Downtown Development Authority (DDA)
City Hall
425 N. Main Street
Clawson, MI 48017
248.435.4500
email: dda@downtownclawson.com
3rd Thursday of each month, 3:00 p.m.
The Clawson Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was reconstituted in October 2002. It is composed of a twelve member board of directors including, by statute, the mayor of Clawson. The DDA is a public corporation established by Public Act 197 of 1975 with the intent of “halting property value deterioration and promoting economic growth of the downtown.” The nine member board of directors represent residents, property owners, business owners, and others with an interest in the downtown area. The Clawson DDA follows the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street program. The Main Street program is a successful program used by more than 2,000 communities nationwide. The four-step program focuses on Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring.
Our Vision
Downtown Clawson is a vibrant pedestrian-friendly center of commerce. The restored vintage style buildings and compatible architecture house a variety of unique specialty retail stores, restaurants, and second story residence. The tree-lined downtown is safe, clean, well-maintained, and adorned with colorful flowers, street furniture, banners, and decorative paving. The main streets are lined with on-street parking and surrounded by well-designed public parking in ample lots where patrons access the stores through attractive front and rear entrances. The downtown is a gathering place for people to mingle in outdoor cafes and public spaces for shopping, eating, entertainment, festivals, and family fun.
- Conducted a charrette with nationally renowned traffic engineer Ian Lockwood to determine the feasibilty of on-street parking downtown
- Created a grant program for signs, doors, awnings, paint, windows, and landscaping
- Prepared guidelines for signage and awnings
- Approved a color palette
- Development of a business attraction and retention package
- Created a logo and tagline for the downtown
- Created a design grant program
- Approved a contract with the firm Glatting Jackson to prepare plans to institute on-street parking
- Approved funding to create a complete engineering survey of Main Street
- Conducted a review of the existing master plan and zoning ordinance to determine consistency with approved Vision
- Established the Urban Design and Ordinance subcommittee with the Planning Commission to create an Urban Design Plan
for the downtown along with necessary Zoning Ordinance changes
- Worked with the Planning Commission and Council to institute a building moratorium in the downtown while the new plan and ordinances are being drafted
- Revised the CMD1 and CMD2 ordinances to reflect the vision for the downtown
Updated
Friday, January 25, 2008
