Michigan – Michigan is pushing forward with new rehabilitation projects that will turn empty buildings into homes and community spaces in a number of communities. Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation last week announced that a number of projects will get money from state programs that are meant to provide new life to assets that aren’t being used.
The Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program is supporting these projects, which will provide new housing and business opportunities in Detroit, Dowagiac, and Calumet. The projects together are worth more than $9.7 million in public and private funding. A two-story building that is now empty along the Grand River corridor in Detroit will be turned into a combination of retail space on the ground floor and affordable apartments above. The project is the first commercial development for Shawn Green, a local developer. He has already gotten more help through a small business grant.
The Wounded Minnow Building, the largest historic building in the neighborhood, will also be fixed up, which will change the downtown area of Dowagiac. When it’s done, the project will make 10 apartments and renovate the business space for the restaurant that has been on the first floor for a long time. Community leaders think that the new construction will not only bring in new residents, but it will also lead to more investment along the corridor.
In the Village of Calumet, which is farther north, two historic buildings that have been empty for a long time are going to be turned into a boutique hotel and restaurant. This $5.6 million makeover is one of the biggest private investments in the neighborhood in a long time. The hotel is projected to create new jobs and draw more guests, which would help the historic downtown area’s economy. It will do this with help from a $1.5 million RAP award.
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In Manistique, a former funeral home will be turned into five apartments and commercial storage space as part of another big project. The $2.2 million project, which is backed by the Michigan Community Revitalization Program, intends to fix up a neglected property in the city’s core and help with the city’s housing deficit.
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Officials stressed that the RAP and MCRP initiatives are just two parts of a larger plan to get people to invest in places across the state. The state is trying to get downtown redevelopment going by putting money into buildings that have been empty or not used enough. This will give communities much-needed housing and room for small businesses.
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The projects in Detroit, Dowagiac, Calumet, and Manistique show how state-funded grants may assist new investors, local developers, and long-time companies work together to change the future of Michigan’s downtowns. For these communities, the investments mean more than just new buildings; they are part of a bigger effort to boost the economy and keep it alive for a long time.