Funding Will Improve Infrastructure, Accelerate Site Prospects for Economic Development
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 31, 2024) — The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced yesterday an award of $4.1 million for infrastructure improvements at 3 Mile and Wilder Road in Bay County’s Monitor Township. After the announcement, state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) issued the following statement:
“This award shows that our region is a prime place for big economic development, and that’s great news for our residents and businesses. I’m proud to support this project that will dedicate millions of dollars to boost Bay County’s local economy with infrastructure jobs, and position Monitor Township to win more private investment and job-creating projects.”
The Michigan Strategic Fund Board approved the $4.1 million award for Bay Future, Inc.’s extension of sanitary sewer at 3 Mile & Wilder Road including site preparation, infrastructure improvement, demolition, and architectural reporting. This site is located along I-75 and is one of 18 projects across the state approved for a combined $87.5 million in grant funding through the Strategic Site Readiness Program (SSRP) to support Michigan’s efforts to compete for and win transformative projects.
SSRP funds are administered by MEDC on behalf of the Michigan Strategic Fund, including a $100 million allocation for strategic sites where an end-user is unknown, which is the funding source for the recently announced grant recommendations. The goal of this funding directive is to create a robust inventory of investment-ready sites of all sizes across the state. This money was approved for the SSRP fund by the Senate and House Appropriations Committees in 2023.
This year, MEDC received over 70 applications from local governments and economic development organizations with requests totaling over $420 million for the $100 million available. This demonstrates the significant statewide demand for advancing site readiness and the competitiveness of the grant award process.
More information on the Strategic Site Readiness Program (SSRP) is linked here.
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