Mount Pleasant’s Town Center

Situated at the corner of Broadway and Main Street in Downtown Mount Pleasant, the Town Center project transformed an underutilized space into a multi-functional and universally accessible area for the entire community. In addition to the local farmers market and Christmas tree display, the Town Center space is used for community events such as the Mount Pleasant Craft Beer Festival, MLK/CommUnity Peace March and Vigil, Market for the Arts and Fire Up Fest. Featuring green space, improved pedestrian lighting, sustainable infrastructure and public restrooms, Town Center is a dedicated gathering space for Mount Pleasant residents and visitors to enjoy year-round.

The original site featured an aging parking lot, minimal green space and the Mosher Street bypass, and didn’t include public restrooms. By moving the existing parking lot west, the Town Center project added 25 new parking spaces including on-street parking and EV charging stations. The project also increased the green space by five times, while removing curbs and widening sidewalks to add universal accessibility to the space.

By reducing the reliance on street closures for events, the Town Center project has created a central and welcoming gathering area that supports local businesses, residents and visitors alike – contributing to the vibrancy and economic vitality of Downtown Mount Pleasant.

That’s a RAP

The Town Center project, which brought a total capital investment of $2.27 million, was awarded a $1 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and its Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program in 2023. Construction began in April 2024, and the completion of the Town Center project was officially celebrated with a ribbon cutting and tree lighting in December 2024 to kick off the holiday season.

The versatility and adaptability of the Town Center space allows for a variety of events, as well as a gathering space during the warmer months, with picnic tables, umbrellas and chairs inviting visitors to sit for a spell.

“The $1 million RAP grant made it all possible,” said Phil Biscorner, director of community services for the City of Mount Pleasant. “The reality is that it most likely would not have happened. This project was 20 years in the making, and it brought many different organizations together.”

On top of the $1 million RAP grant from the MEDC, the Town Center redevelopment project received $1 million from the City Commission through American Rescue Plan Act funds, over $100,000 from EV Holdings for the car charging program, $10,240 from the Mount Pleasant Area Community Foundation and a $50,000 grant from the Mount Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to go toward the new restrooms.

With support from the MEDC, local organizations and the Mount Pleasant community, the Town Center project showcases the impact of placemaking initiatives on the revitalization of our downtown districts.

Mount Pleasant’s Engagement with the MEDC

The City of Mount Pleasant became the first community in Region 5 to receive Certification as a Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) by the MEDC in 2019. By engaging with the RRC toolkit, Mount Pleasant showed its commitment to attracting private investment and further building on its municipality assets.

“That process led us to adopt a new form-based character code as our new Zoning Ordinances in 2018, which helped with the certification process,” said Manuela Powidayko, director of planning and community development for the City of Mount Pleasant. “The City’s ordinance is an example in the planning Michigan community for progressively removing parking requirements, getting rid of commercial-only districts and overall encouraging mixed-uses and missing middle housing. A new Master Plan also came as a result of the program in 2020, putting much more of a focus on placemaking and quality of life.”

In 2024, the City of Mount Pleasant went through the recertification process with RRC. Through this recertification, the City accessed an MEDC RRC Technical Assistance grant to hire a consultant to work on the City’s Mission Street Improvement Plan and adopt it as part of the Master Plan Update.

“That work resulted in the City’s successful application to the Transportation Alternatives Program grant with support from our local MDOT TSC office to construct a 10-foot, shared-use pathway for pedestrians and bikers along the west side of South Mission Street,” said Powidayko.

With continued support from the MEDC, Mount Pleasant is ensuring residents and visitors seeking a pleasant community need look no further.

Learn how the MEDC supports the vibrancy of communities like Mount Pleasant.