Residents, Grassroots Group Call on MEDC to Suspend Mundy Megasite Grants
Critics say taxpayers are funding demolition, environmental damage and millions in management fees at the controversial Mundy Megasite despite no confirmed end user for the project.
MUNDY TWP., Mich. — A statewide grassroots organization and a Mundy Township resident are calling on the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to suspend and re evaluate more than $259 million in state grants tied to the Advanced Manufacturing District, commonly known as the Mundy Megasite.
The Economic Development Responsibility Alliance of Michigan, known as EDRA of MI, and Mundy Township resident JoAn Mende sent a demand letter Tuesday to the MEDC alleging the Flint and Genesee Economic Alliance violated terms tied to the state funded project. The site has been the focus of controversy for years as homes and businesses were demolished to prepare land for a future industrial user that has yet to be publicly announced.
The group alleges the Flint and Genesee Economic Alliance violated state environmental regulations, misrepresented information tied to the grant process, and failed to comply with local zoning ordinances.
The demand letter claims the organization altered wetlands and waterways without permits and made topographical changes to the property that allegedly contradicted information submitted in the state grant application.
According to the release, recently obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act show the Flint and Genesee Economic Alliance has received more than $14.5 million in professional and contract management fees connected to the state grant program since 2024.
“For two years now, local residents have watched viable homes and businesses torn down around them,” the release states, adding that displaced wildlife and increased roadkill have become concerns in nearby neighborhoods.
Mende, an engineer with more than 40 years of experience, accused project leaders of failing to remain accountable to residents.
“There is no semblance of accountability to the community in this development,” Mende said in the release. “They’ve conducted this project as if the rules don’t apply to them.”
Another resident living near the megasite criticized the continued demolition activity and raised concerns about environmental impacts.
“They’re literally using our own tax dollars to destroy our community,” resident Amanda Neeley said in the release.
The demand letter also points to what critics describe as a major unanswered question surrounding the project: the absence of a confirmed end user nearly two years after the state approved the grants.
The release states the group wants the MEDC to immediately suspend future funding tied to the project, issue a cease and desist order halting demolition and earthwork activity, conduct an audit into spending tied to the site, and require repayment of millions of dollars in management fees already distributed.
The megasite project has drawn scrutiny from critics who argue taxpayer dollars are being spent on speculative development without a guaranteed manufacturer committed to the property. Supporters of the project have argued the site is designed to position Genesee County competitively for future large scale manufacturing investments and economic development opportunities.
EDRA of MI previously sent a similar demand letter to the MEDC in 2025 regarding state grants tied to the proposed Gotion battery project in Big Rapids. According to the release, those grants were later called into default.