Dear Stakeholders,
We are excited to share that the Governor’s bipartisan 2023 fiscal year budget includes $75 million in blight elimination funds (see section 1094f.(2)) to help stabilize and revitalize communities across the state. Included in this investment is $21.55 million for a new blight elimination grant program that will be administered by our State Land Bank Authority team to address vacant, abandoned and deteriorated properties across Michigan.
We are grateful to the legislature and the governor for their commitment to ensuring communities all across Michigan have the resources they need to grow and transform. With this investment, Michigan is taking an important step in preparing spaces for developments that spark future investment, expansion and growth, and even improve overall public health and quality of life.
Blight elimination grant funds may be used to:
- Stabilize vacant residential, commercial and industrial buildings to secure them and protect against further deterioration, with the goal of preserving them for future rehab to purposeful use;
- Demolish vacant and blighted residential, commercial and industrial structures that cannot be rehabilitated; and
- Provide matching or gap funding for environmental remediation on vacant land – often a critical barrier to redevelopment.
While we are working quickly to finalize the application process for land banks and local municipalities to utilize the $21.55 million grant program, we encourage those groups to begin exploring partnerships and identifying projects that will fit the criteria.
As always, we remain dedicated to the enhancement of our Michigan communities and supporting land bank operations at the county and local levels. Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We look forward to sharing updates on this exciting new opportunity in the coming month.
Sincerely,
Emily Doerr
Executive Director
Michigan State Land Bank Authority
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