With a bold and ambitious goal to divert 90% of trash generated in the county that goes to landfills by 2030, Kent County, MI is planning to build an innovative Sustainable Business Park. The initiative will significantly reduce trash buried in landfills and attract investment and jobs from companies that can convert waste into usable products.

The Sustainable Business Park is now several steps closer to becoming a reality after several recent announcements:

Infrastructure Improvements

In late September 2021, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the new state budget, which included a $4M appropriation for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) budget to assist with the first phase of infrastructure improvements, estimated to cost $19M, necessary to develop the Sustainable Business Park. On October 15, EGLE Director Liesl Eichler Clark toured the future site of the park to discuss the innovative project and the state appropriation towards utilities, roads, and stormwater infrastructure.

Main Tenant Identified

On October 7, the Kent County Board of Public Works received the recommendation to begin the negotiations of a project development agreement with Continuus Materials and Anaergia to jointly become the anchor tenants of the Sustainable Business Park, building and operating a mixed waste processing facility producing renewable natural gas, fertilizer, recyclable commodities, and roof coverboard.

GBB is a proud Planning Partner of this project. There is a lot of work ahead from the multiple stakeholders involved and everybody is up to it!

For more information, and regularly updated links to the latest news about the park, visit our Park updates page.