 in Michigan EGLE grants and public financing helped remove 10 underground tanks and more than 9,000 tons of contaminated soil, and tear down abandoned buildings.
Trumbull & Porter Hotel
Detroit - Formerly known as the Corktown Inn, the Trumbull and Porter Hotel is located within the historic Corktown District, a short walk from downtown Detroit. Accommodating 144 guestrooms, the hotel offers several popular amenities that includes event spaces, a café, bar, lounge, and restaurant as well as 24-hour business and fitness center.
Riverside Park
Detroit - Located at the base of the Ambassador Bridge that connects the United States with Ontario, Canada, Riverside Park provides recreational access to the Detroit River for residents of the Delray and Southwest Detroit neighborhoods. Originally home to a coal gasification plant that closed in 1954, the City of Detroit converted the land to Riverside Park in the 1970s. Persistent contamination forced the City to close the park in 2012. EPA cleanup grants contributed to the remediation of the park. After a dramatic reimagination, the City of Detroit reopened the park in 2020.
5716 Wellness
Detroit - Located in a former cigar factory, 5716 Wellness opened in April 2011 and provides primary medical, pediatric, obstetric, dental, psychiatric, and behavioral counseling services. The center serves around 10,000 individuals and families in Southwest Detroit annually.
Cardinal Health
Detroit - The Detroit Wayne County Port Authority (DWCPA) used their EPA Brownfield RLF to assess and clean up numerous parcels before the construction of $30 million, 275,000 square-foot Cardinal Health medical warehouse in the New Center neighborhood. The project involved removing and reclassifying numerous roads, removing railroad spurs, and demolishing 18 existing residential and light-industrial structures across 18 acres and 98 parcels. The warehouse represents the first project in the South Campus Park. Henry Ford Health System has plans for residential, retail, and commercial development on the 300 acres it owns adjacent to its main hospital.
Piquette Square
Detroit - Formerly the site of an abandoned Studebaker plant, the Piquette Square development provides 150 apartments to house and care for homeless veterans. In addition to housing, Piquette Square also houses support services for resident veterans and the community. EPA brownfields grants provided the funds needed to investigate and remediate contamination resulting from the site's industrial past and a fire which destroyed the Studebaker plant. The Wayne County Brownfield Redevelopment Agency provided a loan from its brownfield RLF to Southwest Solutions to clean up contaminated soil, remove underground storage tanks, and install a vapor intrusion barrier. Southwest Housing Solutions manages the facility which opened for occupancy in June 2010.
Former Cadillac Stamping Plant
Detroit - A site that was once a metal stamping plant for Cadillac automobiles on the east side of Detroit now houses a new, modern multi-tenant industrial facility. Vacant since 2015, Wayne County Brownfield Redevelop Authority used their EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant to investigate contamination at the site. Michigan EGLE funded cleanup activities, the installation of green infrastructure, and vapor intrusion mitigation systems. The new facility has created approximately 450 new jobs.
Cass Community Social Services, Former Visitation Church
Detroit - Cass Community Social Services (CCSS), a non-profit organization in Detroit, received a $500,000 cleanup grant in 2023 to remediate asbestos-containing materials and lead bearing paint in the former Visitation Church in the Dexter Linwood neighborhood. CCSS aims to convert the remediated church into a community center for the neighborhood.
7.Liv, Avenue of Fashion
Detroit - Constructed in 1940, the former B. Siegel Building anchored the City of Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion District and was a top destination for retail shopping among the local community. After several decades of economic decline, the prosperity of the district plummeted, eventually leading to the abandonment of one of the area’s most popular department stores.
Former American Motor Corporation Site
Detroit - The former American Motors Corporation (AMC) Headquarters site was originally constructed in the 1920s by the Kelvinator Corporation to manufacture home refrigerators. Kelvinator merged with Hudson Motors to become AMC during the 1950s. Chrysler later acquired the property and used it for automotive manufacturing and design until 2010 when the site was vacated. The site was occupied by several buildings totaling nearly 800,000 square feet. Vacancy and subsequent blight negatively impacted surrounding neighborhoods. In response, Wayne County funded Phase I and II environmental site assessments, as well as an asbestos-containing materials survey with their 2019 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant. In addition, Michigan EGLE has awarded a $1 million grant to support the cleanup activities at the site. Redevelopment of the site will include a 790,000 square foot modern manufacturing facility and is expected to bring over $72 million in private investment to the site and create 350 jobs.
