Economic Development Archives

January 17, 2020

Prospecting in the Opportunity Zone gold rush

(This piece originally appeared in the Jan/Feb 2020 issue of The Review magazine.) Created by the federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act at the end of 2017, Opportunity Zones have all the features of a gold rush: things are moving…

November 8, 2019

Michigan is Leading the Way with the Next Phase of Crowdfunding: Community Capital Investment

The cover for the new crowdfunding report. You may already know about the Public Spaces, Community Places program, and can probably recognize a project in your city or nearby. From historic building rehab and splash pads to public art and…

October 15, 2019

Tapping MSHDA’s Neighborhood Enhancement Program for collective action

MSHDA has recently issued a call for proposals to their Neighborhood Enhancement Program, with local applications due December 1. Municipalities and 501(c)3 non-profits can apply for up to $30,000 or $50,000 (depending on size) in funding for local exterior home…

August 27, 2019

How Detroit Built a Better Preservation Playbook

Detroit is midstride in its great comeback, emerging like a phoenix in full burn. In a city which has suffered so much loss, not only are community leaders and private investors acting to salvage what remains, but they are making…

August 6, 2019

How broken municipal finance breaks local economic development

We've talked a lot about how our local communities are squeezed by Michigan's failed municipal finance system: that our primary revenue stream, property taxes, is designed to fall behind; that the state has plundered our second largest funding source, revenue…

February 28, 2019

Modular Housing – Really?!

League staff have recently helped educate legislators on the need to reinstate Michigan's historic tax credit, which could have broad applications for multi-unit rental housing in historic buildings, upper story residential in downtown cores, adaptive reuse of underutilized buildings, and…

February 13, 2019

Why is it So Damn Expensive to Build?

Okay, you're right. It costs the earth to build new in Michigan or do a significant rehab. But don't immediately rush to load up the U-Haul and venture off to cheaper climes. All is not lost. The summers are too…

January 24, 2019

Michigan Municipal League’s Review Magazine Honored in Diamond Award Program

The Michigan Municipal League received a statewide honor recently for The Review magazine, which focuses on placemaking activities and programs of League member communities as well as other topics. The League received a Gold Certificate for its magazine in the…

January 23, 2019

The High Costs of New Construction

We at the Civic Labs have been talking for some time now about how Michigan needs more housing. Or rather, that we have an abundance of single family housing choices across the broad geographies of our state, but lack the…

January 22, 2019

‘Put Your Town on the Map’ Pitch Competition Now Underway

Our friends at Consumers Energy asked the Michigan Municipal League to share with our members news about the company's "Put Your Town on the Map" Pitch competition. Here are the details announced by Consumers Energy last week: The "Put Your…

Placemaking

Category Archives: Economic Development

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