Royal Oak DDA seeks local businesses for APA planners' tour; staff reports SBA lender-match event with broad participation

Charlene Douglas, who said she lives at 101 Curry Avenue, told the Downtown Development Authority that a mobile tour organized for attendees of the American Planning Association national conference will visit Royal Oak. She asked the board and staff to help identify three or four local businesses that benefited from the Civic Center public–private partnership and could speak briefly at a session that starts in the commission chamber and ends at Dessert Oasis.

"I'm looking for three, four local businesses who have benefited from the Civic Center development who would come in and talk for just a couple minutes about how they've benefited," Douglas said, asking staff to pass potential speakers along to event organizers. She said the session is scheduled for Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

City staff member Julia provided a related update: she said she had engaged the SBA county representative, Brandon Adolf, and that in late March staff met with three businesses; the subsequent lender-match event at Bamboo drew more than 25 businesses and over 10 lenders from traditional banks and community development financial institutions. "We saw over 25 businesses meet with over 10 lenders," Julia said, and staff plan follow-up conversations with the SBA to provide additional metrics.

Because the meeting lacked a quorum, the board could not formally endorse participation or direct staff, but staff said they are working with organizers and business owners to recruit speakers and repeat the lender-match format in the future.