Council approves up to $100,000 in Brownfield reimbursements for Presbyterian Villages site on Cherry Hill Road

Westland City Council on Monday approved a Brownfield remediation plan and a related reimbursement agreement for Presbyterian Villages of Michigan’s property at 32001 Cherry Hill Road.

The two related votes authorize the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to reimburse the petitioner for eligible soil-remediation work — an estimated $88,000 plus a 15% contingency, not to exceed $100,000 in total — and to reimburse the petitioner for subsequent eligible property-improvement costs once the work is completed and verified.

Director Garza told the council this reimbursement is for excavation, transport, disposal and backfill to address contamination. “This is a $88,000 plus a 15% contingency not to exceed a $100,000,” Garza said, adding that verification sampling and a report will follow the remediation to confirm work was completed.

A petitioner representative described the work as a “simple dig and dump of 2 sites,” one around an empty 55-gallon drum that had been leaking, and another area on the northern portion of the property. The representative said an estimated 455 tons of soil would be removed and that delineation sampling would be performed after removal to confirm no contaminants remain.

Paul Aaron of ASTI, who later spoke from the audience, clarified the industry terminology used by the petitioner and described the plan to place verified clean soil back on site: “That is shorthand and an industry term for environmental consultants... Presbyterian Villages will type 2 landfill where they will stay and then replace them with verified clean soil. $13,000 of the grant will be, spent by the developer for oversight and laboratory costs, so there's no risk to anyone living there.”

Under the reimbursement agreement, the developer is to pay for eligible activities up front and submit receipts, photos and verification reports; the city will reimburse the petitioner after staff confirms the eligible activities were completed to the required standards. Council members asked procedural questions during the public hearing follow-up; Director Garza explained the post-remediation verification sampling and reporting process that will occur before reimbursement.

Both the resolution approving the Brownfield plan and the separate motion authorizing the reimbursement agreement passed unanimously.

The Brownfield actions invoke the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority’s ability to capture certain tax increment revenues under Act 381 of the Public Acts of 1996 (as amended), which allows reimbursement of eligible environmental and redevelopment activities.

Council documents and staff follow-up will include the verification sampling reports and receipts required for reimbursement, and the petitioner must meet those documentation requirements before receiving funds.