Ypsilanti to launch marketing blitz for Water Street
Ypsilanti’s notorious Water Street project may look stalled right now, but city officials the upcoming Brownfield 2008 conference in Detroit will help kick start the redevelopment efforts. City officials plans to aggressively market the 38-acre prime piece of property at the conference in the hopes of attracting a new developer.
Some claim it’s akin to putting lipstick on a pig, but
City officials plan to aggressively market the Water Street project at the upcoming Brownfields 2008 conference in
Water Street is a collection of 42 residential and old commercial parcels in need of pollution remediation. The city acquired the 38 acres on the
Like so many other plans with the best intentions, the idea of using new taxes from the development to pay off the bonds used to buy the property didn’t quite work out as planned when the chosen developer, Joseph Freed & Associates, pulled out. The city has since spnet more than a year searching for a new developer before the first bond payments come due.
City officials see the Brownfield conference, which attracts experts from across the country, as a prime opportunity to get the project going again. They plan to put together pamphlets and packets on the site, along with providing shuttles to the site for any interested parties.
City leaders are also looking for video of the site so they can post it on YouTube. They made similar efforts last year at the conference with encouraging results. The hope is that the proximity to the site and the ramped up efforts will spark more interest.
“We got several lead from that last year,” says Brian Vosburg, director of the
Source: Brian Vosburg, director of the
Writer: Jon Zemke
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