City Hall Artspace Lofts
Dearborn - City Hall Artspace Lofts is a mixed-use arts campus created as a new anchor institution for the Southeast Michigan's creative economy. Downriver Community Conference used EPA assessment and RLF grants to investigate and clean up asbestos and other hazardous materials in the former Dearborn City Hall. The Georgian Revival building now houses work studios, incubator spaces for entrepreneurs, creative spaces, offices, and 53 units of living/working spaces for artists and their families. The Artspace Lofts also includes a designated living/working space and a gallery for an artist-in-residence. The Lofts are a creative engine that enhances the vibrancy of downtown Dearborn.
Renaissance Estates
Ecorse - Renaissance Estates serves low-income families in Ecorse, an inner ring suburb of Detroit. This residential project replaced deteriorating low-income housing and a 21-acre oil refinery and bulk fuel depot just blocks from the Detroit River. The development project includes two-hundred 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom stacked flat apartments with private entrances, a community building, walking path, playground and sport court, as well as connections to the surrounding area. Renaissance Estates replaced 46 one- and two-story apartment buildings, a community building and maintenance garage constructed in the early 1960s.
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Trenton - The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWR) is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. Established in 2002, the DRIWR includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands along 48 miles of the Detroit River and western Lake Erie. Downriver Community Conference used an EPA revolving loan fund (RLF) grant to fund the removal and capping of environmental contamination on a former Chrysler assembly plant in preparation for the expansion of the DRIWR. Upon remediation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service constructed the John D. Dingell Visitor Center, a LEED-Gold building certified by the Green Building Council; a fishing pier; and a boat dock that allows visitors from Detroit and beyond to arrive by boat.
River Raisin National Battlefield
Monroe - The site of a series of battles between French and British forces during the War of 1812 is now home to a National Park Service Battlefield. The land near the Frenchtown settlement, one of the first European settlements in Michigan, remained undeveloped until a paper mill opened in 1915. The Monroe County Historical Society opened a visitors center at the site in 1990 and expanded it when the mill closed and the land was donated to the city in 1995. Nine years later, EPA and EGLE provided grants and loans to demolish buildings and remove contaminated soil from the basements. The land officially became part of the National Park System and opened to the public in 2009. The National Battlefield hosts an annual ceremony on the anniversary of the Battle of Frenchtown, the deadliest on Michigan soil during the War of 1812.
Ventower Industries
Monroe - Ventower Industries constructed a 110,000 square-foot facility to manufacture steel towers for wind turbines on part of a 38-acre former industrial waste landfill. The landfill was created between the 1940s and 1970s to reclaim coastal marshes along Lake Erie and to dispose industrial waste generated at the Port of Monroe.
Jimmy John's Field at Utica Community Complex
Utica - Situated on the banks of the Clinton River, the Utica Community Complex is a community-based entertainment and mixed-use district constructed on a former unregulated dump site. The centerpiece of 15-acre development is Jimmy John’s Field, a 4,000-seat capacity minor league baseball stadium with an attached playground and community wiffleball field. Macomb County used $700,000 of its EPA brownfield revolving loan fund for cleanup activities at the site, including capping of contaminated soil and installing a methane gas ventilation systems beneath the stadium.
Chevy Commons
Flint - The site of the former Flint Chevrolet Main Assembly Plant, known locally as “Chevy in the Hole”, has been transformed into a beautiful urban park. General Motors closed the historic plant, which was the scene of the Flint Sit-Down Strike in 1936 that led to General Motors recognizing the United Auto Workers union, in the 1990s and demolished the factories in 2004, leaving a large surface of contaminated concrete slabs. Multiple EPA programs, other federal agencies, Michigan EGLE, and local organizations collaborated to develop reuse plans and clean up the large site. The Genesee County Land Bank created a phased reuse plan to redevelop the site as a beautiful community park. In July 2021, the State of Michigan announced that the park will become the state’s 104th state park, which will provide further and ongoing investment and revitalization at the site.
