LANSING, Mich,. (WPBN/WGTU) – – Cheboygan and four other communities are receiving bipartisan funding to help create housing and commercial space, an effort Governor Gretchen Whitmer said is expected to generate $8.7 million in total investment statewide.
This grant is funded through the bipartisan Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program according to Whitmer.
The projects are located in the historic downtown areas of Cheboygan, Ionia, Marshall, Morenci, and Port Sanilac.
The RAP program said it offers gap financing for place-based infrastructure development and real estate rehabilitation.
“Michigan is on the move and open for business, and these new placemaking projects will create vibrant commercial space and housing across our state,” said Governor Whitmer. “Programs like RAP help to create vibrant places that attract and retain talented workers, add new housing options, enable business creation and attraction, and more. Let’s keep working together to get things done for our state.”
“The MEDC is grateful to work with communities like Cheboygan, Ionia, Marshall, Morenci, and Port Sanilac and invest in their resilience through the RAP program as part of our placemaking efforts in support of the state’s ‘Make It in Michigan’ economic development strategy,” said the MEDC’s SVP of Community Planning and Development Readiness Michele Wildman. “We look forward to seeing how these projects uplift the downtowns of these various communities throughout the state, generating new commercial activity, creating residential density, and giving vacant property a new life.”
A downtown vacant building in the City of Cheboygan is said by Whitmer to be renewed into a mixed-use development, with two upper-floor apartments and 1,589 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor.
Whitmer said the redevelopment will add housing to the downtown area while still preserving the historic character of the building.
The Cheboygan project is being given a $335,000 RAP grant to support the cost of redeveloping the property and aims to bring a total capital investment of $863,383.
The City of Cheboygan is anticipated to provide support in the form of an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act (OPRA) tax abatement and a Brownfield Plan.
“I am so pleased and grateful to receive this award from MEDC to make a positive difference in our little town of Cheboygan, Michigan,” said developer Susan Blum.
“This development builds on the momentum underway in downtown Cheboygan, adding housing and revitalized commercial space that will support a more dynamic and resilient downtown for years to come,” said City Manager Daniel Sabolsky.
“This project represents exactly the kind of smart, incremental development that strengthens downtown Cheboygan,” said Polly Schneider, executive director of the Cheboygan Main Street DDA. “Adding new housing while revitalizing commercial space helps create a more active, vibrant downtown that supports local businesses and long-term economic vitality.”
