This is a recent exchange of email regarding the status of the Packard Square project. Note that the bottom email from City Administrator Steve Powers says "there may not be any action on the site for months." From:
Nathan Voght [mailto:voghtn@ewashtenaw.org] Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 8:13 AM To: Teall, Margie; Brett Lenart; Powers, Steve Cc: Bahl, Sumedh; 'owen.g@gcsionline.com'; Higgins, Sara; Yousef D. Rabhi; Callan, Mary Jo Subject: RE: Summary of Packard Square meeting MDEQ Grant Margie, The
meeting with the developer and DEQ a few weeks back resulted in the DEQ
offering to award the grant to the County, with the condition that the
developer show project financing within 120 days of grant award. The
concern on the
part of the DEQ is giving the grant to a project that doesn’t occur.
Their clean-up grants are intended to result in investment and job
creation. Because
the DEQ was willing to work with the developer and County, it has
complicated the grant award slightly in that there has to be some
language that speaks to the financing condition with the grant agreement
between the County and DEQ. In addition, the developer has to be
party to this agreement, as he is required to demonstrate the financing
to satisfy the condition. This agreement should be finalized this week.
As Brett mentioned, we are also ready to issue the RFP for an
environmental consultant to assist the County with the grant
administration. One
clarification on Mr. Powers’ email below: Any funds the County expends
in grant administration on an environmental consultant, during the 120
days between the time the grant is awarded and the developer
demonstrates (or doesn’t) project financing, the DEQ has committed to
reimbursing. Therefore, the County is not risking any funds if the
developer does not finance the project. In addition, any clean-up work
conducted by the County will be paid for by the developer and then get
reimbursed by the grant. So, again, the County will not have to front
any funds used to do the clean up, and therefore, will not lose those
funds if the project is not financed. The developer is taking
all the risk here. Once
the work actually begins, demolition and remediation should not take
more than 60 days, according to a construction schedule that was given
to us. We
are all working hard to move the project forward. Sue Erickson with
the DEQ deserves the most credit for making this grant happen. Let me know if you have any other questions. Nathan Voght Economic Development Specialist Washtenaw County Office of Community & Economic Development 110 N. Fourth Ave., Ste 300 Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Ph. 734-222-3860 Fx. 734-622-9022 From: Teall, Margie [mailto:MTeall@a2gov.org] Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 5:12 PM To: Brett Lenart; Powers, Steve Cc: Bahl, Sumedh; owen.g@gcsionline.com; Sara Higgins Forward; Yousef D. Rabhi; Mary Jo Callan; Nathan Voght Subject: RE: Summary of Packard Square meeting MDEQ Grant This is great. Thanks Brett! From: Brett Lenart [mailto:lenartb@ewashtenaw.org] Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 5:05 PM To: Teall, Margie; Powers, Steve Cc: Bahl, Sumedh; 'owen.g@gcsionline.com'; Higgins, Sara; Yousef D. Rabhi; Callan, Mary Jo; Nathan Voght Subject: RE: Summary of Packard Square meeting MDEQ Grant We’re
still working on some of the details around the grant agreement/and
agreement between the developer and County. The County is preparing an
RFP for environmental consultants to help oversee the
project. I’ll have Nathan Voght from our office send an update soon to
meet your timetable. -Brett Lenart Office of Community & Economic Development Washtenaw County (734) 622-9006 phone From: Teall, Margie [mailto:MTeall@a2gov.org] Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 4:58 PM To: Powers, Steve Cc: Bahl, Sumedh; Brett Lenart; owen.g@gcsionline.com; Sara Higgins Forward; Yousef D. Rabhi Subject: RE: Summary of Packard Square meeting MDEQ Grant Are
there any updates from the meeting that was supposed to have happened
last week with MDEQ, developer and county? Please fill me in, as I
would like to send something out to residents this week. Thanks! -Margie From: Powers, Steve Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 5:00 PM To: Higgins, Marcia; Teall, Margie; Hieftje, John Cc: Bahl, Sumedh Subject: Summary of Packard Square meeting MDEQ Grant The grant remains viable, although there may not be any action on the site for months. On
April 4, Susan Erickson, Chief, Brownfield Redevelopment Program Unit,
Remediation Division, MDEQ, met with the developer for Packard Square.
Jeffery Kahan from Planning, Washtenaw County, and Gary Owen from GCSI
also attended. Ms. Erickson has agreed to provide a $1 million grant for clean-up of the site, subject
to the
developer providing documentation that financing is in place for 100%
of the project. The grant dollars would be released after the
remediation is complete. The developer requested 120 days to provide the
financing documentation, with a 30 day extension if substantial
progress toward financing has been demonstrated. If the developer is
unable to provide the documentation, the grant will be cancelled and
Washtenaw County and developer will not be reimbursed for any costs
incurred. Margie,
you were copied on the complete report of the meeting. The MDEQ,
developer, and county are meeting again next week at the county offices. SP |
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