City of Petoskey 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 city of Petoskey has been awarded Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) certification, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced today.

The MEDC will formally present the award at 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 20 at City Hall at the beginning of the City Council business meeting agenda to recognize the city of Petoskey’s new designation. City Hall is located at 101 E Lake Street in Petoskey.

The Northwestern Michigan city joins 24 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, Alpena, Battle Creek, Boyne City, Dearborn, Eastpointe, Escanaba, Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Hudsonville, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Lathrup Village, Manistee, Marshall, Middleville, Muskegon, Oak Park, Pinckney, 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 Katharine Czarnecki. “We look forward to working collaboratively with Petoskey 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 city of Petoskey 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.

“Through the RRC assessment we found that there were a lot of things the city was already doing well, but the process helped us focus on the areas and sites where we want redevelopment to occur.  The certification process was arduous, but helpful,” said Petoskey City Planner Amy Tweeten. “There of course continues to be work to do, particularly communicating internally and externally all the good things we are doing and the opportunities the community has for redevelopment.”

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.