Mt. Pleasant Indian School
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, Mt. Pleasant - A targeted brownfields assessment (TBA) in 2020 assisted the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in assessing the Mt. Pleasant Indian School site. The approximately 13.55-acre property contains seven buildings including dormitories, schoolrooms, a chapel, gymnasium, auditorium, carpentry shop, offices, and supervisor quarters. Previous environmental site assessments discovered extensive asbestos-containing materials in the structures and elevated lead levels in soil near the buildings. Building reuse plans include office space and a museum to provide a place for remembrance and healing as well as jobs for the community.
Detroit Sites
Detroit RiverWalk
The Gateway to Freedom statue along the RiverWalk commemorates Detroit as the final stop along the Underground Railroad before crossing into Canada.
Detroit - The riverfront was mainly an industrial and warehouse district for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Now, more than 3 million people use the RiverWalk annually. The RiverWalk is a pedestrian and bike path that runs along the Detroit river from Belle Isle to Rosa Parks Boulevard and is one of downtown’s most popular attractions. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority conducted the necessary environmental investigations using its EPA brownfields assessment grant to begin redevelopment efforts. State grants from EGLE helped tear down vacant industrial sites and build the pedestrian walkway with railings, lighting, landscaping and street furniture.
The RiverWalk is Detroit's premier outdoor public space. The RiverWalk aims to span "from bridge to bridge": from the Ambassador Bridge to Canada downriver to the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle State Park upriver. Along that span, the Riverwalk connects to numerous Detroit landmarks, including Huntington Place convention center, Hart Plaza, Woodward Avenue, downtown Detroit, the Renaissance Center, the Dequindre Cut, the Mich. Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Adventure Center, and William G. Milliken State Park.
Detroit Riverwalk path and statues.
The Detroit Riverwalk is easily accessible from Huntington Place Convention Center. Step outside of the Convention Center to see this exciting brownfield redevelopment that connects to Detroit landmarks. Use the map below to explore the Detroit RiverWalk.
Use the map to explore the Detroit Riverwalk and its connections to other Detroit landmarks.
Riverside Park
Outdoor Adventure Center
Detroit - Located on Detroit’s riverfront in the historic Globe Building, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Adventure Center (OAC) [ EXIT ] gives Detroit residents a taste of Michigan’s great outdoors in the heart of the city. In 2016, its first full year of operation, the OAC saw 100,000 visitors.
A $15 million renovation revitalized this former dry dock. The Globe Building had an important role in Great Lakes maritime history as a manufacturer of marine steam engines for freight and passenger vessels. Henry Ford worked at Detroit Dry Dock Engine Works from 1880-1882 as an apprentice machinist, learning the skills associated with his first love, steam-powered engines.
The city of Detroit made the first investment in the OAC project using $200,000 from EPA brownfields assessment and cleanup grants to remove contaminated soils on the site.
Orleans Landing
Orleans Landing Entrance
Detroit - Upon its opening in 2017, Orleans Landing was the first market-rate new residential construction project on Detroit’s East Riverfront in 25 years. The $65 million, 270-unit apartment complex is located immediately next to the Outdoor Adventure Center and the Detroit Riverfront. An EPA brownfields assessment grant to the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority funded the environmental investigation needed to demonstrate the feasibility of residential construction on the site. More than $4,000,000 in Michigan EGLE grants and public financing helped remove 10 underground tanks and more than 9,000 tons of contaminated soil, and tear down abandoned buildings.
Piquette Square
Former American Motor Corporation Site
Former Cadillac Stamping Plant
5716 Wellness and 5800 Michigan Ave.
Detroit - 5716 Wellness opened in April 2011 and provides primary medical, pediatric, obstetric, dental, psychiatric, and behavioral counseling services. The center serves around 10,000 individuals and families annually, a number that reaches a tenant organization’s goal of reducing by 50% the number of untreated children and youth in Southwest Detroit.
EPA brownfields grants provided the funds needed to investigate and remediate contamination resulting from the site’s historic uses. The $11.2 million rehabilitation of the building required for its new use depended on numerous grants, charitable contributions, sub-leases, and contracts with area hospitals. EPA brownfields funding was particularly important as it was the only source of project money available for environmental investigation and cleanup.
In 2023, Detroit Wayne County Port Authority used brownfield RLF funds to remediate the adjacent property at 5800 Michigan Ave. The vacant lot previously housed a gas station, vulcanizing operations, and various commercial activities. Port Authority leveraged over $18 million to remediate and redevelop the site.
