City of Battle Creek receives certification as Redevelopment Ready Community

Designation facilitates private investment, improves economic development opportunities

LANSING, Mich. – For establishing a solid foundation to attract private investment and further build on municipality assets, the city of Battle Creek has been awarded Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) certification, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced today.

The MEDC will formally present the award at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 6 at City Hall at the beginning of the City Commission business meeting agenda to recognize the city of Battle Creek’s new designation. City Hall is located at 10 N. Division St. in Battle Creek.

The west Michigan city joins 16 other communities that have qualified as “thoroughly prepared” when it comes to planning, zoning along with other key features that remove traditional barriers and promote opportunities for prospective investors. Other certified RRC’s include Allegan, Boyne City, Dearborn, Eastpointe, Escanaba, Ferndale, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Lathrup Village, Manistee, Marshall, Middleville, Muskegon, Roseville, Southfield and Ypsilanti.

“Our mission at MEDC is to empower communities so they can proactively shape their future, a future built on a solid foundation of retaining and attracting business investment and talent,” said MEDC Senior Vice President Katharine Czarnecki. “We look forward to working collaboratively with Battle Creek to create a vibrant community where business and talent want to be, and where a strong sense of community flourishes.”

As an RRC participant, the city of Battle Creek received a comprehensive assessment that measures current community and economic development practices compared to RRC best practice standards. Further, the program evaluates and certifies communities that integrate transparency, predictability and efficiency into economic development practices. Certification status provides a compelling sign that a community has removed development barriers and streamlined processes to be more competitive and attractive to investors. 

“Through the RRC assessment it became clear that there were a number of things we were already doing, that we may have not fully communicated to the public and private investors,” said Battle Creek Planning Manager Christine Zuzga. “The process reminded us that intentional and consistent messaging to the community, and even internally, is important, and we made changes to ensure this continues to happen. The RRC process also provided momentum around large scale planning efforts underway in the community, including the master plan.”

“The culmination of these efforts and the RRC certification demonstrates to community stakeholders that Battle Creek has a unified vision, streamlined process, and is primed with opportunity,” Zuzga said.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.