March 28, 2014
A model of community collaboration, innovation, and wise resource sharing that advances the recommendations of the Detroit Future City Strategic Framework is how Detroit Future City (DFC) Executive Director Kenneth Cockrel Jr. described the Great Lakes Shoreline Cities Green Infrastructure grant announcement.
Announced during a press conference on Thursday, March 27, 2014 with the EPA was that a combined $2 million is being granted for blue and green infrastructure projects to reduce the amount of stormwater entering the combined sewer system on Detroit s eastside. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing a $1 million grant. The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and The Kresge Foundation are partnering to provide the required $1 million match.
Our Implementation Office is proud to be a part of this important collaborative. It helps to fulfill our priorities while bringing eight strategies from the Strategic Framework to life, said Cockrel. The transformation of vacant land into productive blue and green infrastructure resources is a tool for neighborhood stabilization. It will also help reduce a financial burden on the City and provide improved environmental quality for Detroit and the Great Lakes region.
The DFC Implementation Office, in partnership with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, will administer the Erb Family Foundation and Kresge Foundation matching grant and provide strategic leadership to the infrastructure projects. Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is the EPA grant recipient and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) helping to facilitate project implementation.
These green infrastructure grants support two ongoing local efforts on the eastside of Detroit, including the Lower Eastside Action Plan (LEAP) and RecoveryPark.
The proposed project area experiences an average of nine (9) combined sewer overflows (CSOs) annually, which adversely impact beach and Great Lakes water quality. Converting vacant property to green infrastructure is consistent with the DFC Strategic Framework, DWSD policy, and the vision of the EPA and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
About Detroit Future City
The Detroit Future City Implementation Office was formed to be the steward of the DFC Strategic Framework Plan. It strategically coordinates actions and resources to maximize their impact and catalyze long-term capacity within all contributing stakeholders. For more information visit www.DetroitFutureCity.com.