Bingham Township Interchange Site Earns “Bronze” Designation from MI Sites Program
Receives $808,500 Grant to Advance Site Readiness for Industrial Investment
Lansing, Mich. (Apr. 28, 2026) — Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), in collaboration with Bingham Township, announced today that the Bingham Township Interchange Site has been awarded a Bronze certification through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) MI Sites program. This initial designation confirms the site meets key statewide criteria for industrial development and positions it within Michigan’s portfolio of competitive, investment-ready properties marketed to growing companies and site selectors.
“This Bronze designation and grant award are another example of LEAP and MEDC’s ongoing commitment to preparing industrial sites across our region so we can compete for the businesses and jobs that will define our economic future,” said Bob Trezise, LEAP president and CEO.
“This project is a great example of what can happen when Bingham Township, the City of St. Johns, and our county partners work together toward a shared goal,” said LEAP Economic Development Manager Devon Pingel. “I’m proud to have helped bring all the pieces together to make this happen. The Bingham Township Interchange Site is now a compelling asset we can market to the world on behalf of Clinton County, and we look forward to seeing the investment and jobs it will attract.”
In addition to the Bronze certification, LEAP has executed an agreement with MEDC securing $808,500 in Michigan Ready Sites grant funding to significantly advance the industrial readiness of the Bingham Township Interchange Site. This grant represents a substantial state investment that will help the community move quickly toward higher readiness levels in future MI Sites evaluations.
“We are excited to take this important step toward activating the Bingham Township Interchange Site as a future hub for industrial investment and jobs in our region,” said John Weber, Bingham Township Supervisor. “This work and grant reflects the coalition of partners we’ve built around this project, and we’re especially grateful to LEAP and the MEDC for their leadership and commitment to helping our community realize the full potential of this site.”
Grant dollars will support a robust package of due diligence studies and field work designed to answer the deeper questions industrial prospects and site selectors bring to complex projects. Planned activities include a Phase II environmental assessment, traffic study, Phase I archaeological survey, biological survey, seismic site classification, detailed geotechnical investigations, and related technical analyses needed to validate the site for modern industrial users.
“Clinton County is thrilled to see the Bingham Township Interchange Site take this important step toward becoming a premier industrial location and new engine for growth in our county,” said Bruce Delong, Clinton County Board of Commissioners Chair. “This project showcases the strong coalition of township, county, regional, and state partners working together to prepare truly competitive sites, and we thank LEAP and the MEDC for their continued leadership and investment in our shared future.”
Notably, a major focus is preliminary engineering for water and sewer infrastructure to and through the site, culminating in an overall conceptual site plan. This engineering will help local partners understand capacity, routing, timing, and cost in detail and then portray that information clearly to prospective businesses and their consultants. This next level of readiness is relatively rare among industrial sites statewide and will help the Bingham Township Interchange Site compete for projects and potentially advance to Silver certification in future MI Sites rounds.
Bronze certification would not have been possible without the engagement and support from numerous other partners, including the City of St. Johns, Clinton County & the Clinton County Road Commission, Michigan Department of Transportation, and Consumers Energy.
“Bingham Township is doing critical work to prepare a site that will bring jobs and continued economic opportunity to their community,” said Paul O’Connell, MEDC Vice President of Real Estate Development. “We are proud to support their efforts through a fair, competitive process that starts with local buy-in and ends with a future ribbon-cutting and steady paychecks. We look forward to helping them lay the groundwork to secure the right company for this excellent site at the heart of Clinton County.”
The MI Sites program is MEDC’s comprehensive site readiness initiative that evaluates industrial properties using consistent statewide criteria and classifies them as Bronze, Silver, or Gold, based on their level of due diligence, infrastructure planning, and development readiness. These classifications help Michigan build a strong portfolio of ready sites that can be marketed to companies seeking to locate or expand in the state, making it easier for communities like Bingham Township to compete for high-impact projects and jobs.
Michigan Ready Sites is MEDC’s dual-track grant program that provides site readiness awards for infrastructure improvements and site enhancements and technical assistance grants for communities to engage consultants, engineers, and other experts to advance their most competitive sites. Together, MI Sites and Michigan Ready Sites are key tools in MEDC’s strategy to grow a pipeline of investment-ready properties across Michigan, and today’s award demonstrates the state’s confidence in the long-term potential of the Bingham Township Interchange Site.
About LEAP
The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) is a coalition of area leaders partnering to build a stronger community for all — working every day to grow, retain and attract business to the Lansing, Michigan, region.
Category: Press Releases, Business Attraction