Mount Clemens hears county-backed plan for incremental downtown redevelopment, data tools

Mister Shipton and county staff told the Mount Clemens City Commission on Monday that small-city economic development is largely incremental work — zoning clarity, predictable review processes and investments in quality-of-life amenities that make the city attractive to workers and businesses.

"Economic development in a small city ... with limited staff or really no dedicated staff to economic development," the presenter said, describing an approach that favors consistent policy over case-by-case deal making.

The presentation cited concrete downtown efforts. The local downtown development authority (DDA) has spent nearly $130,000 on a façade and storefront grant program since 2016 and that investment has leveraged roughly the same amount in private spending — "a little over a quarter million dollars" in total, the presenter said. The city is also using brownfield plans on priority sites; the presenter and county staff described a brownfield-driven reuse that will produce a four-story, 116-unit building at a recently demolished site.

Jack Johns, program manager for economic development with Macomb County Planning and Economic Development, described county support for Mount Clemens: DDA staff attendance at county meetings, GIS mapping and a downtown parking study, property-listing assistance and outreach to state and federal grantmakers that has helped local businesses secure awards. He noted examples of local grant outcomes, saying, "Salon Chaos ... she did receive the $10,000 working with the city," and that Champagne Chocolates received $5,000 for equipment.

Johns and the city emphasized tools that do not require large cash outlays: tax-freezing rehabilitation programs and expedited permitting. "You can actually break that down depending on what you feel is a good fit for your community," Johns said, describing how incentives can be tailored to local capacity.

City staff demonstrated thinkmtc.com, a GIS-based site built by Macomb County to list properties for sale or lease and to show data such as monthly downtown visits and demographic infographics. "This is thinkmtc.com and this is a GIS based website that the county built for us," the presenter said, noting the property-opportunities page that developers and brokers can use to evaluate Mount Clemens sites.

Commissioners asked about current projects, including the old Huntington Bank building at 1 North Main. Presenters said a developer has purchased the building and that internal work is underway but no public announcement has been authorized yet. Staff also noted the Match on Main program (a grant cycle expected in 2026) and said the city will support applications to that program.

No formal commission action was taken on economic-development policy at the meeting. Staff said a new master-plan process will include a redevelopment and economic-development component and that the city intends to align zoning, regulations and tools with that plan as a next step.

The city presentation concluded with an offer to return to a future meeting for further questions and updates.