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DDA director outlines farmers market opening, façade grant change and downtown updates
Summary
DDA Director Nate Mack told council the farmers market opens Saturday, the façade grant program was restructured from four $2,500 awards to one $10,000 award, tree lights are being reinstalled, bike racks are being powder-coated and EV chargers are awaiting DTE hookup.
South Lyon — Nate Mack, director of the Downtown Development Authority, briefed the City Council on downtown initiatives and seasonal events at the April 28 meeting.
Mack said the outdoor farmers market opens this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will run every Saturday through the last Saturday in October; he said the DDA expects about 65 vendors per market on average. He also reported that most of the decorative tree lights removed for tree trimming have been reinstalled and that remaining work should finish soon.
On the façade-improvement program, Mack said staff changed the funding structure to make awards more likely to prompt actual work: the prior model capped grants at $2,500 per storefront across multiple projects, which drew little interest; the DDA changed the program to fund one $10,000 project per cycle to be more meaningful to property owners. Mack said the DDA approved an application earlier in the fiscal year and received another application last week.
Mack gave a brief update on bike racks (the supplier will powder-coat them before installation) and on electric vehicle chargers (units installed but not yet energized by DTE). He said the city remains unsure when DTE will complete the hookup.
Council members asked about the façade application process and whether the program limits work to one project per year; Mack confirmed the program was redesigned to concentrate funds on a single, larger project to create visible downtown improvement.
Mack closed by saying he would follow up with registration counts for the Buy Michigan Now Festival if staff can provide them.
