Community Development

Coverage of community groups bringing about changes, innovations, and solutions in their community.

Women participate in Dress for Success Michigan programming.

New Ypsi-based program offers free training for women entering or re-entering workforce

Dress for Success Michigan is launching a new, free, four-week workforce development program designed to help women move directly from education to employment.

Latest in Community Development
Rowers participate in the 2025 RowFest on Ford Lake in Ypsilanti Township.
National swimming and rowing events to bring thousands to Ypsi area

Thousands of athletes and their families will be in Ypsi and Ypsi Township this month for the USA Artistic Swimming Junior Olympics and the RowFest National Championship.

On-Demand Coaching helps Ypsi’s government and small businesses build a winning team

A Michigan Municipal League program helps Ypsi and other municipalities connect small businesses and entrepreneurs with existing capital and technical assistance. 

A map showing the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's original and expanded boundaries.
Ann Arbor DDA expands its boundaries for first time, enabling new projects on city’s North Side

The goal of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's expansion is to strengthen connections between downtown, the Huron River, and Ann Arbor's North Side.

Genealogist Bill Ruddock, Ypsilanti history expert Laura Damschroder, and African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County Board Chair Debby Covington at Woodlawn Cemetery in Ypsilanti Township.
Ypsilanti African-American cemetery is being rehabilitated after decades of disrepair

The African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County has been cleaning up Woodlawn Cemetery and working to identify lost graves.

Inaugural State of the County address celebrates Washtenaw County’s recent achievements

The event marked the county's bicentennial and looked back at its pre-colonization roots while highlighting recent government achievements.

People walk in downtown Ann Arbor.
Washtenaw County residents invited to contribute to new 10-year tourism plan

Destination Ann Arbor is inviting residents and local stakeholders to help directly shape the future of tourism in Washtenaw County from 2027-2036.

Volunteers line up with shopping carts of food to distribute at the Community Family Life Center in Ypsilanti.
Ypsi Township church has fed hundreds in twice-monthly food distributions for nearly 20 years

The food pantry at the Community Family Life Center, 1375 S. Harris Rd. in Ypsilanti Township, has been a family-feeding machine, distributing groceries twice a month to an average 300-400 families.

Washtenaw County Director of Elections Rena Basch stands next to a voting machine.
Washtenaw County officials say local elections are secure despite Trump calls to “nationalize” them

Washtenaw County elections officials say they're well-prepared to protect against fraud in this year's midterms and any other election. We interviewed them about their system and President Trump's statement that elections should be "nationalize[d]."

Recast Leaders aim to revitalize local economies

Ypsilanti and six other Michigan communities are working on building their local economies in the Recast Leaders program. Here's a look at how the program works.

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