Michigan

The Fitzgerald Revitalization Project is an initiative led by the City of Detroit to stabilize and strengthen a neighborhood by transforming publicly owned vacant land and buildings into community assets. As part of this work, the City received $750,000 in CDBG funds to convert approximately 30 vacant lots into the Ella Fitzgerald Greenway. While Greenway construction is complete, an additional $100,000 in CDBG funds have been allocated to provide adult exercise equipment and will begin construction summer 2022.

This project transforms a temporary town square on a closed one-way street into an attractive and active community space that will serves Ludington residents with year-round outdoor recreational and cultural experiences. The area will take residents on a walk through Ludington’s history. The project will include event space with a permanent pavilion, a year-round bathroom structure, event storage, a fireplace, and a great public gathering place in the heart of downtown Ludington. It will be a public space asset to the downtown businesses that brings residents and tourists to the downtown to shop and linger. With these renovations the area will be able to house the farmers market, festivals and events, and become a gathering place that truly speaks of Ludington’s current atmosphere as well as honor its roots.

The city of Hart has been awarded $358,461 in Community Development Block Grant funds for the Hart Pocket Park project in downtown Hart. The project will redevelop a vacant, underutilized space in the heart of downtown into a pocket park that will provide an ADA accessible outdoor recreational space that can be used for community programming such as musical performances, library story hours, yoga, and other activities, as well as for residents and visitors to relax and visit. The residents of Hart were engaged in the project by working together on forming the design planning period. The city plans to contribute $39,829 in support of the project.

Vireo Resources in Plattsmouth NE is expanding operations with help from a CDBG-sponsored loan supported by the NE Department of Economic Development.