HOUGHTON — InvestUP, in partnership with the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, Houghton County Land Bank and Gogebic County Land Bank, has been selected for a $1 million Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant to support redevelopment in the Western Upper Peninsula.

The grant will help communities complete environmental assessment work, cleanup planning, and community engagement for blighted and underused properties and improve readiness for future investment and redevelopment. These are important early steps that are often too expensive or complex to tackle on their own.

InvestUP was one of only five Michigan recipients and received the largest EPA Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup award in the state. The selection of InvestUP’s coalition proposal represents an important opportunity for the region to help the Western U.P. communities prepare sites for productive reuse and long-term economic growth, which is especially timely considering the present growth opportunities in front of the region.