Micro-Grants Available to Help Communities With Their Placemaking Efforts
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2013
Media Contacts:
|
Dan Boss |
Matt McCauley Director of Regional Planning & Community Development (231) 929-5061 mccauley@nwm.cog.mi.us |
Micro-Grants Available to Help Communities With Their Placemaking Efforts
NORTHWEST MI—Grants available through the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments (NWMCOG) and in partnership with the Alliance for Economic Success, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, and the Traverse Bay Economic Development Corporation, will give local units of government an opportunity to support their communities' Placemaking goals. The Placemaking Micro-Grants of up to $5,000 and/or technical assistance, will be made available on a competitive basis to city, village, and township governments within Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, and Wexford Counties. The grant application deadline is August 2, 2013.
”The Placemaking Micro-Grant Program is intended to assist local decision makers wishing to improve the places within their community so they invite greater interaction between people and foster healthier, more social, aesthetically pleasing, and economically viable communities,” said Matt McCauley, NWMCOG director of regional planning and community development.
Placemaking is a community-based approach involving the discovery and implementation of practices that make our communities distinctive, economically viable, accessible, and visually pleasing. Placemaking capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration and potential, creating good public spaces that promote people's health, happiness, and economic well-being. In support of assisting communities with their placemaking goals, the Placemaking Micro-Grants Program is intended to provide resources to communities looking to realize their placemaking efforts.
Placemaking Micro-Grant applicants are encouraged to review the NWMCOG Placemaking website, CreateMIPlace.org, for additional information on the principals of placemaking and how it supports efforts like The Grand Vision. This website is designed to empower local citizens and unique collaborative groups in communities across northwest lower Michigan to foster community pride through better public spaces. It also provides the Northern Michigan Community Placemaking Guidebook that offers critical approaches to creating and managing successful public spaces. The level of a community’s local pride plays a significant role in the quality and maintenance of local places, an overall sense of place and identity, and ultimately economic prosperity.
More information and application instructions are available at: nwm.org/micro-grants.
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The Networks Northwest team did a great job to help the City of Charlevoix and Charlevoix Township collaborate in addressing housing challenges in our community. They facilitated dialogue with Planning Commissioners, community stakeholders, and municipal officials to develop a plan for cohesive zoning in areas of growth for our two governments. Further, they were able to pinpoint the challenges in each unit and propose changes that would be beneficial all around. Together, we believe we'll be better prepared for housing developments and job growth in our region. We look forward to working with them on future projects!
- Mark Haydlauff, City Manager, Charlevoix