REGION 8 NOTES

July/August 2005

Open House a Success

The WMRPC held an Open House on June 17, 2005, following the regularly scheduled Board Meeting.  Over 40 people attended and had a chance to interact with state and federal agencies including the Michigan Department of Transportation, MDEQ’s Coastal Management Division, MDNR’s Farmland Preservation Division, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth, USDA’s Rural Development, the State Library’s Census Division, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). 

All of the projects from the past five years were also on display as well as each of the newsletters from the past several years.  The open house also provided an opportunity to let everyone know of the just-released update of our web page.  The new web page has the same address as the old, but provides updates that make use of the site easier.  Visit the site at wmrpc.org.

Recreation Plans

The WMRPC currently has the capacity to work with communities to develop recreation plans.  Any plan performed after April 1, 2005 must meet the MDNR’s new requirements for recreation plans.  Recreation plans are required for any community seeking funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for the acquisition of land or the development of recreation facilities.  Contact the WMRPC if your community is interested in performing a plan.  

Economic Development Inventory and Analysis

The WMRPC is beginning an Economic Development Inventory and Analysis of the member communities in Region 8.  The primary goals of this planning process include:

• Provide a focused approach to economic development planning 

• Develop an inventory of industrial parks

• Develop an inventory of land planned/zoned for industrial uses

• Develop an inventory of economic development programs

• Establish recommendations to define if an area has a need or a surplus for facilities

• Strengthen the annual Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)

• Define the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) of the seven-county area

This study goes beyond the scope of the annual CEDS process to provide a tool for promoting the area and for determining where economic growth is needed and desired.   This capacity-building process will provide a large amount of information, allow the WMRPC to gather and evaluate existing plans, and share information with all of our member communities about EDA during the process.  Also, once completed, the inventory will serve as baseline for future studies and inventories.

The following summarizes the action program.  The WMRPC will work with the seven counties and individual communities to compile information related to available programs and physical resources.

Action 1:  Introduction – The first action is to inform communities of the study and begin gathering information from the seven-county area.  This action will continue throughout the planning process by updating the WMRPC Board and the CEDS Committee.

Action 2:  Program Description – The WMRPC will describe each of the economic development organizations serving communities in Region 8. The organizations’ relationship with the WMRPC will also be discussed since there are several communities in Kent County that are not currently members.

Action 3:  Inventory of Existing and Future Manufacturing Locations – The WMRPC will collect information from each community in Region 8 related to the amount of land currently used for manufacturing purposes and the amount of land set aside (in future land use plans) for manufacturing.  Once the information is gathered from all of the communities, the WMRPC will develop text and tables describing the Region’s economic development resources. 

Action 4:  Map Information – The WMRPC will create maps showing the various concentrations of opportunities across the region. Staff will also generate maps that show the overall economic conditions by county.

Action 5:  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis – The WMRPC will develop an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to economic development resources in Region 8.

Action 6:  Identify Gaps or Surpluses in Facilities and Programs – The WMRPC will identify communities that have gaps or surpluses in facilities and programs based on criteria such as acreage of existing facilities, vacant facilities, population, population projections, the workforce, unemployment rates, capacity of local utilities, proximity to major transportation routes, and community goals.

Action 7:  CEDS Committee and WMRPC Review and Adoption – The WMRPC will compile all of the information for CEDS Committee review and approval.  Once the CEDS Committee reviews and approves the capacity building initiative, it will be passed to the WMRPC Board for final review and approval. 

Funding Sources

The WMRPC is funding the $40,000.00 project with $20,000.00 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (50.0 percent), and $20,000.00 from West Michigan Regional Planning Commission membership dues (50 percent).

Return to Region 8 Notes Page