Plymouth Township's Brownfield Redevelopment Authority faces a $173,900 budget gap in fiscal year 2027 (FY2027), driven by a stalled cleanup at the former Courthouse Grille site.
The BRA meets Monday, Sept. 28, at 4:30 p.m. at Plymouth Township Town Hall. Township Supervisor Chuck Curmi chairs the authority.
The proposed budget, prepared by Plante Moran and Finance Director Carole Rochon, projects $635,100 in revenues and $809,000 in expenditures, according to the meeting packet. The gap would pull the BRA's fund balance down from a projected $1,212,025 at the end of FY2026 to $1,038,125 by the close of FY2027.
Revenue is falling because a $200,000 state grant tied to the Courthouse Grille site at 41661 Plymouth Road is not included in the FY2027 budget. The packet notes the project has stalled and that grant funding budgeted in FY2026 may carry forward to FY2027. The FY2027 revenue line for that grant shows zero.
That leaves the grant's status unclear. The budget also notes that progress on the Courthouse Grille remediation slowed during FY2026, with construction expected to continue through 2027.
$1M loan still undrawn
A $1 million state loan secured for the Courthouse Grille cleanup has not been drawn. Repayment would begin five years after the first draw. The loan was most recently confirmed at the BRA's Oct. 14, 2024, meeting, when then-Finance Director Elizabeth Kutey told the board a $525,000 Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) grant and the $1 million loan were in place.
The former restaurant, also known over its 80-plus-year history as Ernesto's and the Hillside Inn, closed in 2018 and was demolished in September 2023. Developer Kevin Kovachevich of District Capital Detroit has proposed Hillside Overlook Apartments, a 120-unit, four-story building, for the site. Hometownlife reported on the demolition and redevelopment plans in September 2023. Kovachevich told Hometownlife at the time that his team was finalizing plans to submit to the township's planning commission. The BRA approved a first amendment to the Hillside Overlook Apartments reimbursement agreement at its May 18, 2026, meeting, with Kovachevich in attendance, according to the meeting packet — the most recent public sign of the project's progress, though no additional detail on the development's design or timeline was included.
DDA budget runs a surplus
The same meeting packet includes the FY2027 budget for the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), which projects $775,700 in revenues and $517,000 in expenditures. That $258,700 surplus would push the DDA's fund balance to a projected $3,804,486, according to the packet.
Among DDA expenditures is $44,000 for a Flock license-plate-reader camera lease. The DDA also contributes $55,000 annually to the General Fund for enhanced police services and $35,100 to offset General Fund costs for managing the DDA.
The board will also vote on $89,194.73 in bills, most of which covers brownfield-capture reimbursements to AMI Group Holdings LLC for the Phoenix Mill/Critical Mass and Cygnet Auto projects.
The BRA's next scheduled meeting after Sept. 28 is Feb. 1, 2027.
