SIX BERRIEN COUNTY COMMUNITIES SIGNED ONTO REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Economic development and downtown revitalization continue to be on the minds of Southwest Michigan community leaders. News of two area efforts came last week from the Cornerstone Alliance in Berrien County as well as the city of Dowagiac in Cass County.
Cornerstone Alliance officials announced that six Berrien County cities and villages have signed onto the Redevelopment Ready Communities Initiative. The Initiative is a program of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and is designed to encourage communities to adopt and implement redevelopment strategies.
Cities and villages agreeing to be part of the MEDC’s Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) Initiative are the cities of Benton Harbor, Niles, St. Joseph and Watervliet as well as the villages of Baroda and Stevensville.
The city of Niles, for example, has been working for years with the state on economic development initiatives including being part of the Michigan Main Street Program and having a “PlacePlan” completed in 2016. The Niles PlacePlan focused on the redevelopment of three properties on the edges of the downtown area.
The RRC certification is a formal recognition that a community has a vision for the future and the fundamental practices are in place to achieve these goals. RRC communities have effective development practices in place, efficient processes and broad community support.
Participating communities are required to undergo a rigorous assessment and then work to achieve a set of criteria laid out in the RRC’s six best practices. The best practices are community plans and public outreach, zoning regulations, development review process, recruitment and education, redevelopment ready sites and community prosperity.
“We are in a very competitive economy. Developers and businesses can invest anywhere,” Cornerstone chief operating officer Greg Vaughn said. “These Berrien County communities are committing to eventually become a Certified Redevelopment Ready Community, a significant component in successful economic development.”
The RRC Initiative is open at no cost to any community in Michigan, according to the MEDC website. Those who will benefit most are communities that either already have an area of concentrated development such as a traditional downtown or commercial corridor or are planning for such development.
The RRC process consists of three steps: Engagement, Evaluation and Certification. The six Berrien County communities have taken the first step of engagement which includes attending “best practices” trainings in the six best practices, completing a self-evaluation and approving a resolution of intent to participate in the program.
Communities then go through a formal evaluation process with interviews and data collection done before the state certifies then as a Redevelopment Ready Community. Certification is a formal recognition that a community has a vision for the future and the fundamental practices in place to get there.
Once certified, communities have access to additional technical assistance and opportunities to showcase their community to potential developers. A community is expected to be making progress toward certification on a regular basis in order to remain in good standing, but ultimately a community can work toward certification at its own pace.
In Cass County, Dowagiac City Council members voted last week to establish a new Economic Development and Opportunity Board. The board will have five members including one council member and make recommendations to the council regarding economic development strategies and policies.
“The purpose of the new board is intended to supplement other economic development activities that are already taking place within the community,” City Manager Kevin Anderson said. “We’re pleased with the efforts of the Chamber and DDA downtown but there’s interest on the council to engage more people and expand what we do.”
He noted specifically the successful efforts of entities such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Development Authority, the Cass County Economic Development Corporation and private individuals such as Southwest Business Center manager Brian DeLong.
Anderson said that while business is strong in the city’s downtown area, there’s room for commercial growth on the M-51 corridor on the city’s southeast side and for industrial growth in the city’s industrial park off Pokagon Street as well as the city’s northeast side.
The city continues to be a member of the Cass County Economic Development Corporation whose current goals include finding a way to revitalize the historic Cass County Courthouse and developing a strategic plan for the county.