ROGERS CITY — The City of Rogers City has taken necessary steps to promote economic development and was recently named a Redevelopment Ready Community by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Rogers City becomes only the 50th community in the state to earn the designation.

Rogers City and Alpena are the only two such communities in Northeast Michigan.

Redevelopment Ready Communities is a certification program supporting community revitalization and the attraction and retention of businesses, entrepreneurs and talent throughout Michigan. It promotes communities to be development ready and competitive in today’s economy by actively engaging stakeholders and proactively planning for the future, thus making them more attractive for projects that create places where people want to live, work and invest.

It also opens the gates for services and tools from the MEDC, which will aid the city in its efforts to spur growth.

“We are pleased to announce that Rogers City is awarded certification as the 50th Redevelopment Ready Community in Michigan. Rogers City has truly embraced what it means to be a certified Redevelopment Ready Community, bringing together community stakeholders and partners to support community-driven development,” Managing Director of Technical Assistance Programs Michelle Parkkonen said. “The city has worked tirelessly to chart a course for their future, adopting an economic and community marketing strategy aimed at overcoming challenges and to highlight unique community assets. This certification positions Rogers City for future success for downtown revitalization and we look forward to continuing to work with the city for years to come.”

Rogers City Mayor Scott McLennan said the effort to earn the designation began in 2017 when the MEDC did an assessment to see how business-friendly the city was. He said Rogers City only scored 39% on its best practices assessment, so everyone involved tightened up their bootstraps and began to fix issues — such as zoning — to improve the city’s development model.

“We found out we had a lot of work to do, but we came together and did what we needed to,” he said. “This is a big deal for us.”

After the work was completed, the criteria established by the MEDC was met and the goal achieved.

McLennan said a lot of people worked hard to reach the lofty expectations set by the state.

“A strong commitment and effort was put forth by our city manager, zoning administrator, planning commission and city council over the past several years in order to achieve certification as a Redevelopment Ready Community,” he said. “It’s a significant first step designed to create an environment that supports existing businesses as well as entrepreneurs looking to expand into Rogers City.”

The city isn’t done yet in its effort to receive MEDC support and certifications. It is in the process of trying to obtain select status in the MEDC Michigan Main Street Program.

An announcement on the certification is expected in the fall.

Michigan Main Street assists communities interested in revitalizing and preserving their traditional commercial district.

McLennan said the goal is to keep momentum going and to push hard for new business development and jobs, as well as helping already established businesses.

“Without this, we will continue to decline in population and business,” McLennan said. “If we stand by, and do nothing, in another 10 years Rogers City won’t look like the Rogers City we see now. If we let that happen, shame on us.”