ANN ARBOR DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

The annual challenge by TheRide's getDowntown Program encourages commuters to get to work without driving during the cold winter months.

Ann Arbor's State Street is going to transform over the next two years.

Big changes are coming to State Street in downtown Ann Arbor.

Celebrate all things cycling at a downtown event with the DDA.

Downtown residents are needed to fill open positions on Ann Arbor’s Citizens Advisory Council.

Since the pandemic started, Ann Arbor DDA has supported businesses in the area with several initiatives.

Tree Town residents can park their cars at the Ann Ashley Structure for free until Saturday.

ANN ARBOR, MI — After an extended national search, four finalists are in the running to be the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority’s next executive director. DDA board members plan to publicly interview the candidates Thursday, Oct. 28.

Parts of Division, Catherine and Ann streets will close until after 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 10.

This year, the nationally-known art fair has been reduced to three days from July 15-17 instead of its traditional four.

The 10 cent rate increase will only affect on-street parking.

On Monday, Ashley Street will be closed through Saturday, May 15, for streetscape improvements.

ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor’s Downtown Development Authority has committed $10 million for the next round of its People-Friendly Streets projects, with over $7 million planned to be spent over the next two years. Two upcoming projects of particular importance are on Miller Avenue/Catherine Street and Fourth Avenue, coinciding with the Ann Arbor Housing Commission’s efforts to develop affordable housing on city-owned public parking lots downtown, said Maura Thomson, DDA interim director. $5.1M from new Ann Arbor affordable housing tax could go toward downtown high-riseA slide from the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's presentation to City Council on March 22, 2021, mentioning plans to make infrastructure improvements to support an affordable housing development next to the Blake Transit Center.Ann Arbor DDAThomson gave an overview of the DDA’s planned projects at a City Council budget work session this week, discussing how the DDA is coordinating with the Housing Commission and the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. “People-Friendly Streets projects also aim to help build resilient, flexible streets,” Thomson said. We want to build better.”MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:Ann Arbor seeking volunteers to help research history of city’s 160-plus parksAnn Arbor’s 50th Hash Bash will be virtual, but smoke-in protest plannedAir quality ‘excellent’ in Ann Arbor school buildings ahead of students’ return, study showsAnn Arbor may institute unarmed responses to certain 911 calls by end of 2021Ann Arbor Police Department revives chaplain program

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Need to quickly pick something up from a downtown shop but don’t want to pay for parking? Red meter bags now indicate which parking spaces in the downtown area are designated free, 15-minute curbside carryout spaces. The parking spaces were set aside in March by Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority as a way to help patrons and delivery drivers for restaurants and retailers pick up and drop off orders in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The new bags and signage are labeled with “no parking, 15-minute loading/unloading.”“This necessary change preserves spaces for the intended purpose of free, short-term parking, in support of the curbside carryout service many restaurants and retailers are relying on, and enables enforcement of the 15-minute parking limit,” said the city of Ann Arbor in its December newsletter. Previously, orange meter bags were used to designate the curbside parking spots.

ANN ARBOR – On Friday evening, two resolutions to dissolve the Downtown Development Authority were added to Monday’s city council meeting agenda. “If you don’t have a resolution on the agenda, it’s very hard to have a discussion at council,” said Griswold. We’re in the midst of a pandemic and downtown businesses are on their knees and DDA is working hard to find strategies. Pollay said that during the winter months, downtown businesses will face their toughest test yet. “The DDA is the only City entity that has offered and provided support through this pandemic.”Monday’s city council meeting will take place virtually at 7 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A new project managed by the Arts Alliance is redescribing what a cityscape can look like. Through ReVIVE All Zones, the Ann Arbor-based organization has put out a call to Washtenaw County artists to bring “tactical urbanism” to the city. In a partnership with the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, the Arts Alliance is commissioning four installations around the city. “Tactical Urbanism” is a genre of art that is low-cost, scalable and ties together community engagement, collaboration and local understanding of neighborhoods. Washtenaw County artists can find application materials here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. This week marks the beginning of the City of Ann Arbors Healthy Streets/People Friendly Streets program, which means changes for many local roads. The Healthy Streets program is an initiative by the city to promote physical distancing by increasing outdoor space for pedestrian use, while the People Friendly Streets project is an effort that aims to create safe, accessible, and green streets for the City of Ann Arbor. Packard Street from State Street to Hill Street Removal of turn lanes and addition of a separated bike lane in each direction. Packard Street from Eisenhower to Platt Closing the outside vehicle lanes to facilitate physical distancing and use by pedestrians and cyclists. For additional information and links to the Healthy Streets program and the People Friendly Streets project, visit the City of Ann Arbors website here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. On Monday, June 8, public parking facilities will resume normal operations according to the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. Staff are anticipated to return on Monday and modifications have been made to facilities, including social distancing reminders and plexiglass at payment centers. From March 18 to June 7, the DDA did not collect parking fees at public parking garages and non-metered spaces. Parking attendants were not on-site so as to reduce contact between drivers and staff. According to the DDA website, 150 on-street metered parking spaces will be available for free short-term parking for curbside pickup from Ann Arbor restaurants and retail shops.