MEDC - WKTV Journal

By K.D. Norris

The City of Kentwood has received the Redevelopment Ready Community certification from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) for its “commitment to attracting new investors, businesses and residents through targeted and strategic planning and creating a vibrant community in partnership with residents,” according to a city statement.

The designation, recently announced by the MEDC and announced by the city June 29, recognizes the city’s efforts to establish a “solid planning and economic development foundation” to attract private investment and facilitate community-driven economic development projects in the community.

Certification also means Kentwood will receive support from the MEDC’s Redevelopment Services Team, which will partner with the City to evaluate development sites and produce customized marketing that will promote investment in key areas.

These key areas will include those identified in Kentwood’s 2020 master plan in need of redevelopment, such as Division Avenue, Eastern and 52nd Street, Kalamazoo Avenue corridor, and 28th Street and 29th Street commercial corridor.

“We look forward to working with the MEDC to carry out the master plan’s community-driven vision for growth, land use, development and open space conservation in Kentwood,” Terry Schweitzer, city community development director, said in supplied material. “As a Redevelopment Ready Community, we can leverage critical tools and resources as we continue to work to attract and support investment and businesses and engage community members along the way.”

Kentwood’s certification qualifies it for state community development incentives that encourage developers to invest in the city, according to supplied material. This includes small business programs such as Match on Main that provides reimbursable grant funds for new or expanding place-based businesses.

The certification also means Kentwood is “thoroughly prepared” when it comes to removing traditional planning and zoning traditional barriers and transitioning into a streamlined process to promote opportunities for prospective investors, according to the statement.

During the RRC assessment process, the City received a baseline evaluation of the existing planning and economic development processes compared to RRC “best practices.” These best practices including community plans and engagement, zoning, development review, boards and commissions, and economic development and marketing.

“We are proud to have aligned our policies and processes with Redevelopment Ready Community best practices and to have completed the program’s rigorous assessment,” City of Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley said in supplied material.

For more information about the City’s Redevelopment Ready Community certification visit kentwood.us/RedevelopmentReady.

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Pure Michigan Business Connect program has launched a new grant program providing a total of $1 million in grants to Michigan’s small manufacturers looking to retool and produce critical health and human service supplies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The PMBC COVID-19 Emergency Access and Retooling Grants program will award grants of $10,000 to $150,000 to companies that can quickly and effectively manufacture critical health and human service supplies. Michigan small businesses (per SBA size standards) and established nonprofits are eligible to apply. Businesses can use the funds to support the purchase of equipment necessary to manufacture critical supplies, logistics and shipping costs of procuring necessary equipment, technology upgrades and other costs related to operationalizing new product lines.

To qualify, companies must submit an application at https://pmbc.connect.space/covid19/forms. Eligible applications will be reviewed based on ability to execute project; need for financial assistance; timeliness; product need in market; economic impact. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the total $1 million in grant funds are expended. To learn more about the program, visit here: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/pmbc-retooling-grants/.

While the program does not guarantee sales channels, the Pure Michigan Business Connect team will assist grantees by connecting them with demand identified through the COVID-19 Virtual Procurement and Donation Assistance portal. The portal, an effort of PMBC in collaboration with the State Emergency Operation Center, is a free, virtual procurement and donation platform that provides health and human service providers direct access to businesses within the state providing and donating supplies including personal protection equipment, food, medical devices, paper products, cleaning equipment and more.

The platform is also offering a place for companies with manufacturing capabilities for personal protection equipment to indicate which items (i.e. masks, gowns, ventilators) they are able to produce, along with quantity and timing detail. To learn more, visit here: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/virtual-procurement/.

Last week, the MEDC announced applications are now being accepted for the Michigan Small Business Relief Program, authorized by the Michigan Strategic Fund on March 19, to provide up to $20 million in grants and loans to provide economic assistance to Michigan’s small businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 virus. The funds are being administered by 15 local and nonprofit economic development organizations (EDOs) around Michigan, covering all 83 counties in the state. Visit https://www.michiganbusiness.org/msbrp for more information on how to apply.

In addition, michiganbusiness.org/covid19 also features other resources for businesses across Michigan to assist them in recovering from economic losses as a result of the COVID-19 virus. This includes U.S. Small Business Administration emergency loans, support services offered through the SBDC and more. The MEDC has also developed a FAQ for Michigan businesses and communities at michiganbusiness.org/covid19-faq