Lansing EDC outlines FY26 budget, site-readiness funding for former Fisher Body/GM Plant and expanded small-business programs

Carl Dorsheimer, president of the Lansing EDC, and Chris Klein, vice president, presented the EDC’s proposed FY26 work plan and budget to the Committee of the Whole on April 21.

Klein told the committee the primary near-term site-development activity is the Strategic Site Readiness Program (SSRP) grant received from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for the former GM Plant 6 site, a package he said amounted to nearly $19 million in FY25 activity to support environmental assessment and site preparation. Klein said those grant activities will continue but are not reflected in the base FY26 operating budget.

EDC officials described several FY26 priorities: administration of city programs (including the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, the Tax Increment Financing Authority and four corridor improvement authorities), an increase in the façade improvement program from $175,000 to $250,000, and the launch of the Lansing EDC LEED initiative and the SEED (Supporting Empowered Emerging Developers) program to help BIPOC developers access training and capital.

On small-business outreach, the EDC said it intensified business-retention efforts and is partnering with banks and nonprofits to provide no-cost workshops, citing PNC Bank–supported training series as an example. The EDC also described the Southwest Thrive program, funded under the city’s thriving communities grant, to provide technical assistance and capacity-building in South Lansing.

Council members pressed the EDC on geographic equity in the façade program. Councilman Hussain noted historical awards from 2018–2024 totaled about $770,000 across roughly 75 projects but that awards concentrated heavily in wards 1 and 4, with wards 2 and 3 receiving far fewer grants. Klein said the EDC is increasing outreach, offering application office hours and exploring whether corridor-improvement authorities can help provide matching funds to make projects in South Lansing more feasible. "The ones that have been submitted in South Lansing... have a higher probability of actually being awarded," Klein said.

Klein said the EDC is also awaiting an EPA grant decision in May on a $500,000 application for environmental assessment assistance and that the EDC manages multiple federal funding programs already, including an EPA revolving loan fund and ARPA dollars provided by the city.

Council members asked about conflicts of interest given the EDC’s contractual role administering city incentives while also working with developers; the city attorney said employment at the EDC does not by itself legally preclude a person from running for office and that a fuller written response on conflicts and governance would follow.

The EDC presentation included an explanation of the phased approach to redeveloping the former Fisher Body plant: a multi-year process of assessment, remediation and site preparation before developer-led building construction, with periodic stakeholder engagement and an informational website to keep residents updated.

What’s next: EDC officials said they will report back on outreach outcomes for the façade program, update council if the EPA award is made in May, and continue coordination on the GM Plant 6/Fisher Body site-readiness work.