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City outlines housing push, plans an RFP and cites $500,000 EPA brownfield assessment award
Summary
City Manager briefed the committee on a multi‑year housing strategy, said zoning and a University of Michigan study position Benton Harbor for developer interest, and announced the city will receive $500,000 in EPA brownfield assessment funds; staff plans to issue a site‑specific RFP to attract infill developers.
The city manager told the committee the housing program has advanced through a revised master plan, a University of Michigan housing study and zoning changes to allow higher‑density infill. The manager said those changes, combined with recent state program updates, put Benton Harbor in a favorable position for Low‑Income Housing Tax Credit and similar funding, and staff expect to advance the schedule for issuing a site‑specific RFP for infill development.
In a separate announcement, the city received notice from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of a $500,000 brownfield assessment award to support studies of potentially contaminated sites. The manager said the assessment funding will help the city evaluate candidate parcels and prepare them for future redevelopment and to strengthen proposals in forthcoming RFPs.
No formal action was taken on the RFP at the committee; staff described the next steps as finalizing the RFP scope, identifying priority parcels and seeking developer responses once the scope is released.
