City of South Haven receives certification as Redevelopment Ready Community

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

The MEDC formally recognizes the city of South Haven as the 47th certified Redevelopment Ready Community in Michigan. South Haven joins communities in all corners of the state that have qualified as “thoroughly prepared” when it comes to planning and zoning to remove traditional barriers and promote opportunities for prospective investors. To see the entire list of Redevelopment Ready Communities, visit here.

“Though the RRC program, South Haven is well-positioned to implement and build upon their vision for the future of the community and deliver a strong quality of life for its residents,” said MEDC Senior Vice President of Community Development, Michele Wildman. “We are committed to helping grow vibrant communities and thriving downtowns across Michigan by empowering communities to build economic momentum through strong planning, zoning and development efforts. We look forward to continuing to work together with South Haven on these efforts.”

As an RRC participant, the city of South Haven 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 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.

To reach certification South Haven worked to improve upon numerous policies and processes. The city’s efforts are highlighted by developing a six-year capital improvements plan, a comprehensive public participation plan, and flowcharts that further clarify the steps for the city’s development review processes. South Haven efforts have produced high-quality documents and processes that will continue to generate value.

“We are proud to have achieved Redevelopment Ready Communities program best practice criteria. This demonstrates our ongoing commitment towards business growth and retention,” said South Haven Mayor Scott Smith. “RRC certification will allow us to maximize the services and benefits available such as marketing and redeveloping priority redevelopment sites. Given the challenges of the global pandemic, it is essential that the city of South Haven stays focused on economic development and this is just one example of that commitment.”

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.