The first of these public forums is to be held Thursday, November 2, 2006, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. at the EMU College of Business downtown.

The subject: Downtown Business.

• How can we attract the kinds of businesses we want?
  (What do we want, anyway?)


• How can we support the businesses we already have?

The information for this inaugural forum and future forums will be conveyed through this YpsiVotes homepage as well as through the Future of Ypsilanti blog, where we encourage you to post comments about this and future needs.

- Visit the blog at FutureOfYpsi.wordpress.com.

- Read the OpEd in the Ann Arbor News

- Download a flyer for the event here (PDF)

• Downtown Ypsilanti: It's Your Business will begin with a brief synopsis of where we are today – who owns what, what percentage of spaces are vacant, what average asking prices are for both rental and purchase, local demographics, traffic patterns, how the types of businesses have changed over time, and so on.


• We will then enter into a discussion on the kinds of businesses that we as a community would like to see in Ypsi.


• From there, we’ll get into actionable next steps: ideas as to how we can attract the kinds of businesses we want, how we can better leverage the successes we already have, how we can better engage the University and learn from the experiences of other cities, and how we can creatively market our unique section of Michigan Avenue.


• Between each of these main sections, we’ll be hearing the observations of area business owners past and present. We’ll find out what, in their opinion, are the challenges unique to Ypsilanti, and what kinds of businesses, given all the variables, might have a shot at succeeding.

If given the opportunity, people would prefer to shop locally and contribute to the economic well being of our area. Hopefully, in this forum, we can determine whether or not that’s actually the case. And, if it is, we can start setting a course that will see us get there – to a truly walkable, sustainable city. Already, as a result of our planning discussions, several strong ideas have surfaced.

Put November 2nd on your calendar! And, start giving some thought as to the kinds of businesses you would like to support and how we together might do a better job of promoting and supporting the businesses we already have.