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

The MEDC will formally present the award at 11:30 a.m. Friday, September 28 at the intersection of Harbor Drive and Washington Avenue at a special event to recognize the city of Grand Haven’s new designation.  

The Northwestern Michigan city joins 26 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, Grayling, Hudsonville, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Lathrup Village, Manistee, Marshall, Middleville, Muskegon, Oak Park, Petoskey, 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 Grand Haven 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 Grand Haven 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.

“The RRC assessment gave us all an opportunity to evaluate our internal processes and find ways to improve the way we communicate with the public. I really appreciated how the RRC staff made it clear to us that the findings were not meant as directives but rather they were meant as a series of unbiased punch list items for us to focus our energy on,” said Grand Haven Community Development Manager Jennifer Howland. “Getting the opportunity to step back and reflect on our internal processes was so valuable. I feel that Grand Haven is now much better equipped to present our best foot forward to potential developers.”

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.