Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Activity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DDA says downtown visitation and bikeway use recovered and evening activity is rising
Summary
A Downtown Development Authority presenter told council 2024 visitation exceeded pre-pandemic 2019 levels, cited 318,000 bikeway counts in 2024 (avg. ~900/day), stronger evening foot traffic and event-driven spikes, and said the DDA issued an RFP to create a downtown service team pending council action.
The Downtown Development Authority reported that downtown visitation has recovered past pre-pandemic 2019 levels and that pedestrian and bicycle activity is trending upward.
Using Placer AI data, the presenter said annual 2024 visitor and employee visits exceeded 2019 levels and that January–September 2025 visits were about 1.6% (roughly 260,000 visits) higher than the same period in 2024. Daily activity is higher in evenings compared with daytime, a shift the presenter attributed in part to employee-visit patterns as some employers modify remote-work arrangements. Event days (holiday shopping, Hash Bash, home football games) produced pronounced spikes in visitation.
On micromobility and biking, the presenter said the city’s four bikeway counters recorded more than 318,000 bike and pedestrian counts in 2024, with weekday averages of a little over 900 counts per day; William Street had the busiest bikeway counts. The presenter noted that these counters do not record scooters and that weather and the University of Michigan calendar influence usage patterns.
The DDA also said it approved a draft development plan in September and has issued an RFP in early November to create a downtown service team, with the DDA and staff hoping to present a statutory first step on the plan to council on Dec. 15 if negotiations and materials are ready.
Why it matters: rising visitation and micromobility use affect downtown parking demand, retail activity and how the city prioritizes street and transit investments. The DDA presentation framed those trends as part of the rationale for near-term planning and service investments.
