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Saginaw council holds public hearing on EPA brownfields cleanup grant for Behringer Building
Summary
City staff, AKT Peerless and developers presented an EPA Brownfields cleanup grant application for the city‑owned Behringer Building at 126 North Franklin Street, a historic property proposed for 48 affordable apartments and four commercial spaces; the application is due Jan. 28 and selection is expected in late spring.
The Saginaw City Council heard presentations and public comment on an EPA Brownfields cleanup grant application for the Behringer Building, a city‑owned historic property at 126 North Franklin Street.
Ryan Higuchi of AKT Peerless told the council the 1893 building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been vacant since 2008 and would need environmental abatement of materials such as asbestos and lead paint before renovation. Higuchi said the preliminary reuse concept would create about 48 affordable apartments and four ground‑floor commercial spaces, and that the EPA program requires community engagement as part of grant activities. "The project in question, is the Behringer Building," Higuchi said as he described the site and the competitive grant timeline.
Higuchi outlined the application timetable: applications are due on Jan. 28; award notifications are expected in May–early June (subject to federal timelines); a work plan would be due by 06/15/2026; and the grant agreement would start on Oct. 1, with grant activities to be completed by 09/30/2030. He noted the EPA Brownfields grant is a nationwide competition and requires no local match, but that successful applicants tend to score highly on a points‑based selection process.
Representatives of River Cadiz Group (development partner) and others praised the building's reuse potential and said remediation and renovation costs are high, likely requiring incentives. Jessica DeBoehn of River Cadiz Group thanked the city for support and said the team "is going to try our best" to compete for the award.
After public testimony and questions, the council closed the public hearing by voice vote. The next steps are to finalize and file the grant application by Jan. 28 and await EPA notice of award; if selected the city and its partners would develop a work plan and begin procurement and cleanup planning under the grant schedule.
The public record at the hearing included project details (historic status, proposed unit count and ground‑floor commercial space), EPA timeline requirements and the presenters' warning that success is not guaranteed because the program is highly competitive.
