$1 Million grant kickstarts upgrades to Mount Pleasant town center

A renovation plan 20 years in the making becomes a reality in downtown Mount Pleasant

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The open space at the corner of Broadway and Main streets in downtown Mount Pleasant will receive a major upgrade, thanks to a $1 million investment from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Revitalization and Placemaking Grant program. The city announced the grant June 6. [CM Life staff photo]

The city of Mount Pleasant has received a $1 million grant through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). 

MEDC’s Revitalization and Pacemaking (RAP) grant program awarded the city this funding to support the development of the Town Center at Broadway and Main streets.

Changes to the center will total just under $2.3 million, according to a press release from the city. The release also noted that additional funding will come from the city’s general fund. 

“This grant will enable us to create a dynamic, accessible and sustainable public space which fosters both social interaction and economic development,” Downtown Development Director Michelle Sponseller said in the release. 

An updated town center will feature the following, according to the city: 

  • Additional parking spaces
  • Expansive green spaces 
  • Increased pedestrian lighting
  • Installation of electric vehicle charging stations
  • New accessible public restrooms
  • Site features: benches, bike racks, trash cans, universally accessible pathways
  • Traffic calming plan
  • Universal accessibility design
  • Upgraded electrical infrastructure


This artist rendering of the proposed Town Center Civic Space showcases expanded green space, enhanced parking areas and more space for events like farmers markets. [Courtesy image | Darcy Orlik | City of Mount Pleasant]


According to the release, construction for Town Center development is planned for spring 2024 through December 2024. Engineering plans are also expected to be completed soon, following a bidding process for the contract. 

Sponseller said construction won’t interfere with access to businesses downtown in the construction area, but traffic will be monitored and rerouted. 

“We’ll have to create alternate routes for people to work around,” Sponseller said. She added that the city would keep people updated of route changes as they happen. 

According to Sponseller, these updates to the town center are a long time coming. 

“This project actually goes back before my time here at the city, and I’ve been here almost 19 years,” she said. “That’s come up in master plans for the last 20 years.

“It’s come up in a number of ways over time, and this is just where we were able to connect the parking lot piece of it to the grant funds available." 

She added that without the MEDC grant, this project would have been much different. 

“It would just have been the parking lot project, which is not as exciting.”

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