The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians will continue to develop land on Dailey Road after the city authorized the agreement to extend water services to the site.

During the Monday evening meeting of the Dowagiac City Council, Mayor Don Lyons presented the resolution to authorize easements between the City of Dowagiac and the Pokagon Band, which unanimously passed.

The agreement, which was officially authorized in May, is a part of development plans that were set in motion after the Pokagon Band received a $600,000 grant from Housing and Urban Development to build housing for tribal citizens and other tribal buildings.

The grant funding came from a $56 million sum awarded to several tribes in the Michigan to increase and improve housing for Native American tribes and their citizens.

The city agreed to extend water services to the 320 acres on Dailey and Mathews roads, which would also allow for the city’s utility to end in a complete loop. Over the summer, more than 30 houses were planned to be built on the property with the possibility for several more in the coming years.

The authorization of the easements Monday evening was just the next step in the process.

“It’s more by way of housekeeping,” Lyons said of the resolution.

The tribe’s newest building on the property included a “green” community center that was dedicated also in May. The building, which boasts solar panels, recycled materials and a green roof with live plants, received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold Certification award.