Michigan City council approves plan to seek $2.5M BUILD planning grant for Michigan Boulevard

The Michigan City Common Council voted unanimously March 3 to authorize submission of a $2.5 million application to the U.S. Department of Transportation's BUILD planning grant program to create a corridor plan for Michigan Boulevard.

The resolution, sponsored by Council President Tilman and Dr. Cora, would finance a comprehensive corridor plan from I-94 to Highway 12. Council members said a planning grant is required before the city can apply for larger implementation dollars and emphasized that the plan will make Michigan City more competitive for federal and state funding. Dr. Cora said the planning work would support safety, traffic flow and redevelopment as new housing and commercial projects come online.

Mayor Angie and other council members said the $500,000 local match would come from the Michigan City Redevelopment Commission (TIF) and noted the city has additional development-related permit revenue and reserved funds that can be directed to grant matches. Public commenters asked about the total long-term cost to rebuild Michigan Boulevard; council members and staff described the full implementation as a multi-phase effort estimated in the tens of millions of dollars and said the planning grant is the first step.

The council opened the item to public comment before the roll call. Prince Bolinsky asked how matching funds would be spent and where they would come from; council members responded that match commitments are expected to come from existing redevelopment/TIF allocations already identified for corridor investments. After discussion, the resolution passed by a 9-0 recorded vote.

Next steps: staff will finalize and submit the BUILD application (city packet materials and letters of support were cited as in-progress) and return to the council with updates and any requests to obligate local matching funds if the grant is awarded.