GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It was dubbed the ‘Grand Strategy,’ and despite grand aspirations of securing hundreds of millions of dollars of a $1 billion pie of available federal grant money, the Grand Rapids region learned it will receive nothing.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the winners of the National Disaster Resilience Competition. The Grand Rapids region, the only area of Michigan to make it into the second and final round of the competition, was not among the 13 states and communities chosen to receive part of the money.
Nearly $1 billion was up for grabs for communities across the country hit by a natural disaster between 2011 and 2013, including major flooding events. The money was set aside by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2014, as FOX 17 was first to report last October.
Backers had said the opportunity to secure the funds could prove to be a ‘game changer’ for future development and restoration of the Grand River. The strategy focused on three key values and included roughly two dozen initiatives along the entire 35-mile stretch of river across the county to transition the river from a liability to an asset.
Nationwide, 65 communities were originally in the running for the grant. The communities along the Grand River—Kent County, the cities of Grand Rapids, Walker, Wyoming and Grandville, the townships of Lowell, Ada, Cascade and Plainfield—became eligible following the 2013 flooding event. Those communities, along with Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., and several non-profit and philanthropic partners worked with the Michigan Department of Economic Development last year to develop The Grand Strategy.
With an estimated price tag of roughly $400 million to implement the Grand Strategy, backers were hoping to secure $200 million in federal grant money in additional to the roughly $200 million already secured through local governments and philanthropic efforts.
However, the region will not receive any money.
“Although we are disappointed Michigan is not a recipient of the HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition grant, the coalition of Kent County communities and stakeholders that came together to develop this proposal demonstrates the type of dynamic collaboration that serves as a catalyst for ongoing community and economic development,” said Steve Arwood, CEO of Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
States and communities receiving the National Disaster Resilience Competition money include: California, Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Minot, North Dakota., New Jersey, New Orleans, New York City, State of New York, Shelby County, Tennessee, Springfield, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Virginia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
