In 2016, the scene at the intersection of Broadway Street and Maiden Lane in Ann Arbor’s Lower Town neighborhood was all too familiar: a site formerly home to a bustling retail center that had long since outlived its use was plagued with soil, groundwater, and soil gas contamination. Sitting for more than eight years, the Beekman on Broadway site had attained a well-earned reputation as “undevelopable”.

Principal among the challenges to Beekman on Broadway was the migrating volatile organic compound (VOC) groundwater plume that posed a contamination threat to the Huron River, a source of the City’s drinking water and vital habitat to flora and fauna of southeast Michigan. Morningside Group assembled a team of expert consultants, led by SME, that worked closely with regulatory officials to create an effective and economical remedial approach that dovetailed with construction to treat onsite contamination, reduced offsite contaminant migration, and fulfilled due care obligations.

Beyond engineering challenges, the financing of the project was crucial. SME helped Morningside acquire $11 million in brownfield tax-incremental financing (TIF) to offset environmental and infrastructure costs. SME also worked with Washtenaw County and EGLE to secure a $1 million Clean Michigan Initiative (CMI) grant for treatment of the source area.

In addition to the plume remediation, work included onsite and offsite roadway infrastructure and underground utilities, including a 95,000 cubic foot stormwater detention vault, which also serves as the parking structure’s foundation.

Construction of the project’s second and third phases added 372 residential units and more retail space. Today, the site is a vibrant mixed-used community that will be a longstanding local resource.