A proposed artist and musical venue in Ypsilanti is closer to reality thanks to a brownfield grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
The proposed venue on the site of the old Materials Unlimited antiques store has been awarded an over-$477,000 EGLE grant. It will be used to pay for lead, asbestos, mold, and hazardous materials surveys, as well as interior and exterior demolition and abatement.
Developer Jamie Taralunga says the grant will go far in getting her dream of a musical ecosystem on the site established.
“This EGLE grant means everything. It not only serves my vision for this project, but it will also be a tremendous investment for the Ypsilanti community, as it will be the first step towards reconstructing 2 West Michigan Avenue into an historical gem that it once was back in 1927.”
The site was the initially the site of a car dealership before it was the antiques shop for 50 years.
Ypsilanti Economic Development Coordinator Katie Jones says the EGLE grant gives the city an opportunity to redevelop the space in ways that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.
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