Four municipalities in southwest Michigan will soon be getting some upgrades.
Market Van Buren, which offers resources and support for businesses in Van Buren and Cass counties, announced Tuesday that it has helped secure $1.3 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) Program for projects in Covert, Lawton, Paw Paw and Marcellus.
According to MEDC, The Revitalization and Placemaking program provides financing for place-based infrastructure development, real estate rehabilitation, and public space improvements. Eligible applicants are individuals or entities working to rehabilitate vacant, underutilized, blighted and historic structures and the development of permanent place-based infrastructure associated with traditional downtowns, social-zones, outdoor dining and placed-based public spaces.
Sarah Snoeyink, Market Van Buren Programs & Projects Manager said the money will be divided between the following projects:
- An expanded play area, picnic pavilion and walking trails at Covert Community Park.
- The conversion of an empty lot in the Village of Lawton into a town square for farmer’s markets, outdoor events, dining and more.
- A revitalization of the historic Lucky Wolf Café building in Paw Paw, including a new outdoor patio. The building was converted from a church to a playhouse before new ownership bought the building in 2021.
- Renovations to the downtown Marcellus streetscape, including converting a vacant lot into a park focused on outdoor dining.
“There was a big focus on COVID,” said Snoeyink, of the funding program. “We don’t want to think about another pandemic, but if it does happen, these spaces have been built so that there’s still opportunities for people to go outside, patronize businesses and do so in a way that’s safe.”
Snoeyink said $100 million will be available in a second round of RAP funding this year for similar projects. She encourages communities, developers and nonprofits who are seeking to revitalize a space to reach out to Market Van Buren or go to michiganbusiness.org/RAP for more information.