Cardinal Health
Southwest Economic Solutions, Job Training Grant
Detroit - Southwest Economic Solutions Corporation, a job training grantee, helps returning citizens, young adults, young immigrants, minorities, and veterans in the Detroit area obtain the skills, resources, and opportunities they need for gainful employment. To date, Southwest Economic Solutions Corporation has trained and placed 142 residents in environmental jobs.
Southwest Economic Solutions most recently received a $200,000 Job Training grant in 2021. Southwest Solutions partnered with Detroit Training Center to provide commercial driver’s license (CDL), OSHA Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER), Lead and Asbestos, and OSHA 30-hour workplace health and safety, first aid, and CPR training to 30 participants in Southwest Detroit.
Cass Community Social Services, Former Visitation Church
Southeast Michigan Sites
Renaissance Estates, Ecorse
Ecorse - Renaissance Estates serves low-income families in Ecorse, an inner ring suburb of Detroit. With fewer than 10,000 residents, the City of Ecorse is one of the smallest communities in Wayne County and has one of the highest poverty and unemployment rates, as well as of one of the lowest median household incomes and highest proportion of minority populations in the county.
Community building at Renaissance Estates
This housing project was developed on a former 21-acre oil refinery and bulk fuel depot, and an existing low-income housing situated just blocks from the Detroit River. The new development includes 200 one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom stacked flat apartments with private entrances, a community building, walking path, playground and sport court, as well as connections to the surrounding area. Renaissance Estates replaced 46 one- and two-story apartment buildings, a community building, and maintenance garage constructed between 1957 and the early 1960s.
The remediation plan included the excavation and proper disposal of soils containing residual light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL) saturation. A combination of hard and soft cap engineering controls, including a geotextile fabric cover contaminated soil and prevent direct contact exposures. Vapor intrusion mitigation systems beneath the buildings protect residents where it was impractical to remove source material. Downriver Community Conference (DCC) used EPA Revolving Loan funds in conjunction with a cleanup grant from Mich. EGLE.
Apartments and amenities at Renaissance Estates in Ecorse
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Trenton - The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWR) is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. Established in 2002, the DRIWR includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals and waterfront lands along 48 miles of the Detroit River and western Lake Erie.
The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge protects and restores high-quality aquatic and wildlife habitats for the Detroit River and Lake Erie ecosystems. DRIWR is now a haven for migratory and songbirds.
Migratory and songbirds spotted at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. From left: a northern parula, prothonotary warbler, ruby crowned kinglet, and summer tanager.
Jimmy John's Field at Utica Community Complex
Take me out to the ballgame! Crowds fill the seats at Jimmy John's Field at Utica Community Complex.
Utica - Situated on the banks of the Clinton River, the Utica Community Complex is a community-based entertainment and mixed-use district constructed on a former unregulated dump site in Utica, MI. The centerpiece of the 15-acre development is Jimmy John’s Field, a 4,000-seat capacity minor league baseball stadium with an attached playground and community wiffleball field. Macomb County used $700,000 of its EPA Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund for cleanup activities at the site, including capping of contaminated soil and the installation of methane gas ventilation systems underneath the stadium.
Map of redevelopment plans for downtown Utica, MI
Utica leveraged over $15 million in state and private funding to redevelop the site. Redevelopment efforts also included ecosystem-stabilization efforts for the Clinton River. The ballpark complex is connected to paved hiking and biking trails and to downtown Utica by a pedestrian bridge over the Clinton River. The project generated more than 30 permanent jobs, 150 construction jobs, and increased the tax base for the City of Utica while providing a lively and entertaining space for the community. In 2017, the project won a Phoenix Award for Community Impact and the People’s Choice Award.
Photo gallery of Jimmy John's Field and baseball games at the stadium.
Michigan and Tribal Sites
Mt. Pleasant Indian School, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan
Chevy Commons
U.S. EPA Brownfields Program
If you want to know more about brownfields and EPA brownfields grants, check the EPA Brownfields website.
EPA Region 5 serves communities in Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Minnesota , Ohio , Wisconsin [ Multiple EXIT ], and 37 federally recognized tribes by transforming their brownfield sites into properties that benefit the community at large. Check out our Region 5 Success Stories StoryMap .
