A Lowell Charter Township property along I-96 has been zoned for commercial development, but has sat bare for more than 30 years. Now, thanks to a state grant, that’s about to change.
“I used to be a dairy farmer,” Lowell Township Supervisor Jerry Hale said. “I enjoy looking at farmland, but this is just an area that has a much higher and better use than for farmland.”
The commercial development of the 237-acre land parcel is one of 18 projects receiving funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) new Strategic Site Readiness Program.
Hale says the $17.5 million in state funding is just what the area needed, adding, “this grant will make it possible to develop the site, creating many good paying jobs. And that, in turn, will have a very positive effect on this whole area and other businesses in this area, including downtown Lowell.”
“This is big,” The Right Place Senior Director of Community Development Travis Alden added. “Not only because of the amount of grant funding that we were able to secure through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, but really, what it’s going to mean for the eastern edge of Kent County.”