Nine businesses throughout Ypsilanti's downtown and Depot Town districts will be spreading the wealth of the latest round of building rehab and façade improvement grants announced by the
Ypsilanti DDA last week.
The YDDA Building Façade and Rehabilitation Grant program awards, totaling $51,000, were funded by a $30,000 contribution from Washtenaw County's Eastern Leaders Group, a $15,000 match from the DDA, and $6,000 in surplus funds from the 2011-12 W. Cross St. Building Rehabilitation and Façade Improvement Program grant round. This latest round is an expansion of the original program from solely Cross St. to all of downtown, along with an increase in funding, from $30,000 in its prior incarnation to $45,000 in the current round.
Individual awards vary from $3,000 to $15,000 apiece, and businesses must match 50% of the project cost. The grantees are the Wolverine Grill at 228 W. Michigan Ave.; Mix at 128-130 W. Michigan Ave.; 12 W. Michigan Ave.; Barr, Anhut Law Firm at 105 Pearl St.; Sidetrack Bar & Grill at 54-56 E. Cross St., Standard Printing at 120 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti Food Co-Op at 308-312 N. River St., Eagle Market at 501 W. Cross St., and The Crossroad's Bar & Grill at 515-519 W. Cross St. Projects include such items as door, window, and roof replacement, tuck point repairs, and and high efficiency heating and cooling systems.
Ypsilanti DDA Director Tim Colbeck says
The Crossroad's Bar & Grill's plan to add a rooftop deck is a particular standout project. "That had been an abandoned space for a number of years. It was an old bookstore. And in the last two years, Crossroads has expanded their restaurant and bar into that space...now their plan is to put in a rooftop deck so they can have outdoor functions. And so again, this'll be a pretty significant project, having a real huge visual impact on the street."
Source: Tim Colbeck, director of the Ypsilanti DDA
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
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