- Demolition and tree-clearing continue this winter at Michigan’s largest development site
- State grants have funded the purchase of about 1,300 acres in Mundy Township, near Flint
- No company has committed since Sandisk pulled out of a deal that included $20 billion in state incentives
Proponents of Michigan’s largest development site on Wednesday said they still expect to attract a big-ticket project to the property to generate at least 2,000 jobs in Genesee County.
Michigan already has helped fund $261 million in land acquisitions at the Mundy Township site that was once eyed as a home for a semiconductor.
While expressing optimism during an online town hall, project leader Tyler Rossmaessler acknowledged the state and Flint and Genesee Economic Alliance are “not currently in negotiations with any company.”
The alliance has purchased 1,300 acres near the Flint Bishop Airport, demolitions continue and Mundy Township homeowners are still being approached about selling, Rossmaessler told residents.
“We are actively clearing the site of structures and trees to make sure it’s ready to go,” said Rossmaessler, the alliance’s executive director.
Related:
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- Michigan officials defend $20B Sandisk incentive offer scrutinized by legislators
One use that’s off the books, Rossmaessler said: data centers that are popping up elsewhere in Michigan.
“The simple reason is they don’t create jobs,” he said.
The land preparation continues months after chip-maker Sandisk walked away from a $63 billion project on the site. Michigan offered $20 billion in subsidies, including $2 billion from an incentive program that lawmakers have since defunded.
“Developing a large site without a company feels weird, because it’s never been done before like this in our community or in our state,” said Rossmaessler, adding that it’s not uncommon in other states.
The property is marketed for advanced manufacturing, including automotive, defense and life science uses. The state and local economic alliance also remain open to the semiconductor industry.
According to information stemming from questions posed by online and phone-in participants:
- General Motors’ abandoned Buick City complex is not an alternative site because it is about one-fourth the size of the megasite, too small for most big projects and under redevelopment, Rossmaessler said.
- The alliance has regular meetings with state environmental regulators “to ensure that we are following all the natural resource protection processes,” Rossmaessler said in response to several environmental questions.
Rossmaessler clarified for participants why clearing a 2-mile swath of residential property and farmland is necessary. Among the reasons: global industrial standards.
“In different parts of the world, … there are more operations on one site,” he said. “Machines are bigger. They need that green space and they need the buffering. So there’s a lot of reasons that sites have to be so big.”
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