$87.5M in site-ready grants includes $17.5 for Lowell
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The state on Tuesday awarded $87.5 million in grants to get sites ready across Michigan for future development.
The Strategic Site Readiness Program was passed in 2021 to create “investment ready sites” to attract projects to the state. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation in a memo said competitor states have already been development sites to attract businesses, and “Michigan is playing catch up.”
“(It) must aggressively pursue site availability to compete for projects,” the memo says.
Applications for a share of $100 million in funding opened in September. The state received grant requests totaling $420 million. It says it looked for sites that included reusing brownfield or former manufacturing sites, that were highly marketable, that can get to market quickly and would have an impact on regional and state economies. The money will be not be disbursed in one sum. Projects will need to meet certain milestones, including a demonstration of community support.
The Michigan Strategic Fund ultimately approved $87.5 million in grants divvied up among 18 sites; the rest of the $100 million funding will be used for things like supporting applications that need more time and other funding needs that could come up.
The sites range from 1 to 792 acres, with the average size around 200 acres. Ten of the 18 projects are brownfield sites, and the MEDC sent a list of those projects to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy for potential further funding.
$17.5 MILLION FOR LOWELL TOWNSHIP SITE
Among the projects are five located in West Michigan. In Kent County, economic development agency The Right Place, Inc., along with developer Franklin Partners and Lowell Township, received $17.5 million for Covenant Business Park. The 237-acre site in located at 4687 Alden Nash Ave. near I-96 in Lowell Township. The funding will be used to install a new sewer line from Lowell’s wastewater plant. The new line will serve both the site and residential areas along its path.
The infrastructure is needed to make the site marketable.
The state dollars are 50% of what the site needs to be ready for development, The Right Place said in a release. It said the spot, which is close to the airport, “has been considered to be the finest parcel available in greater Grand Rapids.”
There will be three community open houses at the Lowell Township Hall to residents to learn more about the site: Jan. 31 from 5 to 8 p.m., Feb. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m., Feb. 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“It’s been our long-standing desire to see this site become a hub of good-paying job opportunities, and this grant funding will help make that a reality,” Lowell Charter Township Supervisor Jerry Hale said in The Right Place’s release. “This will cement the Lowell area as a top destination for companies looking to expand in West Michigan and catalyze additional quality-of-life amenities like public recreation space and housing options. Plus, this will certainly positively impact the local businesses in the area, including in Downtown Lowell.”
FOUR OTHER WEST MICHIGAN SITES
Muskegon Area First received $121,200 for the Muskegon Heights Industrial Parks. The money will be used to acquire land to create a 27-acre industrial park. The site is “ripe for an investment,” the memo says, and could have a big impact on the Muskegon Heights community.
The project is part of a regional strategic plan and could help reduce the community’s poverty level.
Southwest Michigan First received a $2.1 million SSRP grant for the Southwest Michigan Commerce Park, a brownfield site. The funding will be used to extend sewer lines in Comstock and Pavilion Township, which would make the 265-acre site more marketable, along with providing infrastructure for the community.
“This Brownfield site represents an opportunity to develop significant jobs close to the Kalamazoo/Portage MSA and assist an underserved area in Southwest Michigan,” the memo says.
Also in Southwest Michigan, Market Van Buren received $476,250 for the 792-acre Hartford Industrial Site. The funds will be used to remediate issues on the site, which has appealed to multiple projects that would be “transformational” to the state and local economies.
In Berrien County, the Cornerstone Alliance, in partnership with developer Franklin Partners, received $3.6 million for the Benton Harbor Data and Tech Park, a 240-acre site. The funding would be used to extend utilities and improve transportation infrastructure. It would also be used for a drain relocation project on the site. The memo says the site is “regularly submitted for projects.”
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