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Ypsilanti council approves Depot Town social district with $100 annual fee after weeks of debate
Summary
The council approved a Depot Town social district allowing licensed businesses to sell alcohol for consumption within marked commons areas, after adopting an amendment raising the annual participating-business fee from $50 to $100 and clarifying signage, boundaries and enforcement plans.
The Ypsilanti City Council on Dec. 18 adopted a resolution designating a Depot Town Social District that will allow customers to buy alcohol from participating licensed establishments and consume it within clearly marked common areas, city and DDA representatives said.
Elise, speaking for the Downtown Development Authority, told council the plan includes sidewalks, crosswalks, the Freight House Plaza and an alleyway as commons and would require non-glass serving containers and visible signage with QR-code links to online rules. "If this gets approved tonight, the earliest we would see this starting could be February, March," Elise said, describing the DDA’s timeline for signage, MLCC applications and business training.
Council members and residents pressed staff on several implementation details: how the map treats privately held portions of Freight House Plaza, how signage will delineate private from public spaces, public-safety staffing and trash collection costs, and whether cups could be reusable under MLCC rules. Elise responded that private property would be noted on maps and that the DDA would pay for installation of required signs, and she said businesses would be trained to date and initial cups and to refuse refills.
Councilmember Fellows moved to amend the resolution to raise the annual participating-business fee from $50 to $100 to better cover city costs such as additional trash pickups; the amendment was seconded and carried on roll call. After further debate about map boundaries and options to expand the district in future, the amended social-district management plan and map were approved by council.
The resolution directs the city manager and the DDA to implement the plan and to file required materials with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. Council members said the district can be suspended or rescinded if it creates unforeseen problems; staff said the MLCC filing and signage would provide an early public-education phase before full operations.
The DDA provided examples of other Michigan social districts and emphasized that local businesses had requested the pilot in Depot Town. The council voted to approve the resolution with the amended fee and to have the DDA and city staff monitor trash, enforcement and boundary issues as the program rolls out.
