GRAND RAPIDS — A contaminated former gas station property in Grand Rapids will be redeveloped after being receiving brownfield funding from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
The MDEQ awarded the Grand Rapids Brownfield Redevelopment Authority a $372,000 Brownfield Redevelopment grant to revitalize the former BP gas station at the corner of Stocking Avenue NW and First Street NW.
As MiBiz previously reported, Walker-based Meijer inc. plans to develop a new gas station at the site, which is adjacent to the grocery retailer’s Bridge Street Market, just west of downtown Grand Rapids.
The new development will get rid of the contaminated and blighted gas station, repurposing it into a modern facility with “significantly reduced environmental impact.” According to the MDEQ, the $2 million development will create 15 new jobs.
Contamination on the property comes from soil and groundwater from previous gas station operations. The grant will pay for building and site demolition and the disposal of contaminated soil.
Grants from the MDEQ pay for environmental investigation and cleanup of brownfields, which are vacant or abandoned properties with known or suspected environmental contamination.
Kent County property records show Stockbridge Retail LLC paid $1 million in late August for the 0.1-acre property. Stockbridge Retail, an affiliated entity of Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction Co. Inc., sought the approval for the brownfield grant in October.