We are pleased to announce the first round of communities to participate in the statewide launch of the Redevelopment Ready Communities® (RRC) program! The program measures and then certifies communities that integrate transparency, predictability and efficiency into their daily development practices. The RRC certification is a formal recognition that a community has a vision for the future and the fundamental practices in place to get there.
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“We are excited to take this valuable program statewide,” said MEDC President and CEO Michael A. Finney. “Improving the redevelopment readiness of communities is another tool to attract investment and economic growth in Michigan.”
Thirty-six communities applied for evaluation. The top eight scoring applicants were selected to begin the certification process this year. Seven cities that received certification under the Michigan Suburbs Alliance have already been engaged for certification under the statewide program. Communities not selected for a formal evaluation will be offered training and assistance throughout the year. Click on the map for the full listing of communities.
Michigan Redevelopment Ready Communities Program
The Redevelopment Ready Communities® (RRC) Program supports Michigan communities to become development ready and competitive in today’s economy by promoting the use of effective redevelopment strategies. RRC envisions communities that creatively reuse space, embrace economic innovation and best practices, and proactively plan their future, making them more attractive to redevelopment investments that create thriving places where people want to live, work and play.
RRC is a program that measures and certifies communities that integrate transparency, predictability and efficiency into their daily development practices. The program was originally launched by the Michigan Suburbs Alliance in southeast Michigan in 2003 to assist municipalities build deliberate, fair and consistent development processes from the inside out. It taps the vision of local residents and business owners to help shape a community-supported plan for growth.
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When a community becomes a certified Redevelopment Ready Community, it signals that it has worked to remove redevelopment barriers by having clear development procedures, a community-supported redevelopment vision, an open and predictable review process and more compelling sites for developers to locate their latest projects. RRC communities know what kind of community they want to be and are "open for business".
RRC Best Practices
Communities with development sites need to send clear signals that they are ready to engage with developers in dialogue and make prompt decisions with potential investors. RRC helps communities address issues which may prohibit new types of opportunities. The rigorous RRC assessment is detailed in the
RRC Best Practices, which are standards essential to an efficient, predictable development process. Best Practices cover:
- Community Plans and Public Outreach
- Zoning Policy and Regulations
- Development Review Process
- Education and Training
- Redevelopment Ready Sites
- Community Prosperity
Each community is evaluated off of the best practices, given specific recommendations for advancement, and when completed, becomes RRC certified.
RRC Process
Why Certify?
Redevelopment Ready Communities:
- Work to streamline and modernize their regulatory documents and internal processes, making it easy and efficient to develop in their community.
- Establish clear redevelopment goals and are proactive in reaching set goals. Community stakeholders are engaged for input, priority sites and financial incentives are identified.
- Seek to continually advance their community by promoting smart growth principles, embracing cutting edge reinvestment tools and making their redevelopment process more effective.
- Advertise to developers that their community is committed to minimizing approval hurdles and willing to use financial incentives available.
RRC Advisory Council
Advisory council members contribute technical advice and subject matter expertise to community evaluations, recommendation reports, and future RRC program direction. The council is made up of public and private leaders, economic development and planning experts to achieve results deemed valuable by all sectors. We thank the members and their organizations for their hard work and dedication to making Michigan communities vibrant places to live, work and play.
- Andrea Brown, Michigan Association of Planning
- Jean Derenzy, Grand Traverse County
- Mitzi Dimitroff, R.D.S. Management
- Peter Draaisma, Huntington Bank
- Debra Evashevski, City of St.Ignace DDA
- Bob Filka, Michigan Association of Home Builders
- Luke Forrest , Michigan Municipal League
- Rochelle Freeman, The City of Southfield
- Patrick Gillespie, Gillespie Group
- Jason Horton, Lormax Stern Asset Advisors
- Laura Krizov, Michigan State Housing Development Authority
- Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Land Bank
- Suzanne Schulz, City of Grand Rapids
- David Scurto, Carlisle Wortman Associates, Inc.
- Doug Smith, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
- Andy Wenzel, Hinman Company
- Erik Wilson, City of Plainwell
RRC Partners
Redevelopment Ready Communities® partners with many organizations to promote effective redevelopment strategies that stimulate the property market and reposition communities to move redevelopment projects forward.
RRC Services
The RRC team provides a comprehensive evaluation using our established best practices that were collaboratively developed by public and private practitioners. If your community is interested in additional information please contact us by sending an email to
RRC@michigan.org.
