Once completed, the facility will also house exhibit and performance space, space for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and commercial businesses that enhance the arts and cultural experience, says Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The grant, available through the Michigan Economic Development Corp., will help improve the property and is expected to spur more than $20 million in private investment, she adds. The Enterprise Group of Jackson and Artspace Projects Inc. are heading the development, which is located four blocks from the city's center and is within one of the state's tax-free Renaissance Zones.

The Armory Arts Project will contribute a $75,000 match to the $750,000 award. The Enterprise Group of Jackson will administer the grant. "This unique project is going to transform a blighted industrial space into a vital hub for culture and affordable housing opportunities," Granholm says. "This is exactly the type of development that will attract the people and economic opportunity Jackson needs to thrive."

The county plans to use the funding to help install an elevator and construct a parking lot to serve the Armory Arts Project. "This grant and what it will mean for the Armory Arts Project and the Jackson community is a great example of what can happen when state and local entities work together to strengthen the economy," says Enterprise Group president and chief executive officer Steve Czarnecki. "The MEDC not only makes that possible, but probable."