Pinckney receives certification as Redevelopment Ready Community

Designation facilitates private investment, improves economic development opportunities

LANSING, Mich. – For establishing a solid foundation to attract private investment and further build on municipality assets, the village of Pinckney has been awarded Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) certification, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced today.

The MEDC will hold a formal presentation of the RRC Certification Award during a village council meeting which begins at 7:00 pm, Monday, May 14 at the Pinckney Village Offices, 220 South Howell Street, Pinckney.

The southeast Michigan village joins 18 other communities that have qualified as “thoroughly prepared” when it comes to planning, zoning along with other key features that remove traditional barriers and promote opportunities for prospective investors. Other certified RRC communities include Allegan, Battle Creek, Boyne City, Dearborn, Eastpointe, Escanaba, Ferndale, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Lathrup Village, Manistee, Marshall, Middleville, Muskegon, Roseville, Southfield, Traverse City and Ypsilanti.

“Our mission at MEDC is to empower communities so they can proactively shape their future, a future built on a solid foundation of retaining and attracting business investment and talent,” said MEDC Senior Vice President of Community Development Katharine Czarnecki. “We look forward to working collaboratively with Pinckney to create a vibrant community where business and talent want to be, and where a strong sense of community flourishes.”

As an RRC participant, the village of Pinckney received a comprehensive assessment that measures current community and economic development practices compared to RRC best practice standards. Further, the program evaluates and certifies communities that integrate transparency, predictability and efficiency into economic development practices. Certification status provides a compelling sign that a community has removed development barriers and streamlined processes to be more competitive and attractive to investors.

Pinckney received a formal RRC baseline report in December 2016, but the village began making strides toward certification well before that, according to Village Clerk Amy Salowitz.

“Staff was able to make many minor process changes before getting into the heart of the ordinances and strategies. These efforts helped to streamline the certification process once the village was formally evaluated,” Salowitz said.

Pinckney was spotlighted throughout the RRC Best Practice Training Series as a model of proactivity and resourcefulness because of the initiative they showed early in the certification process.

“The RRC preparation provides a process, a set and formulized toolbox for a kind of community-wide self-examination. Like anything else a community has to adapt or die. To adapt, we need developers – responsible, experienced business persons willing to invest. The RRC certification provides a platform to attract them,” said Village President Linda Lavey. “On behalf of the Village I would say we are grateful for the opportunity to have undergone this examination and earned this certification. To developers I would say this is a statement of our openness to new ideas; be as prepared as we are. The value of this place, if not obvious before, is now certified. Any jewel needs a few well-placed facets and some polish, or it's just another rock.”

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.