City of Cadillac receives certification as Redevelopment Ready Community

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Designation facilitates private investment, improves economic development opportunities

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

The MEDC formally recognizes the city of Cadillac as a Certified Redevelopment Ready Community in Michigan. Cadillac is among more than 50 Michigan communities in all corners of the state that have qualified as “thoroughly prepared” when it comes to planning and zoning to remove traditional barriers and promote opportunities for prospective investors. To see the entire list of Redevelopment Ready Communities, visit here.

“Our mission at MEDC is to support Michigan’s strong economic momentum and empower communities to establish a strong planning, zoning and economic development foundation,” said MEDC Senior Vice President Michele Wildman. “The city of Cadillac is well-positioned to continue to implement their vision for the future and further improve the quality of life for its residents. We look forward to building upon our relationship with the city and supporting local economic development efforts.”

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

“The city of Cadillac has dedicated significant time and resources over the last four years in becoming a Redevelopment Ready Certified Community through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s program, and the culmination of those efforts have resulted in Cadillac becoming the newest certified community in the state,” said City Manager Marcus Peccia. “The rigorous, and at times arduous, process of becoming certified, would not have been possible without continuous support from city council and the planning commission, both of which were required to be engaged on several occasions with reviewing and adopting updates and amendments to our city code, and the MEDC’s team. Ultimately, the hard work put in by everyone has resulted in a more development-friendly environment for people to invest or reinvest in our community, and the goal, of course, will be to see even more smart economic development projects occur over time.”

“As Mayor of the city of Cadillac, and on behalf of the city council and community, it is my privilege to announce that the city of Cadillac is now a Redevelopment Ready Certified Community by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation,” Said Mayor Filkins. “This prestigious accomplishment has only been bestowed to approximately 54 communities thus far in our state out of several hundred that are eligible. Being a certified community is so important to Cadillac because it formally broadcasts our adopted philosophy of being open for business, and being development-friendly; both of which are evident by seeing the current level of economic development activity in our city. Furthermore, by being a certified community, our city will now have access to additional planning and development-related resources through the MEDC that may be used to help facilitate future activities. I thank the leadership of our state, the continued support from our city council, and the diligence of our professional staff in seeing this through and earning our certification.”

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.