Berrien County is receiving a $2.6 million grant to make improvements in Benton Harbor and Niles. Cornerstone Alliance President Rob Cleveland tells us the funds come from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s RAP program, which is seeking to deploy up to $100 million in American Rescue Plan funding to improve downtowns. There are a few projects Cornerstone, the county, and the cities could pursue with these funds.
“They have to be used to rehabilitate vacant properties, underutilized or blighted or historic structures, as well as permanent place-based infrastructure,” Cleveland said. “Those are outdoor spaces where people will gather. They can be utilized to potentially put in some housing in underutilized spaces in downtown Benton Harbor in the Main Street corridor, potentially.”
Cleveland says the county had to match the grant, meaning with it, up to $5 million in improvements could be made to the downtowns of Benton Harbor and Niles. He said the specific plans will be developed later. The state received a total of 185 applications for grants through the RAP program.
