MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Five buildings in Marquette, Negaunee, and Ishpeming were selected with the help of the Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP) for a total of $536,000 from the Michigan Economic Development Corperation’s Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant.
“We’re really happy to see that the building owners themselves are willing to invest this money,” said Marquette DDA Executive Director Tara Laase-McKinney. “And that they are able to do possibly a little bigger project than maybe they would have done solely on their own.”
The grant covers 50% of the cost of a facade improvement project for the selected buildings. Laase-McKinney said helping those businesses improve may inspire other businesses to do the same.
“In helping to improve one business, another business may say, ‘oh look at how great that property looks, we want ours to look great as well,” said Laase-McKinney So not only does it help these two buildings look much much nicer it’s potentially going to inspire others to invest in their properties as well.”
The owner of Queen City Running Company Kevin Thomsen said the funding will help the preserve and improve their historic building.
“We’re really fortunate to get this grant cause we have one of the oldest buildings in the city, this thing goes back to the 1860s,” said Thomsen. “It’s a really cool building but it needs a little bit of love, it needs some makeup so this will give us the ability to improve the facade.”
Thomsen said grants like the RAP help bring life back into the UP’s downtowns.
“This is where is all happens, this is what makes our city special is the downtown,” said Thomsen. “And to have restaurants open and vibrant people and just not having to drive to the edge of town to have to go to a box store and I want to support small businesses and by getting this grant it really breathes new life back into this city.”
Thomsen said they hope to begin the facade project in the fall.
The LSCP’s full press release on the RAP grant can be found below.
Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP) and Local Partners Awarded $534,000 Revitalization and Placemaking Grant
Marquette County, MI — The Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP), in collaboration with a coalition of local partners, has been awarded a $534,000 Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant to support economic development and community enhancement efforts across Marquette County.
The funding, awarded through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s RAP 2.0 Program, is aimed at transforming underutilized public spaces and buildings into vibrant community assets that drive local pride and economic activity. This investment will be used to support a range of projects that contribute to placemaking, revitalization, and community resilience. The funding will support façade updates to five buildings in downtown Ishpeming, Marquette, and Negaunee:
· The Anderson Building (203 S Main Street, Ishpeming)
· Queen City Running (130 W Baraga Avenue, Marquette)
· Method Real Estate Partners (201 N. Front Street, Marquette)
· Degraeve Properties (442 Iron Street, Negaunee)
· Samara Floral (415 Iron Street, Negaunee)
The grant program will cover 50% of the project cost with building owners covering the remaining 50% via private funding or other façade programs. The application was completed by the LSCP’s Community Development Programs Coordinator – an AmeriCorps position made possible thanks to support from the Community Foundation of Marquette County.
“These projects represent the incredible collaboration happening across our region and I’m honored that the LSCP could coordinate a robust subgrant program that spanned three different downtowns in Marquette County,” said Christopher Germain, CEO of the Lake
Superior Community Partnership. “This funding allows us to reimagine what’s possible for our downtowns, public spaces, and community gathering places. Efforts such as these demonstrate our commitment to supporting vibrant communities that retain and attract talent and investment.”
“The Anderson/Nardi Building is a community-defining building in downtown Ishpeming that provides incredible untapped potential for new housing and commercial space in the West End” said Marquette County Land Bank Authority Executive Director, Antonio Adan. “We’re thrilled to be among the list of approved projects to receive RAP grant funding which will enable us to collectively put more than $500,000 into improving this mixed-use project. This also aligns well with the mission of the county land bank: to work collaboratively with local governmental units (DDA) and community organizations to eliminate blight, provide attainable housing and economic development opportunities and revitalizing communities. I’d like to thank the LSCP – in particular, Paul Thares – for their work coordinating this opportunity.”
With two projects in the Marquette Downtown Development Authority (MDDA), the MDDA Executive Director Tara Laase-McKinney expressed excitement in seeing continued investment in the area. “The RAP grant provided a unique opportunity for businesses in our district to combine private funding with our local façade program and then doubling those efforts with state funding. Thanks to this award, we’ll continue to see more investment in our district and community.”
“It’s no secret downtown Negaunee is experiencing a historic resurgence thanks to public and private investment,” said Negaunee City Manager, Nate Heffron. “With this state grant, two private business owners will be able to make major updates to their buildings that will continue that momentum, expediting new opportunities for business and residential growth in our community.”
The LSCP and its partners are committed to ensuring these investments deliver long-lasting benefits to residents, visitors, and businesses throughout the region. Implementation of these projects is expected to begin in Summer 2025. Read more about the announcement here: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2025/05/statewide-placemaking-grants/
