City of Wixom receives Certification as Redevelopment Ready Community

Designation facilitates private investment, improves economic development opportunities

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

MEDC officially designates the City of Wixom as a Certified Redevelopment Ready Community in Michigan. Wixom now joins a distinguished group of 79 Michigan communities from all regions of the state that have qualified as “thoroughly prepared” in their planning and zoning efforts, and is the seventh community from Oakland County to receive the designation. This designation aims to eliminate traditional barriers and foster opportunities for potential investment. For a complete list of Redevelopment Ready Communities, visit https://www.miplace.org/programs/redevelopment-ready-communities/.

“Our mission at MEDC is to support Michigan’s strong economic momentum and empower communities to establish a strong planning, zoning and economic development foundation,” said MEDC Chief Place Officer Michele Wildman. “The City of Wixom is well-positioned to continue to implement their vision for the future and further improve the quality of life for its residents. We look forward to building upon our relationship with the City of Wixom and supporting local economic development efforts.”

As an RRC participant, the City of Wixom received a comprehensive assessment that measured current community and economic development practices compared to RRC best practice standards. Communities leverage the RRC toolkit to integrate transparency, predictability, and efficiency into local economic development practices. Certification is a compelling indicator that a community has removed development barriers and streamlined processes to be more competitive and attractive for investment.

“I think I speak for our whole City Council when I say that we sincerely appreciate this designation from the MEDC and the support that comes with it – a lot of hard work has gone into this with our outstanding Board & Commission members, as well as our staff and consultants,” said Wixom Mayor Patrick Beagle. “We have some big plans here in Wixom, including building out our Downtown, connecting our sidewalks and safety path network, and growing our already world-class business community. We know that the processes put in place through the RRC program will signal our readiness for the types of investments we need to become the Wixom we know that we can be.”

As a certified community, Wixom will have access to new tools to implement its community development goals as well as ongoing support and technical assistance from the Redevelopment Ready Communities team. Annual check-ins and updates will help ensure the City continues implementing the best practices over time. Certification is active for five years before needing to be renewed.

“Wixom has experienced tremendous growth over the last few decades, and with the process and lessons learned via the RRC process, we feel well-positioned for the next few decades of continued, sensible growth,” said Drew Benson, Assistant City Manager and Director of Economic Development for the City of Wixom. “We could not have achieved this designation without the technical support from our partners with the MEDC and the RRC toolkit they have assembled. We appreciate everything they have done to support our community vision and look forward to many more years of partnership.”

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.