Michigan to Gain Competitive Advantage in Attracting New Businesses Through New Site Readiness Program

• Program will bring available sites closer to “shovel ready” status • Grants of up to $100,000 available to local partners for assistance with site readiness preparation

In an ongoing effort to expand the state’s economic development toolkit, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced a new program today aimed at boosting Michigan’s inventory of available properties ready to compete for business attraction projects. Working with local partners to identify areas for improvement, MEDC has launched the Michigan Site Readiness Program, giving Michigan cities and sites a competitive advantage in business attraction and expansion projects.

As part of the program, MEDC will provide up to $100,000 in grant funding to a community or other public entity to assist with the development or enhancement of industrial sites to make them more competitive during the site selection process. Applications are now live for the $1.5 million Site Readiness Program for local and regional economic development or community partners that can demonstrate a pathway to a vetted site.

“This grant program is a key component of collaborating with local partners to highlight the strengths of available sites throughout the state and ensure Michigan is investing in site readiness across our communities,” said MEDC CEO Jeff Mason. “The resources provided through the Site Readiness Program underscore the innovative approaches we are taking to foster business creation and expansion here in Michigan.”

Grant funds under the program can be used for activities including site development studies or site material development, site implementation or land assembly activities, and more. A local match is strongly recommended and will be a consideration for a competitive project. More information on the grant program can be found here. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2019.

Other recent initiatives highlighting site selection in Michigan include the launch of an updated, dedicated landing page for site selectors. This site serves as a one-stop-shop for any and all site selector needs, from statistics demonstrating Michigan’s strengths as a place to do business to Zoom Prospector data base access.

Featured site videos from across Michigan are also highlighted on the site selector landing page Currently, nine sites statewide are showcased, offering visual footage of each location and listing key site information including transportation routes, utilities and workforce availability.

A key component of the Site Readiness Program is the establishment of Vetted Site Standards, a voluntary resource that provides a critical road map to helping Michigan sites achieve “shovel ready” status. These standards include appropriate planning and zoning, boundary survey, proper soil and environmental conditions, and more.

Today’s announcement builds on MEDC’s other business attraction tools including the Speculative Building Program, which offers several incentives and financing programs to encourage the development of new speculative building projects in Michigan. The goal of the program is to further add to Michigan’s inventory of high-quality, readily available space for growing companies.

The Site Readiness Program’s creation was a true collaboration with input from key stakeholders and state and local economic development partners. With the new Site Readiness Program in motion, local partners in conjunction with the MEDC, are continuing to highlight the strengths of Michigan’s cities and sites for doing business.

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.