City of Swartz Creek receives certification as Redevelopment Ready Community

Kathleen Achtenberg

Friday, December 20, 2019

Designation facilitates private investment, improves economic development opportunities

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

The MEDC will formally present the award on Monday, December 23 at a regular meeting of City Council.As the 36th Certified Redevelopment Ready Community, and first in Genesee County, Swartz Creek joins 35 other Michigan communities that have qualified as “thoroughly prepared” when it comes to planning and zoning to remove traditional barriers and promote opportunities for prospective investors.

Other certified RRC communities include:

  1. Allegan
  2. Alpena
  3. Battle Creek
  4. Bessemer
  5. Boyne City
  6. Dearborn
  7. Eastpointe
  8. Escanaba
  9. Ferndale
  10. Grand Haven
  11. Grand Rapids
  12. Grayling
  13. Howell
  14. Hudsonville
  15. Jackson
  16. Kalamazoo
  17. Lansing
  18. Lathrup Village
  19. Manistee
  20. Marshall
  21. Meridian Charter Township
  22. Middleville
  23. Mount Pleasant
  24. Muskegon
  25. Oak Park
  26. Petoskey
  27. Pinckney
  28. Roseville
  29. Southfield
  30. Traverse City
  31. Ypsilanti
  32. Laingsburg
  33. Saginaw
  34. Hillsdale
  35. Novi

“Our mission at the MEDC is to continue to support Michigan’s strong economic momentum and empower communities to proactively shape their future,” said MEDC Director of Technical Assistance Programs, Michelle Parkkonen. “Swartz Creek’s desire to strengthen its downtown and provide a high quality of life for its residents fits perfectly with our mission. We are pleased to have Swartz Creek as a partner and look forward to further strengthening our relations with the city and its economic development partners.”

As an RRC participant, the city of Swartz Creek received a comprehensive assessment that measured current community and economic development practices compared to RRC Best Practice standards. The program evaluates and certifies communities that integrate transparency, predictability and efficiency into their economic development practices. Certification status is a compelling indicator that a community has removed development barriers and streamlined processes to be more competitive and attractive to investors.

“Swartz Creek's certification by the MEDC as a Redevelopment Ready Community is a huge leap forward for development and especially for redevelopment in our city,” said Mayor David Krueger. “Getting closed businesses in our downtown area repurposed and in use once more brings life and hope to our city as nothing else can do. Thank you to the MEDC for their help in making Swartz Creek the first RRC certified city in Genesee County.”

To reach certification, the city of Swartz Creek undertook several notable projects, including creating a dedicated economic development strategy, implementing a new branding initiative, removing unnecessary steps in the development review process, and making updates to its zoning ordinance to better reflect the community’s desired vision. The city also completed several internal improvements such as documenting the internal development review process, making direct connections between the master plan, capital improvements plan and annual budget, and worked with the Downtown Development Authority to prioritize projects.

City Manager Adam Zettel led the city’s efforts in obtaining certification. “The future is very exciting. The community need not change radically to provide for a high quality of life and to thrive economically, but change is inevitable. It is encouraging to have current and new businesses working together to revitalize our public spaces, business areas, and neighborhoods. The RRC program will be crucial in providing the knowledge and financial capacity to ensure success,” Zettel said.

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.

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