Metropolitan Planning Commission News

St. Clair County Trails Strategy & Action Plan – Project Information

St. Clair County, along with the Community Foundation of St. Clair County and numerous local and regional partners, is developing an updated Trails Strategy and Action Plan that will identify existing gaps in countywide non-motorized trail networks, identify preferred alternatives to eliminate those gaps, and prioritize the timing and sequencing for completing needed connections. Our ultimate goal is to complete the Bridge to Bay Trail and Wadhams to Avoca trail networks, which includes connecting to the Macomb Orchard Trail and the Great Lake-to-Lake Trail.

The County has hired SmithGroup, a consulting firm out of Ann Arbor, to carry out this project. Funding assistance for this project is being provided through a Multi-Community Planning Assistance grant from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and a grant from the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.

Trails Survey:

Please take the brief online survey at the link below to provide your thoughts on trails in St. Clair County.
Click here to access the online survey.

County Receives Grant to Assist Communities and Developers with Redevelopment Projects

The St. Clair County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (SCCBRA) and the Authority’s coalition partners, the St. Clair Land Bank Authority, the Cities of Marysville and Port Huron and Port Huron Township, were recently successful in securing $400,000 in U.S. EPA Brownfield Coalition Assessment Grant funds to assess abandoned and contaminated properties. The Assessment Grant can be used to assess the environmental conditions on sites suspected of being impacted by petroleum products or hazardous substances. 

Each source of funding has its own list of eligible activities. Nevertheless, funding assistance is generally provided for the following activities:

• Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs)
• Soil, Soil Gas, Groundwater Sampling & Laboratory Analysis
• Lead & Asbestos Surveys
• Baseline Environmental Assessments (BEAs)
• Documentation of Due Care Compliance 
• Brownfield Plans
• Act 381 Work Plans
• Remediation & Cleanup Planning
• Demolition
• Due Care Response Activities

Opportunity Zones Training

Have you heard of the new Opportunity Zones and does your community have one? Michigan State University Extension is offering a half-day workshop in the I-69 Thumb Region on April 12, 2019 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. This workshop is intended to help community leaders learn how Opportunity Zones can benefit their community and how to develop a planning and marketing strategy to attract the type of development the community desires. This free training is sponsored by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

Who should attend:

• Elected officials
• Appointed officials
• Local government staff
• Local business representatives

What:       Opportunity Zones Training
 
When:       Friday, April 12, 2019 1:00 – 4:00p.m.
 
Where:      Lapeer County ISD
                 690 N. Lake Pleasant Road 
                 Attica, MI 48412

RSVP: events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm

Map: www.michigan.gov

More Information: www.enterprisecommunity.org