Grant totaling $395,000 headed to northwest Michigan

Grand Traverse County, the city of Traverse City and the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments will be able to implement a new master plan and housing strategy thanks to funding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more commonly referred to as HUD.

Led by the county, the collaborative effort was awarded a total of $395,000. Of that total, $50,000 will be for a housing info inventory and analysis, $50,000 will go toward a new county master plan, $100,000 will go to the city of Traverse City to develop revitalization plans for five corridors and $195,000 will go for the development of an affordable housing trust fund.

"The success of securing this grant is two fold: the collaborative spirit of the county, city and Council of Governments, and the leadership of the county board of commissioners in supporting important planning initiative," says John Sych, the planning and development director for Grand Traverse County. "Without the support and collaboration, we would have never been successful in our application."

The new grant program was highly competitive. A multidisciplinary review team drawn from four federal agencies reviewed 583 eligible grants form across the nation. Ultimately, HUD is funding 42 state and local governments in innovative planning efforts in 33 different states.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: John Sych, Grand Traverse County