Brownfields 2023 Mobile Workshops
The Brownfields Conference offers several exciting opportunities to view local redevelopment sites through featured mobile workshops. Don’t miss your chance to explore Detroit with your Brownfields colleagues!
Book your mobile workshop experiences while completing your online conference Registration.
Tuesday, August 8, 2023 – Pre-conference
Tuesday, August 8, 2023, 9am – 4pm | SOLD OUT
Bus trip to Chevy Commons and Buick City brownfield redevelopment sites in the City of Flint. At the Chevy Commons site, (formerly Chevy in the Hole) learn about the development of General Motors on the sites, the historic sit-down strike leading to the formation of the United Auto Workers, the later abandonment of the site by GM and the ambitious redevelopment plans by the Genesee County Land Bank Authority and the City of Flint and where we are today. Bring your walking shoes (Chevy Commons is now an urban county soon to be state park). As part of the tour, there will also be a historical and status briefing on the Flint water crisis and a driving tour past some of the most challenging brownfield redevelopment sites that have been completed or are in progress, including Buick City, one of the largest brownfield sites in Michigan.
Transportation: Bus
Sponsored by: 
Tuesday, August 8, 2023, 8am – 11am | SOLD OUT
In less than a decade, M1 Concourse in Pontiac has established itself as a go-to hub for auto enthusiasts in a region that is full of them, with a community of private garages, a motorsports club, retail and a winding, 1.5-mile circuit that fulfills the need for speed. But before it was M1 Concourse, it was 87 blighted and abandoned acres, impaired by decades of automotive manufacturing use. The property in 2011 was transferred to RACER Trust, which conducted cleanup under U.S. EPA oversight and positioned the property for the innovative redevelopment that became M1 Concourse, staying true to its historical Motor City roots. Participants will learn about history and evolution of the site and tour the facility, with something special in store at the end.
Transportation: Bus| $35
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 1-4pm, SOLD OUT
Detroit’s east riverfront was once a thriving industrial and warehouse district, ranging from shipbuilding and foundries to chemical and concrete manufacturing. This walking tour will explore a number of the key projects that have and continue to drive redevelopment and revitalization of the post-industrial Riverfront district, including: the Detroit Riverwalk, voted ‘America’s Best Riverwalk’; the 31-acre Milliken State Park, the first urban state park in Michigan; the Outdoor Adventure Center, an exciting adaptive reuse project that gives Detroit residents a taste of Michigan’s great outdoors in the heart of the city; the 270-unit Orleans Landing development, the first market-rate residential construction project in the district in 25 years; and Robert C. Valade Park, an urban beach. Following the 1.5 mile walking tour, we will adjourn to Atwater Brewery at the heart of Rivertown for a cool refreshment.
Transportation: Bus | Cost: $30
Sponsored by:
Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 1-4pm, SOLD OUT
Northland Mall was once America’s first and the world’s largest shopping center. The mall closed its doors in 2015 and the City of Southfield and Southfield Downtown Development Authority proactively sought the public’s desires for redevelopment opportunities. Southfield’s desire for equitable development pursued a developer that would create a vibrant mixed-use development rather than a logistics center. The tour will enable visitors to see this vision come to life. The redevelopment of the site is underway. The owner and prospective tenants will share their vision and experiences including the new market-rate apartments and repurposing of the former Hudson’s store.
Transportation: Bus | Cost: $25
Sponsored by: 
Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 1-4pm, SOLD OUT
Come visit the future of transportation and mobility. The American Center for Mobility Development is a state-of-the-art testing and development facility for autonomous and connected vehicle technologies. This tour will provide an opportunity to witness the future of mobility firsthand. You will explore cutting-edge facilities and technologies being developed and tested at the center. Connect the history of transportation to the future.
Transportation: Bus | Cost: $25
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Thursday, August 10, 2023, 1-4pm, SOLD OUT
This tour will highlight Detroit’s Piquette Square a $ 23 million affordable housing facility intended for Detroit’s homeless veterans. This development offers 150 apartments for homeless veterans and provides support services for their reintegration into the community. The project required financial assistance from various government agencies and charitable organizations, including US EPA’s Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup Grant Program. This funding helped investigate and remediate contamination resulting from the site’s industrial past, including a fire that destroyed the former Studebaker plant. The facility it’s sale was financed by tax credits, bonds funds, and state programs to end chronic homelessness. Following Piquette Square, the group will visit the North End Detroit People Food Co-op. This site is a mixed-used site development that will include space for a food cooperative, kitchen incubator space, and community gathering space for meetings, lectures, films, performances, and other events. Brownfield TIF funding that allowed developers to receive public funding to clean up contaminated or blighted properties.
Transportation: Bus | Cost: $25
Sponsored by: 
Thursday, August 10, 2023, 1-4pm, SOLD OUT
Corktown is the oldest surviving residential neighborhood in Detroit and also the site of some of its most exciting redevelopment projects, including the renovation of Michigan Central Station for Ford, associated mixed-use and commercial infill development, and the reimagining of the former Tigers Baseball Stadium.
Transportation: Bus | Cost: $25
Sponsored by:
Thursday, August 10, 2023, 1-4pm, SOLD OUT
View brownfield sites along the Jefferson Ave. corridor from River Rouge to Trenton. Within this corridor are two recently closed coal-fired power plants, former steel mill and chemical plant sites that are undergoing planning studies, assessment and cleanups to become site ready for redevelopment. Hear about the challenges of eliminating unknowns and risks for developers in getting these sites back into circulation. At the end of the corridor is the beautiful Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, the only international wildlife refuge in the U.S. Learn about the transformation of the site using EPA Brownfield RLF funds to create a former automobile factory site to a recreation destination for the region. Finally, take a stroll through the refuge and enjoy the wildlife and serenity of this place.
Transportation: Bus | Cost: $25
Friday, August 11, 2023
Friday, August 11, 2023, 8-11am, SOLD OUT
Discover the exciting transformation of Detroit on this tour! First, we’ll stop by the Press/321, the former Detroit Free Press Building that has been transformed into over 100 residential units with office and retail space. Next, we’ll see Book Tower, which recently underwent a $300+ million, 7-year historic restoration, transforming it into a mixed-use development with stunning architectural details. Finally, we’ll check out the Hudson’s Site, a massive 1.5 million square foot project featuring an office building with retail and office space, and a high-rise tower with a hotel and residential units.
Transportation: Bus | Cost: $25
Sponsored by:
Friday, August 11, 2023, 8-11am, SOLD OUT
Come join us as we explore new and upcoming parks spaces created from former brownfields on Detroit’s western riverfront. After years of investment in the redevelopment of the east riverfront, Detroit now looks west of Downtown as it continues to develop world-class public space along the Detroit River. During this mobile workshop, we will examine the history and design of Riverside Park and look at the progress of Ralph C Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, while exploring themes of community engagement, greenspace, and public health.
Transportation: Bus | Cost: $25
Sponsored by:
