BLISSFIELD — For its efforts in establishing a foundation to attract private investment and further build on municipality assets, the village of Blissfield has been formally recognized as a Certified Redevelopment Ready Community, and has been awarded the Redevelopment Ready Communities certification from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Blissfield now joins a group of 73 Michigan communities from all corners of the state — including Adrian, Clinton, Morenci and Tecumseh in Lenawee County — that have been qualified as “thoroughly prepared” when it comes to planning and zoning to remove traditional barriers and promote opportunities for prospective investors, a news release from MEDC said. To see the entire list of RRC communities in Michigan visit miplace.org/48ed8e/globalassets/documents/maps/rrc-map.pdf.

Blissfield, and the four other Lenawee County communities, are grouped together into the Southeast Region 9 section of the state, per MEDC’s list of RRC communities. This region also includes communities in Hillsdale, Jackson, Livingston, Monroe and Washtenaw counties.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp., housed in Lansing, is the state’s marketing arm and leading advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy.

As an RRC participant, Blissfield received a comprehensive assessment that measured its current community and economic development practices as compared to RRC best practice standards. The toolkit evaluates and certifies communities which integrate transparency, predictability and efficiency into economic development practices, MEDC explained. Certification status is a “compelling” indicator that a community has removed development barriers and streamlined its processes to be more competitive and attractive to investors.

“Our mission at MEDC is to support Michigan’s strong economic momentum and empower communities to establish a strong planning, zoning and economic development foundation,” MEDC Chief Place Officer Michele Wildman, said in the release. “The village of Blissfield is well positioned to continue to implement their vision for the future and further improve the quality of life for its residents. We look forward to building upon our relationship with the village and supporting local economic development efforts.”

The awarding of the RRC certification was highlighted during a recent Blissfield Village Council meeting.

Blissfield Village Council President James Eitzen said he is pleased the village achieved the goal of becoming a Redevelopment Ready Community.

“Having a partner with the strength of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is vital to the future progress of a small community like Blissfield and it continuing to prosper. I am so grateful for the village staff whose efforts made this possible, and I share their excitement for the tools available, especially the technology resources,” he noted.

As a certified community, Blissfield will have access to new tools to implement its community development goals and ongoing support and technical assistance from the Redevelopment Ready Communities team. Annual check-ins and updates will help ensure the village continues implementing its best practices over time.

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Certification is active for five years before needing to be renewed, MEDC said in the release.

“Our Blissfield team is incredibly proud to become a Certified Redevelopment Ready Community,” Blissfield Village Administrator Danielle Gross, added. “While the certification process was complex, it provided the opportunity for us to reaffirm and improve upon our development procedures. Becoming an RRC certified community allows us the ability to leverage our resources while building upon our partnership with MEDC. Our economy is constantly changing but with the best practices we have established, Blissfield is better suited to support our continued growth and resiliency.”

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Blissfield receives certification as Redevelopment Ready Community