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Cascade Charter Township DDA reviews 2024 projects, outlines village reimagine and event plans
Summary
The Cascade Charter Township Downtown Development Authority reviewed 2024 capital and program accomplishments, announced staff changes, and outlined next steps for the village reimagine project, park work and event promotion; staff said a recommendation on the Tassel Park RFQ will be delayed until Aug. 19.
Jade, a DDA staff member, presented the Downtown Development Authority’s annual review of 2024 projects and said the district will continue moving forward with the village reimagine plan and expanded community events.
The presentation highlighted completed work in 2024, including interior and exterior renovations, sidewalk repairs and the Cascade Road pedestrian bridge. "The pedestrian bridge... is open," Jade said, adding only street lights remain to be installed because of a supplier backorder. She noted staff is coordinating with the building department to add dollar-value tracking to permit data so the DDA can better quantify investments in future reports.
Jade said the DDA worked with OHM on a comprehensive concept plan to guide improvements to Friendship Park and other open spaces and to inform proposed zoning amendments tied to a form-based code. She also described recent property actions: the DDA purchased the Stone House to preserve local history and create programming space, and the former Tuffy site has been demolished to make way for planned improvements.
Staff gave updates on grants and compliance. The facade/site improvement grant program was temporarily suspended so staff could revise scoring after a few recent applications exposed gaps; the program will be rescored and updated. On code enforcement, Jade said the hotel ordinance adopted in 2024 began implementation in May and has correlated with improved activity and site conditions, but two hotels remain noncompliant and have received letters from the attorney’s office; staff had not yet received responses.
Event programming and outreach were a large part of the report. Jade listed 2024 events (Metro Cruise, Heritage Festival and an expanded holiday lighting) and noted Heritage Festival is scheduled for Sept. 20 this year. She said staff will intensify promotion — including hand-delivering flyers — to boost participation after mixed turnout for the recent Fourth of July activities. "We do have the concert series coming up, July 17," Jade said when summarizing near-term events.
Board members and local business owners raised operational impacts from recent street work and events. Several attendees praised the speed of the 28th Street resurfacing but described short-term business disruptions and vehicle damage from sharp debris during the work; staff said they appreciate the feedback and will continue to monitor local access concerns.
The DDA said it will bring a recommendation on the Tassel Park and open-space RFQ to the Aug. 19 meeting after eight firms submitted proposals and four were selected for interviews. Jade characterized the next two years as a period of continued transformation for the village, with staff-focused follow-ups and a second DDA informational meeting expected later in the year.
The informational meeting concluded with no public visitors speaking and the board adjourning for the evening.
