The Leelanau County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) took action last week to advance three projects it has been working on since this spring.

At its regular monthly meeting on Oct. 23, the board voted to approve a loan application for West Bay Partners, L.L.C., which plans to develop a marina on West Grand Traverse Bay in Greilickville at the site of an old petroleum storage depot. The estimated $1 million loan will be underwritten by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and will help pay for cleanup of the site.

The project, known as West Shore Crossing, will also include a pedestrian tunnel under M-22, connecting yacht club buildings on the west side of the state highway with the marina on the eastern, waterfront side.

The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners, at a Nov. 20 meeting, will consider the loan application before it is submitted to the MDEQ.

BRA board members also took action on several issues related to a plan to redevelop the Leelanau County courthouse property in Leland once it is vacated and the county seat moves into a new facility now nearing completion in Suttons Bay Township.

James P. Varley and Robert G. Kelly hope to clean up the Leland courthouse site and redevelop the 2-plus acre property for housing, beginning this spring. A preliminary study indicated that the property may be affected by an historic iron foundry that was once located in the vicinity, as well as other possible environmental problems.

Varley-Kelly Properties, L.L.C., working through its engineering consultant Otwell-Mawby, P.C., has submitted a Brownfield plan that will require a public hearing and approval by the county board. The proposed brownfield plan is slated to be on the agenda of the county board’s Nov. 20 meeting.

The brownfield board on Oct. 23 also approved a proposed environmental cleanup “work plan” for the Varley-Kelly project as well as a DEQ loan application from the developers. A $1 million loan is being sought, with the application to be considered by the county board on Nov. 20.

The third project the brownfield board addressed at last week’s meeting involves the county’s own initiative to conduct petroleum site assessments throughout the county. Currently, the BRA is seeking a $200,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to conduct the assessments. The BRA has also sent out requests for qualifications and proposals from contractors who may be able to conduct such assessments, and will continue to evaluate submissions from contractors at an upcoming meeting.