HOUGHTON – Earlier this month, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced the city of Houghton was awarded a $3.8 million-dollar placemaking grant through the Michigan Talent Partnership Program (MTP).

The Michigan Talent Partnership Program (“MTP”) is a grant program aimed to invest state funding in public space development projects in central city neighborhoods or concentrated districts designed to increase density, walkability, and vibrancy to attract and retain talent and create business ownership opportunities for local residents.

Administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (“MEDC”) and supported by the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (“LEO”), the program provides access to grant funding for transformational public space development projects in each of four cities, two in the Upper Peninsula and two in the Lower Peninsula.

Through the MTP Program, the MEDC partners with local communities to support talent attraction and retention by investing in transformational placemaking projects that create high-density, high-amenity, and vibrant street life neighborhoods/districts, with business ownership opportunities for residents, says the MEDC website.

The MEDC release says the funding is for the city’s North Landing Waterfront Talent District.

The news left many people wondering what North Landing is.

Houghton City Manager Eric Waara said one of the requirements of eligibility for funding is the talent district must have a name and the city’s MTP proposal must define what the talent district is.

“Where does most of our talent come from? It comes from Michigan Tech,” Waara said. “But talent isn’t just looking at a scientist, it’s not just a research professor. It is a restaurant server; it’s a teacher. Talent is talent from all ends of the talent spectrum, all ends of the pay scale spectrum.”

Considering the details of the MTP guidelines, said Waara, the goal is to create a healthy community, which includes a healthy downtown and creating places that will attract people and make them want to stay.

“That’s how you get your talent,” Waara said.

The Waterfront Talent District was established to include Michigan Tech, the downtown district, the residential neighborhoods up the hill toward Houghton Avenue, and the Houghton Waterfront, Waara said.

“This district is where people recreate, this is where they go on dates, they walk to school, they eat their lunch while they’re at work, so that became the district and it had to have a name, he said. “What would you call it? It finally came down to North Landing, because we’re in the north, and this is the place to land.”