Manistee County’s infrastructure uniquely positions the county for economic development.

Deep Water Port
The City of Manistee’s deep water port supports commercial trade and commerce in and out of Manistee Lake. Manufacturers with more than 700 jobs are on Manistee Lake who rely upon commercial navigation for their businesses. The domestic port facility encompasses a privately-operated dock and unloading business. The Alliance for Economic Success (AES) is facilitating a complete assessment of how the deep water port and Manistee Lake can support additional businesses and jobs, including commercial and industrial sectors. 

Airport
The County boasts a new commercial and private terminal at Manistee-Blacker Airport, located three miles northeast of the City of Manistee. The new facilities feature state of the art security technology and world-class passenger services. In 2006-2007, over 5,000 passengers used the commercial air services of Midwest Airlines, ranked as the number one commercial air service in the nation for customer reliability.

Rail Road
Manistee County has an outstanding rail system and a first call rail carrier, Marquette Rail. According to Michigan Department of Transportation data, Manistee County ranked first in shipments among all ten northwest Michigan counties, moving 57% of the total regions’ rail freight. Rail service is continuing to grow in Manistee County and Marquette Rail is current working with the AES and a number of other interests to assess relocating segments of the rail line to better serve customers and open new areas for economic development and recreation. 

Roads
The quality of Manistee County’s roads have been ranked higher than other counties in northwest Michigan by a Michigan Department of Transportation road rating system. A total of 76 percent of the county’s roads were rated good to fair, over 13 percent higher than the average for other northwest Michigan counties. 

Broadband 
Manistee County’s Intermediate School District (ISD) has paved the way for broadband high speed internet service in the County.  In 2007, the ISD completed and began implementation of a plan to link all of the County’s schools system to a new broadband system. Other users, including West Shore Medical Center, local governments and others are considering plans to link to the system with a goal of having high speed internet through a broadband system accessible to all corners of the county.

Water & Sewer
Water and sewer infrastructure are vital for growth and development as well as environmental quality.  Sewer and water service areas include the City of Manistee and adjacent communities and Onekama with Bear Lake, Kaleva and Arcadia having water services.  Communities in the county, particularly those located on the county’s inland lakes are actively assessing ways to ensure that the county’s resources do not become impaired due to inadequate wastewater treatment.

Renaissance Zones
Manistee County has two renaissance sub zones. One zone is located in Manistee Township, with most of the property owned by the City of Manistee. The second sub zone is located in Kaleva. Businesses that locate on renaissance zones property are eligible for waivers of the following state and local taxes through 2015: 

• State Personal Income Tax
• State Michigan Business Tax
• State Education Tax
• Local Real Property Tax
• Local Personal Property Tax

Taxes not exempt include federal taxes, social security taxes, state sales tax, unemployment insurance and workers compensation.

In December 2006 the Michigan legislator past a bill that allows for a municipality with a Renaissance zone, to have up to 10 zones, as well, the bill allows for existing zones to have their tax waivers timeframe to be extended. Contact AES for additional information about this significant incentive to locate your business in Manistee County!