What’s happening: Several of Michigan’s more rural communities have achieved Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) Essentials designation in these past couple of weeks, signaling to potential investors and developers that the cities of Adrian and Tawas City and the Village of Stevensville are “open for business.”
What it is: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation's
Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) program offers Michigan communities a collection of economic development best practices that, once met, indicate to investors that the community is an attractive place to do business. Developed by both the private and public sectors, the RRC program stresses transparency, predictability, and efficiency when it comes to economic development. Community planning efforts, zoning and development review policies, board- and commission- building, economic development and marketing practices, and the identification of priority redevelopment sites are all taken into account when certifying a Redevelopment Ready Community.
How they got there: In Adrian, officials adopted the RRC best practices, updated and added a map to its comprehensive plan, and created a strategic plan for its Downtown Development Authority. In both Stevensville and Tawas City, officials incorporated key documents and practices to establish a “predictable development experience,” according to the MEDC. The three communities are now part of the 13 communities that make up the RRC Essentials community throughout Michigan.
Why it’s important: “Going down the RRC Essentials path has benefits beyond just the eventual RRC designation,” Stevensville Village Manager Kacey Dominguez says in a statement. “Through the process, we updated and streamlined our zoning and development processes, established clear, more succinct internal policies, and completed training and orientation manuals for our village council, planning commission, and ZBA that were very much needed. Beyond the RRC designation and funding that comes with it, the village benefited from thoughtfully going through the RRC checklist and truly improving our processes to increase our efficiencies and make planning and zoning processes easier for developers, the general public, and our staff.”
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