Westland approves Brownfield plan for former Marshall Middle School to clear site for housing development

Westland City Council voted May 4 to approve a Brownfield redevelopment plan for the former Marshall Middle School site and a linked reimbursement agreement that city staff and consultants described as essential to make the property viable for redevelopment.

Samantha Marius, economic development manager with consultant Fleece and Vandenbrink, told council the project qualifies as "functionally obsolete" and that the primary redevelopment costs are demolition and asbestos abatement. She said the plan includes approximately $1,868,450 in brownfield-eligible activities and described the Brownfield Authority’s review and certification process before any tax-increment reimbursement is paid.

"The primary driver of the burdened cost on redeveloping the site is the demolition and asbestos abatement associated with the property," Marius said. She emphasized that the municipality is not advancing cash; the arrangement is a reimbursement from future tax increment created by the development and requires thorough documentation and cost reconciliation before payments are released.

Director Garza and the consultant described the site as about 19 acres with a large vacant school building; remarks in the meeting cited a projected capital investment in the broader range of $20 million to $25 million and an anticipated taxable value increase of roughly $17 million once the project is complete.

Developer representatives and the consultant told council the draft plan in front of them seeks a relatively short capture period—about eight years—shorter than the statutory maximum of 30 years. Marius said the Brownfield Reimbursement Agreement will include checks and balances: the developer submits invoices and proof of payment, the Bay Renewal Authority (BRA) or equivalent local board reviews the submission, and reimbursement is only certified after review. The plan also retains a portion of increment for local administrative costs and to populate a local brownfield revolving fund.

Council members asked timing and risk-allocation questions, such as whether reimbursements would be made only after full project completion (staff confirmed they would) and how the plan affects other taxing jurisdictions. Director Garza and Marius repeated that this was a local-only plan and that school taxes would be "held harmless" under the structure described: schools would not lose funding, staff said, and the addition of new housing could eventually increase school revenue.

The council approved both the Brownfield plan and the separate reimbursement agreement. Staff said follow-up steps include the developer submitting supporting invoices and contracts for a cost reconciliation process and certification by the BRA prior to any payment.

What to watch next: developers must complete demolition and remediation work and provide the required documentation for reimbursement certification; the city will report back to the council and administer any local brownfield revolving fund proceeds per statutory rules.