Newaygo County Housing Tool Launched at County's first Developer Day

Today, Fremont Area Community Foundation and the Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership (NCEDP), powered by The Right Place, announced the launch of Newaygo County’s Housing Partnership Incentive Tool.

As an extension of the successful Developer Day held by The Right Place in Kent County in 2022 and 2023, Newaygo County leaders welcomed local and regional developers to The Stream on June 22. Over twenty-five people gathered to learn about resources from Newaygo County’s Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan State Housing Development Authority and Fremont Area Community Foundation.

Earlier this year, the County of Newaygo Board of Commissioners allocated $1,000,000 to the Fremont Area Community Foundation to develop a housing incentive. “We hope that our housing partnership with Fremont Area Community Foundation can be a catalyst for this much needed movement in housing for Newaygo County,” says Bryan Kolk, Newaygo County Commission Chair.

The Community Foundation has allocated additional funds and will be accepting applications for grants and impact investments to stimulate development of housing units. A special grant round will open at the end of June to provide funding for housing development throughout Newaygo County. Projects must target homeowners or renters with incomes between 60% and 120% of the area median income, or $45,420 and $90,840 for a family of four. Applications will be due by August 1.  

“We are delighted about this groundbreaking partnership with the county to bring more housing to our community,” said Shelly Kasprzycki, Community Foundation president and CEO. “Housing is a significant need in our area, and we are excited to partner to provide funding and leverage resources to begin meeting that need.”

Following the presentation, a select group of developers joined local leaders for an exclusive tour of Newaygo County, featuring targeted sites for housing development in Grant, Newaygo, White Cloud, Fremont and Hesperia.

“I am thrilled with the collaboration and hard work Newaygo County leaders put in to pull off this event. We had a great turnout with truly incredible content and were able to showcase all five major Newaygo County communities to a captivated audience” shared Julie Burrell, Newaygo County’s Economic Development Director and Regional Partner Lead for The Right Place.

Newaygo County’s 2023 Developer Day was made possible through funding received from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

To learn more about housing development opportunities, please reach out to Julie Burrell at burrellj@rightplace.org. To learn more about the housing partnership tool, please reach out to Lindsay Hager at lhager@facommunityfoundation.org

About The Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership.

The Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership, powered by The Right Place, is an advisory board under the Newaygo County Board of Commissioners and is responsible for oversight and leadership of economic development in Newaygo County.