Question 3 for Saline City Council Candidates: What Should Be Done for Downtown?

When John Olsen considered locations for Spotted Dog Winery, he knew he wanted to be downtown.

“I could have chosen to open in a strip mall in Saline. But a strip mall in Saline is the same as a strip mall in Dexter, or Chelsea or Traverse City,” Olsen said. “I wanted to be downtown. Downtown is what defines your community.”

Olsen isn’t just talking about Saline’s enviable bone structure—the historic downtown buildings.

“The community of merchants is something I wanted to be a part of. We have a great business community that’s always creating energy to try to get things going and bring people to Saline,” said Olsen, who is president of Saline Downtown Merchants' Association.

At a meeting of merchants and community leaders last summer, Olsen talked about the struggles downtown merchants have faced during Michigan’s economic slump.

“People say that Saline doesn’t seem to be feeling the impact that everyone else feels. They should have been here a few years ago when I was looking around and I could count on one hand the number of businesses that were really active,” Olsen said.

Some merchants say the economy still hasn’t turned around. One merchant said there are still days when nobody comes in the front door.

The Saline Downtown Merchants Association pools resources to have events like Ladies Night Out, the Holiday Open House and Harvest of the Arts. The Saline Area Chamber of Commerce also promotes local business with events like the Holiday Parade, a business guide, a local gift check program and other initiatives.

The City of Saline supports downtown in many ways, most notably Downtown Development Director Art Trapp, who organizes volunteers, raises money and then coordinates major Saline events like Winterfest, Summerfest and the summer music series. Saline City Council’s recognition of the importance of downtown is made official in the city’s strategic plan. In the plan, “sustaining a vibrant downtown” is the first of eight core values identified.

“In Saline, the architecture of the historic buildings, the pocket parks and the walk-ability of the business district provide a unique identity and help build a sense of community,” reads the plan. “We are constantly evaluating opportunities to provide a better experience for our shoppers and ways to assist our businesses in their success.“

The plan specifies several goals:

• Expand beautification efforts; flowers, holiday lighting, benches, trash receptacles
• Implement form based code in Central Business District (CBD)
• Continue to work on revitalization tools
• Attain a net increase of two businesses while retaining current business diversity
• Develop options for financing & construction of the community open-air pavilion (identify a common gathering place)
• To support the development of a Saline Main Street program by endorsing and supporting the Saline Historic Downtown Alliance’s prompt application to the Michigan Main Street Program – Select Level.

The push to join Main Street is something that comes with a price that hasn’t yet been defined. Organizers are busy raising funds privately and at some point will approach the city for financial support.

Although the city just recently joined Michigan Main Street at an apprentice level, Saline has had some experience with the organization before. Marcia Duncan, who owned The Calico Cat in Saline for years, recently recalled how the Main Street program spurred all kinds of activity and development in downtown Saline in the 1980s.

The program, which runs through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, supports downtowns with a four-point approach that includes design, economic restructuring, promotion and organization.

Here is today's question:

What, if anything, should the city do to boost the economy of downtown Saline?

Jim Roth

Many efforts have been tried over the years to boost the economy of downtown Saline at a cost to the taxpayer. The city council should evaluate the benefits for the dollars being spent for the past, present and future projects to boost the downtown economy. The property owners and merchants need to establish conditions for the economy of the downtown town to prosper.

John Heller

When I was growing up there was at least one, and sometimes two, clothing stores in downtown. Soon after Arborland, and then Briarwood opened, however, those stores disappeared, never to return.

The opening of those two malls further integrated Saline into the national retail market, and no amount of promotion of downtown, which has been occurring almost continuously since that time, has been able to overcome the trends unleashed by the national economy.

Now, with the rise of China and Wal-Mart, Saline has become integrated into an international market. With that development, there is even less reason to believe that any promotion of downtown will be able to reverse the market forces that are being felt world-wide.

On the other hand, there also are businesses that existed when I was growing up (or their descendants) that are still thriving in downtown, namely Dan's, Mangiamo, Benny's Bakery and the three barbershops. I seriously doubt that their continued existence has had anything to do with any promotion of downtown. They simply provide the kinds of goods and services that have successfully resisted the national and international market forces that have come to pass.

Recently, they have been joined by two other businesses that seem have been able to do the same: My Favorite Cafe and the Drowsy Parrot. Again, I doubt that the success of those two businesses has had anything to do with the promotion of downtown. They, along with their older cousins, thrive because they offer services that are unique enough that people are willing to patronize them despite whatever the national or international market has to offer.

The essential lesson of the foregoing is that it is not downtown promotion that causes businesses to flourish in downtown, but the nature and character of the goods and services they provide. If they are enticing and useful enough the public will make them a success, downtown promotion or not.

Linda TerHaar

Make downtown an attractive place to do business for proprietors and customers, taking into account recent research and understanding of what draws people to cities. Specifically, this could include continuing the work begun by the Planning Commission in the Master Plan updated this year, and moving toward form-based planning. It would also include building on the cooperation of the city and the downtown director with organizations like the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce, downtown merchants, Saline Historic Downtown Alliance, local churches, and volunteer organizations.

Jim Peters

• Improve city parking. Much of downtown troubles are out of Saline's control—things like the bad economy and nearby shopping like Wal-Mart, Oak Valley and Briarwood Mall, just to name a few. Employing a meter maid will only anger residents.If we can find additional parking and add better signage to guide visitors to existing parking located off Michigan Avenue that should help.

• Encourage socialization. A permanent town center gathering place will help. This will give us a better sense of identity. 

• Re-think the signage laws for business people that don't have US12 frontage

• Begin fostering young entrepreneurs. Set up a mentoring system with established business people to work with the young. Help the young to learn life's most important skill, how to deal with people. Encourage young people to stay in the area. Traverse City has been very successful with this system.

(On Thursday, we ask the candidates about the city's role in the Celtic Festival)