Marquette is one of three communities in Michigan to be awarded a grant through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Façade Restoration Initiative pilot program. The $300,000 grant will be awarded on Friday to the Marquette Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
The $1.5 million Façade Restoration Initiative, or FRI, is intended to expand state support for façade improvement projects in Michigan communities. FRI provides matching funds of up to 50 percent of façade restoration costs to local downtown development authorities, Main Street organizations, principal shopping districts or local authorities. To be eligible, communities must have an existing and locally administered façade improvement program already in place.
Marquette will use the funds to improve facades of downtown buildings and to boost the local facade improvement program of the Marquette Downtown Development Authority.
“The MEDC has been a great partner with the City of Marquette and the City’s DDA in its revitalization efforts of Marquette’s downtown,” said Mona Lang, Executive Director of the Marquette Downtown Development Authority. “We are pleased to be a recipient of this pilot initiative. The funding will enable us to assist in improvements to targeted properties that we believe will make a continuing positive impact on the overall downtown district.”
In addition to Marquette, other communities receiving FRI awards include the cities of Wayland and Ypsilanti.
