Two Genesee County Properties Receive Coveted Certified-Rail Ready Sites Designations from Industry Leader CN

Flint, Mich. — Two development-ready properties in Genesee County — the Advanced Manufacturing District (AMD) of Genesee County in Mundy Township and the RACER Trust Davison Road Industrial Land in Burton — are among just five locations nationwide to be added by railroad company CN to its Certified Rail-Ready Sites program, the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance announced today.

“Third party site certifications, such as CN’s Certified-Rail Ready Sites program, are a powerful tool to help communities successfully compete for projects by independently verifying and authenticating specific strengths that appeal to the market,” said Tyler Rossmaessler, executive director of the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance. “The communities that win are the ones that prepare — assembling sites, investing in infrastructure, building partnerships, and creating certainty for companies looking to invest at scale. We are positioning Genesee County to compete for transformative projects that will strengthen our manufacturing economy for decades to come.”

The 1,300-acre Advanced Manufacturing District has undergone extensive due diligence and offers access to a variety of assets, including an adjacent CN class 1 rail line. The Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance is marketing the site to advanced manufacturers that will invest at least $2 billion and create at least 2,000 jobs.
In addition to rail service, RACER Trust’s Davison Road property features industrial zoning, close proximity to a bulk-power substation and a 56-acre location that is ideal for automotive industry suppliers or logistics operations.

“Inclusion in the CN Certified Rail-Ready Sites program is an important and very valuable independent endorsement of the Davison Road Industrial Land property’s readiness for redevelopment. Earning a place in this program is a prestigious honor, highlighting our site among an exclusive selection of locations. Site selectors are well are of this widely respected program, backed by the diligence and reputation of CN,” said Elliott P. Laws, of EPLET, LLC, Administrative Trustee of RACER Trust. “We believe very strongly in this property’s potential for redevelopment. We thank CN for the designation and our local and regional partners for their efforts in helping us position this property for broader exposure to the market.”

The sites will be certified through CN’s new partnership with the Site Selectors Guild’s REDI Sites program, an industry-recognized certification framework designed to bring greater rigor, consistency, and credibility to industrial site readiness.

CN’s Certified Rail-Ready Sites program identifies and pre-qualifies strategic industrial locations with direct access to CN’s network. Sites are evaluated based on key criteria, including zoning, environmental considerations, utility availability, and transportation infrastructure, helping reduce development risk and accelerate project timelines for businesses and investors.

“Industrial development decisions require speed, certainty, and long-term infrastructure confidence. CN’s Certified Rail-Ready Sites program helps businesses move more quickly from site selection to operations by identifying strategic, rail-served locations that are ready for investment and connected to markets across North America,” said Janet Drysdale, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer for CN.

CN’s Certified Rail-Ready Sites are strategically located across key industrial regions in Canada and the United States and are supported by CN’s broader network of transload and distribution facilities, helping connect businesses to markets across North America.

About the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance: The Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, a division of the Flint & Genesee Group, is the lead economic development organization for Flint and Genesee County. To build a more vibrant local economy, the Economic Alliance provides tools, resources, and guidance to local companies of all sizes and stages to support their growth. The division also promotes available sites, workforce, and unique assets to attract growth-oriented businesses to Genesee County. For more information, visit flintandgenesee.org, and check us out on Facebook and LinkedIn.

About RACER Trust: The Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust was created in March 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to clean up and position for redevelopment the properties abandoned by General Motors Corp. in its 2009 bankruptcy. At its effective date, RACER Trust’s real property portfolio consisted of 336 tax parcels; 34 million square feet in 167 buildings; and 6,776 acres of land at 83 locations in 14 states. When it was formed, RACER was one of the largest holders of industrial properties in the United States, and the largest environmental response trust in U.S. history. Since then, RACER has completed 99 property sales and achieved a no further action status or similar regulatory closure for 60 components of cleanups. Investments by RACER Trust’s buyers and end users have generated annual, recurring impacts of nearly 70,000 permanent FTEs, $6.1 billion in labor income and $22.3 billion in regional economic output, creating new opportunities and revenue for RACER’s communities. For more information, please visit racertrust.org.