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Council praises Buy Michigan Now; DDA TIF update and staffing changes planned
Summary
Council members praised the Buy Michigan Now festival as a strong draw for downtown South Lyon. City Manager Paul Zelnick said the DDA's TIF plan update is nearing completion, the DDA director position is open and a branding survey will go out after a new director is hired.
Council members and the city manager on Aug. 11 described a successful weekend festival and provided updates on downtown planning, the TIF plan and DDA staffing.
City Manager Paul Zelnick opened the downtown report by calling the Buy Michigan Now festival an "overwhelming success," relaying business feedback that the event produced the busiest Friday night many merchants had seen and that sales were strong. Council members said the event drew visitors from outside the immediate area, including Lansing and Grand Rapids, increasing foot traffic downtown.
Zelnick said the downtown TIF plan update is nearing completion and that the DDA will review final steps at an upcoming meeting. He said a branding survey is getting ready to go out once the city hires a new DDA director; the meeting record indicates the current DDA director (Nate) has his last day this Friday. Zelnick also thanked Lisa Diggs for organizing Buy Michigan Now and said a follow-up meeting with her is planned to discuss next year’s event placement in light of upcoming construction.
Council members suggested small adjustments for future events, such as giving adjacent merchants early access to use sidewalks outside their shops during events. Zelnick and council members said the city will coordinate with event organizers — and the contractor for the Pontiac Trail project — to preserve the ability to hold festivals, though some events may use alternate footprints or side streets during construction.
Why it matters: Downtown festivals and DDA planning affect local commerce, branding and how the city supports merchants during multi-year road projects.
Provenance: Manager and council members reported event results and discussed the TIF update, staffing and next steps for downtown events.
