Lean & Green Michigan asks Washtenaw County to renew PACE program to expand clean-energy, resiliency projects

Andy Levin, founder and chief strategist of Lean & Green Michigan and a former U.S. congressman, urged the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners to reauthorize the county’s commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program so local property owners can access private financing for energy upgrades and certain resiliency and environmental-hazard remediation projects.

Levin told commissioners the county’s existing PACE district — created under state statute in 2010 and adopted locally in 2014 — allows private lenders to provide long-term financing secured by a tax assessment on a participating property, and that the program costs the county little or nothing while expanding opportunities for commercial, nonprofit and industrial properties to invest in efficiency, renewables and resiliency.

“PACE is a win, win, win,” Levin said. “It assists a wide range of property owners…to finance projects that save them money as they save on energy.” He described the program’s mechanics, saying the security of a tax assessment lowers lending risk and enables longer, fixed-rate financing terms that improve project economics.

Levin highlighted recent statutory changes that broaden the kinds of projects eligible for PACE financing, including lead paint abatement and other environmental-hazard mitigation as well as some resiliency work and EV charging infrastructure. He said those provisions allow local governments to expand the program’s public-health and stormwater-resilience uses and that Lean & Green Michigan has obtained approvals to structure PACE projects alongside USDA and HUD financing products.

Michelle Dietrich, chair of the Washtenaw County Environmental Council and a PACE supporter, told the board the council passed a resolution urging the county to adopt the statute updates and expand local deployment. “It can help us address public‑health issues like lead-paint mitigation and stormwater mitigation,” Dietrich said.

Commissioners asked about program reach and operational steps. Commissioner Somerville asked how PACE could be used on multi‑unit housing and in foreclosure or receivership situations; Levin replied that Lean & Green Michigan has administered a wide variety of projects — from repurposed warehouses and hotels to new construction — and that the program team works with lenders, contractors and local credit unions to make smaller projects feasible.

Commissioners and staff suggested practical next steps, including: working closely with local economic‑development staff and Nathan Vogt, the county brownfields coordinator, to reach developers and lenders; adopting Lean & Green Michigan’s current program documents where feasible to minimize legal friction; and coordinating with departments (facilities, environmental, economic development) on outreach and a pipeline of projects.

Levin provided statewide metrics: the program has supported dozens of projects in Michigan, he said, with aggregated private investment and energy and water savings results. He recommended the county re‑authorize the local PACE district and align program documents with state statute changes to enable new project types.

No formal vote on PACE reauthorization occurred at the meeting; Levin and commissioners agreed to follow up with staff and Lean & Green Michigan to draft materials and a possible board resolution for a future meeting.