MEDC formally recognizes the city of St. Johns as a Certified Redevelopment Ready Community in Michigan. St. Johns 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 St. Johns 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 St. Johns 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 MEDC’S Redevelopment Ready Communities program has been a fantastic and transformational experience for the city of St. Johns. We’ve been able to review many of our processes and update documents that have been antiquated for quite some time,” Said Deputy City Manager and Community Development Director Dave Kudwa. “But more importantly, this program has been a gateway to collaboration. We’ve received significant feedback from other staff, residents, downtown shopping district members, planning commissioners, and city commissioners. This effort has led to significant ordinance updates that’ll shape development in our city for many years to come. We’d recommend this program to any city interested in improving development activity within their jurisdictions.”

“As a city, we've talked about the value of attaining Redevelopment Ready status and are extremely pleased to have achieved this accreditation through the diligence and hard work of our staff and the support of MEDC,” said St. Johns Mayor Hufnagel. “We know this makes St. Johns an even more attractive – and competitive – location for development.”

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