Mount Clemens receives Redevelopment Ready Communities kickoff from MEDC
May 17, 2024 | Mount Clemens, Macomb County, Michigan
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The Mount Clemens City Commission heard a kickoff presentation from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) program and learned the city is an "RRC evaluation in progress" community.
"Our mission is to empower communities to shape their future by establishing a solid foundation to retain and attract business investment and talent," said Joe Myers, representing the RRC program, in the presentation. Myers described RRC as a technical assistance program that aligns planning and economic development and evaluates a community against six best practices.
Myers outlined the six best practices the program evaluates: community plans and public outreach; zoning consistency with master plans; development review processes and permit clarity; recruitment, orientation and training of planning and DDA board members; proactive packaging and promotion of prime redevelopment sites; and an economic development strategy to support community prosperity. He said the program produces a scorecard—green, yellow or red—then issues an evaluation report and presents recommendations to the community.
Myers said the certification timeline varies: "the quickest it's ever happened is 8 months, but it typically takes 18 months to 2 years." He told the commission the next formal step is a memorandum of understanding between the city and MEDC, which identifies a local contact, completes a pre-evaluation and establishes reporting expectations; Myers asked that the city sign the MOU within MEDC's 30-day target when possible.
A commissioner asked whether MEDC prescribes specific fixes when a community scores yellow or red. Myers replied MEDC provides examples and guidance from similar communities but does not dictate solutions: "We have a lot of examples to help guide a community on, here's what a community similar to your size has done," he said.
Myers also described a benefit for participating communities: after signing the MOU, a community may nominate up to three properties to be listed in MEDC's Opportunity Michigan Dealbook for statewide and national developer outreach.
City staff and the commission will decide whether to proceed with the MOU; Myers said staff should report to MEDC and the commission at least quarterly during the evaluation process.
The presentation concluded with a brief question-and-answer period and a commitment from MEDC to provide templates and examples rather than prescriptive requirements. The commission did not take a formal action on certification at the meeting; next steps will depend on staff's submission of the MOU and the commission's decision to proceed.
"Our mission is to empower communities to shape their future by establishing a solid foundation to retain and attract business investment and talent," said Joe Myers, representing the RRC program, in the presentation. Myers described RRC as a technical assistance program that aligns planning and economic development and evaluates a community against six best practices.
Myers outlined the six best practices the program evaluates: community plans and public outreach; zoning consistency with master plans; development review processes and permit clarity; recruitment, orientation and training of planning and DDA board members; proactive packaging and promotion of prime redevelopment sites; and an economic development strategy to support community prosperity. He said the program produces a scorecard—green, yellow or red—then issues an evaluation report and presents recommendations to the community.
Myers said the certification timeline varies: "the quickest it's ever happened is 8 months, but it typically takes 18 months to 2 years." He told the commission the next formal step is a memorandum of understanding between the city and MEDC, which identifies a local contact, completes a pre-evaluation and establishes reporting expectations; Myers asked that the city sign the MOU within MEDC's 30-day target when possible.
A commissioner asked whether MEDC prescribes specific fixes when a community scores yellow or red. Myers replied MEDC provides examples and guidance from similar communities but does not dictate solutions: "We have a lot of examples to help guide a community on, here's what a community similar to your size has done," he said.
Myers also described a benefit for participating communities: after signing the MOU, a community may nominate up to three properties to be listed in MEDC's Opportunity Michigan Dealbook for statewide and national developer outreach.
City staff and the commission will decide whether to proceed with the MOU; Myers said staff should report to MEDC and the commission at least quarterly during the evaluation process.
The presentation concluded with a brief question-and-answer period and a commitment from MEDC to provide templates and examples rather than prescriptive requirements. The commission did not take a formal action on certification at the meeting; next steps will depend on staff's submission of the MOU and the commission's decision to proceed.
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