MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - There was a public hearing at the Jan. 5 Township Board meeting about Brownfield Plan for The Square on Grand River Project.

The project anticipates significant future investments by Campus Village Communities, redeveloping apartments and retail space on the 5.87-acre parcel located at 2671 East Grand River which has been vacant for 17 years and is underutilized.

The plan contains about 184 apartments ranging between one and four bedrooms plus approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial retail space in a four-story mixed-use building with frontage access on East Grand River Avenue.

The developer presented that $4,829,687 of total eligible activity costs will be needed for this project, but there will be 51 immediate new jobs created upon completion of the project, and by year of 2031, total of $9,823,786 new taxes will be gained once the project is finalized.

The Township Board had approved the Mixed Use Planned Unit Development (MUPUD) Permit for The Square on Grand River, in the Meridian Pointe Shopping Center at 2655 Grand River Avenue at its July 21, 2015 meeting.

Since approval, the developer discovered environmental contamination on the project site. The developer is seeking reimbursement for site cleanup through Ingham County's Brownfield Program.

At the Jan. 5 Township Board meeting, there was a long discussion about this contamination problem. As the result of discussion, the Board decided to talk with Department of Environmental Quality in Michigan (DEQ) to find out the contamination problems more specific, and reach environmental consultant or attorney if there is a serious problem that need to be solved right away.

This plan must be approved by the Ingham County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA), Meridian Township Board, and Ingham County Board of Commissioners in order to start the process of cleanup.

There will be further discussions about this plan at upcoming Township Board meetings.