Blighted Areas in Saginaw County May Get Federal Funding for Removal
Update: This article originally stated the funding came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It has been corrected to state the funding is still awaiting approval in an appropriations bill.
Some blighted properties in Saginaw County are a step closer to removal.
The properties include the former Welcome Inn Motel in Buena Vista Township, a former Chevrolet Plant in Saginaw and remove blighted properties surrounding the campus of Covenant Healthcare, along with other properties throughout Saginaw County. During a news conference Tuesday, U.S. Congressman Dan Kildee announced the removal plans, saying “vacant and abandoned properties destabilize neighborhoods, drive down surrounding property values, create fire and safety hazards and drain local tax dollars.”
Congressman Kildee recently advanced funding for this plan and seven other mid-Michigan community projects through the U.S. House of Representatives in an appropriations bill for FY 2023. It is awaiting approval in the Senate. It would be administered by the Saginaw County Land Bank. In addition to removing the blight and expanding economic development in these areas, the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy would plant trees on the affected properties, improving quality of life for residents.
