A press release by Virg Bernero bodes well for the City of Detroit and Statewide urban parcels I'd like to hear Snyder top this:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 13, 2010
CONTACT:
Cullen Schwarz
517-580-9041
Cullen@votevirg.com
Bernero Announces Bold Plan to Attract Jobs of the Future to Michigan[[DETROIT, Mich.) – Standing outside the old Packard Motor Car manufacturing complex, gubernatorial nominee Virg Bernero today unveiled Make It In Michigan For Free [[MMF) – a bold plan to fight to make Michigan the number one destination in the country for the jobs of the future.
Bernero’s “Make It In Michigan For Free” Will Create Lowest Cost Business Environment in America
MMF is a revolutionary approach to job creation and urban revitalization that guarantees the lowest cost business environment in America for new manufacturing developments that create good paying jobs for Michigan residents.
“Michigan needs bold action to totally revitalize our economy. With my plan, we will become the top destination in the country for businesses creating the jobs of the future,” said Bernero. “Make It In Michigan For Free will do just that.”
In the fierce national and global competition for new job-creating investments, Michigan must stand out from the crowd by creating the most business-friendly climate in America. At the same time, it is imperative that Michigan retool its manufacturing base to compete and win in the new global economy. Manufacturing isn’t just a proud part of Michigan’s history; it is a fundamental part of its future – Michigan cannot be a strong state without a strong advanced manufacturing sector.
It is not enough to have low business taxes – many states can make this claim – Michigan must take an even more aggressive approach to encourage entrepreneurs and innovators start and sustain new job-creating, advanced manufacturing enterprises, Bernero will make Michigan the lowest-cost manufacturing environment in America.
Bernero’s bold plan – Make It In Michigan For Free [[MMF) – aims to rebuild Michigan’s manufacturing base and revitalize cities, where more than eighty percent of Michigan’s industrial output is generated. By reclaiming contaminated industrial sites and repurposing abandoned, derelict buildings, Michigan can create a dynamic new engine of job creation in the emerging sectors of the global economy, from green jobs making solar panels and wind turbines, to making parts for and assembling the world’s most advanced electric vehicles, to an extraordinary range of revolutionary products and materials based on the latest innovations in nanotechnology, bioscience and engineering.
Bernero will build partnerships with local and regional economic development agencies, local governments, land banks, private owners and financial institutions, to identify land and buildings in distressed urban areas across Michigan that are eligible for MMF status based on their potential for job-creating redevelopment as advanced manufacturing facilities.
MMF sites will be acquired through a variety of methods, including tax-reverted or foreclosed industrial properties owned by land bank authorities and local Economic Development Corporations using bonded funds. To ensure accountability and the fulfillment of investment and job creation commitments, MMF agreements will require strong accountability and transparency measures, including online annual reporting, clawback and revocation provisions. The development of MMF properties – from environmental cleanup to building renovation to infrastructure improvements – will be undertaken at no cost to businesses that commit to creating new jobs.
Designated MMF sites will offer the following hyper-competitive advantages:
“Make It In Michigan For Free is another piece to my comprehensive plan to bring jobs and business back to our state,” said Bernero. “Just as I’ve done as mayor, I’m working to create jobs here in Michigan. While I was growing and creating manufacturing jobs in my city – 2,000 more jobs alone in Lansing region over the past year – my opponent spent his time offshoring and outsourcing good-paying American jobs. We need a governor who will fight for Michigan!”
- TAX FREE STATUS – No sales tax. No corporate income tax. No real property tax. No personal property tax. No state or local taxes of any kind for up to 12 years.
- FREE LAND and BUILDINGS – The state will work with local and regional economic development agencies, local governments, land banks, private owners and financial institutions to acquire land and buildings suitable for redevelopment, including former automotive plant sites, abandoned buildings and brownfield sites with significant environmental contamination.
- FREE ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION – The state will leverage federal environmental remediation funds, including more than $160 million already approved for cleanups at former General Motors facilities, to prepare approved MMF sites for job-creating redevelopment as new advanced manufacturing facilities.
- FREE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS – The state will leverage federal Economic Development Administration [[EDA) funds to make necessary infrastructure improvements on MMF sites, including utilities, broadband, roads and sidewalks, parking areas and outdoor lighting.
- INTEREST-FREE LOANS – The state will provide qualified firms with guaranteed business financing for the acquisition of manufacturing equipment and building improvements interest-free for up to 5 years.
Bernero’s Make It In Michigan For Free plan complements Bernero’s other jobs plans such as his proposal for a Main Street bank to break the credit crunch so small businesses can get the financing needed to expand and hire, his plan to replicate an innovative system for cutting red tape that he developed in Lansing, and his plan to make other Michigan cities EB-5 international investment zones, just as he did for Lansing.
More particulars here:
http://www.votevirg.com/page_release.php?id=109
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