DOWAGIAC, Mich. -- Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced three revitalization projects, which includes creating commercial and housing space in several cities including Dowagiac.
This is the result of a joint effort by Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation while receiving support from the bipartisan Revitalization and Placemaking program.
The project aims to redevelop vacant and underused spaces.
“With these new projects in Detroit, Dowagiac, Calumet, and Manistique, we are growing Michigan’s economy and focusing on the people, places, and projects that make Michigan the best place to live, work, and play,” said Whitmer. “Programs like RAP and the MCRP create vibrant places that attract and retain talent, add new housing options, enable business creation and attraction, and provide resources for our Michigan communities. Let’s keep working together to get things done for our state.”
The RAP and MCRP programs provide access to financing to support place-based projects throughout Michigan.
In Dowagiac, state officials say a mostly vacant, functionally obsolete three-story building will be redeveloped to create 10 new apartments and reconfigure the commercial space currently occupied by the Wounded Minnow Saloon.
This project will fully utilize the upper floors of the Wounded Minnow Building, which officials say is the largest historic property in the main downtown corridor of Dowagiac.
This project is supported by $1,431,574 in RAP grant funding,
The city's aim is to attract reinvestment in its downtown.