Georgetown Mall Demolition and Environmental Remediation Set to Begin

Ann Arbor, MI – Washtenaw County officials report that grant funded demolition and soil remediation of the former Georgetown Mall is scheduled to begin the week of May 13th. After a series of delays, the work to remove the abandoned buildings and clean up the site is poised to proceed. The site is proposed for a new development, called Packard Square, which will consist of a mixed-use building, 20,000 square feet of commercial space, and 230 market rate apartments. In addition, an underground parking garage will provide tenant parking.

Washtenaw County secured a $1 million grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in 2012 to assist with demolition of the blighted buildings, and clean-up of soil contaminated from the former dry cleaning operations on site. “The grant work was initially delayed while the County ensured grant related contracts, and those required by the developer to fund non-grant related work, are all in place,” said Washtenaw County Brownfield Redevelopment Coordinator, Nathan Voght. “Demolition permit applications have been filed, and we should see activity on the site starting the week of May 13th and it’s scheduled to wrap up by the end of July.”

The building and site demolition, and environmental remediation work should take approximately two months. However, further testing under the after removal of the contaminated soil may extend that time frame if additional measures are required to safely re-use the property.

For more information contact Nathan Voght, in the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, at voghtn@ewashtenaw.org or 734-222-3860. For more information about the MDEQ Brownfield Redevelopment Program, visit the MDEQ website at http://www.michigan.gov/deqbrownfields.