MARQUETTE, MI— The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has awarded grant funding to two Upper Peninsula municipalities and one real estate project for infrastructure and gathering place improvements.
The Revitalization and Placemaking Program is giving a $1 million Public Space Place-Based award to the City of Houghton to add placemaking elements to downtown.
More than $885,000 is going to the City of Negaunee for infrastructure and placemaking upgrades.
Ore Dock Real Estate in Marquette is getting a $3.9 million grant. The money will be used to rehabilitate an existing building and create much-needed workforce housing and support a growing business in downtown Marquette. The project includes placemaking components through outdoor entertainment areas, urban green spaces, public infrastructure improvements, and the creation of four new housing units through both historic and conventional rehabilitation practices.
In addition to bringing workforce housing the project will provide new, safe, outdoor public gathering spaces and walkways, which is a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $7,816,456, supported by a $3,905,000 Real Estate Rehabilitation RAP award.
“The RAP grant program is helping us materialize a vision, execute a strategy, and achieve goals we never believed possible coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ore Dock Brewing Company Co-Founder and General Manager Andrea Pernsteiner. “With the support of the MEDC and other community partners, we look forward to creating a space that will honor the legacy of the trestle property while affording us the opportunity to continue building towards a sustainable future.”
