Barry County, Michigan
The Barry County, Michigan BDO Zone for Woody Biomass is rated ‘A’.
Rating Issue Date: June 4, 2024.
‘A’ ratings denote high prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the Zone. Capacity to support new biobased plant operations is considered strong.
Barry County, MI holds an investment-grade BDO Zone ‘A’ Rating for Forest residuals, Sawmill residuals, Pulpwood. Issued in Jun 2024, the rating certifies approximately 648,000 gt/yr of reliable, low-risk biomass feedstock available within a 75-mile driving radius from Hastings, MI.
A ‘A’ rating is an investment grade rating, signalling a reliable, low-risk feedstock supply. It signals to developers, lenders, and investors that Barry County, MI’s feedstock supply has undergone rigorous, standardized due diligence across 100+ risk indicators, the same framework applied to every BDO Zone across North America.
Every BDO Zone Rating assesses a region across three dimensions, mapped as expanding radii around a candidate site.
- Feedstock surplus: Data indicating at least 50,000 tonnes per year of excess feedstock available to support typical intake of new biofuels manufacturing plants.
- Supply chain strength: Evidence supporting long-term commitment to supply both quantity and quality by local farmers, forestry companies, food waste generators, haulers and municipalities.
- Sound infrastructure: Suitable transportation, logistic, operating and supporting infrastructure to meet the requirements for new facility operations.
Assets & liabilities
- Over 648,000 gt of low-risk biomass available within the BDO Zone.
- Well-developed timber and forest products industry. Many are generational operations providing stability to wood supply in the area.
- Rural character of Barry County is a positive attribute for new industries to attract workers.
- Pro-business attitude exists within local County to attract new bioeconomy operations.
- Scale-up of forestry operations to support new industries could be hampered by truck driver shortages and specific industry insurance requirements focused on driver tenure and commercial equipment.
- Housing availability may be a concern if a large percentage of workers are sourced from outside the BDO Zone. Housing units (rent/purchase) are limited in the area.
- Rail service is 12 miles from Hastings, MI.
Infrastructure & sites
- Property mostly consists of wooded acreage with over 600 feet of road frontage.
- Completed utilities profile and assessment for electric and natural gas.
- Located within the growing industrial district of the City of Hastings.
- Situated in an opportunity zone and designated foreign trade zone.
- Potential for grant dollars and tax incentives for capital investment.
- Local brownfield tools available in the City and Barry County.
- Located along M-37, just north of Hastings, with 647 feet of road frontage and approximately 9,976 cars passing daily.
- Situated in the Green Zone, over 6 acres of mixed-use property with nearly 5,000 square feet for retail, office, or commercial use.
- Includes potential for expansion with an adjacent vacant lot, a spacious ancillary building for storage, and an out lot for additional parking.
- Features single phase 200 Amp power and a fuel station installed in 2017.
- Area is poised for growth with numerous nearby commercial and service businesses.
- Located in the City of Hastings.
- Under-utilized, fully-serviced, development-ready sites and parcels.
- Supports business, technology, research, or industrial businesses.
- Located in an Opportunity Zone and Foreign Trade Zone #43.
Local grants & incentives
- Barry County Brownfield Authority: TIF and Brownfield Assessment Grants
- City of Hastings Brownfield Authority
- Impact Investment Program (Barry County, local)
- GoingPro Talent Fund
- MEDC Incentive Programs (State of Michigan, multiple)
- Foreign Trade Zone (Barry County)
- Opportunity Zone (City of Hastings)
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