Mayors of Flint, Lansing meet
If you drive through Flint, you can see big open spaces. Hundreds of acres sit idle on what was the so-called Buick City site. Hundreds more at the former site of AC Spark Plug, at Dort and Davison. Then there's the vacant site across from Kettering University dubbed "Chevy in the Hole". What is the city supposed to do with these sites? How can they be redeveloped?
Today in Lansing, an Obama administration official will meet with the Mayors of Flint and Lansing to talk about revitalizing the sites. Jay Williams, director of the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers, will meet with local mayors, federal partners and community representatives today for“Auto Community Revitalization Roundtable” meetings. According to the release...
The roundtable will focus on strategies for cleaning up and transforming former General Motors properties and other “brownfields” into productive areas for new manufacturing, commercial and community sites. Round-table participants will explore tools and available resources, and share successful strategies for developing sustainable economic and environmental approaches in communities where changes in auto manufacturing have left a legacy of environmental, economic and community challenges. Previous round-table discussions took place in Buena Vista, Mich., Anderson, Ind., and Walton Hills, Ohio.
It's the 4th roundtable discussion about the topic. The RACER Trust, which owns the former GM Buick City site, has indicated there is potential interest in small portions of the site.
