Jan 18th Meeting Notes
Business Updates
Beal building on N Washington (the one with the painted windows) - 3,000 sq ft just signed a 10-year lease. The tenants will produce, process, and manufacture food products and sell them from the space. TBD on who they are or what products they’ll be producing.
Depot Town Cats & Dogs - Opening in March. The owner is a former Ypsilanti City Planner and they have shared a link to a Google form to give feedback on products.
Birddog Bakery - (Mich Ave/N Huron) said to open its storefront at the end of March. They are still doing Sunday brunch out the back door in the parking lot. You can also order bread during the week to pick up on the weekend.
Ypsi Art Supply Store - Opening February - moved from Riverside Art Center to a couple of buildings down on N Huron. They’ll be hosting classes and workshops as well as selling their products.
The Conjure Goddess Botanica and Metaphysical Shop located on Mich Ave is closing due to family health problems. Closing sale this weekend Friday thru Sunday.
Local Events:
Friends of YDL Book Sale January 18-21 at Whittaker Road - this weekend!
Free Market: January 20th at Ypsilanti Farmers Marketplace (16 S. Washington) location from 11a-2p for a community day of sharing and swapping at the Free Market/Swap Meet. Bring items to share, discover hidden treasures, and connect with the community.
3rd Annual Bourbon Fest: Jan 20th Ypsi Freighthouse - Saturday’s Session one is from 4pm to 6:30pm and Session two from 7:30pm to 10pm. Ticket Link: https://5475-days.yapsody.com/.../ypsilanti-bourbon-fest
Around the Kitchen Table: Come to the Ypsilanti Farmers Marketplace (16 S. Washington) on January 21, 11a-1p for a free brunch with Peace House Ypsi.
Ann Arbor Film Festival Tour stop at RACI: Feb 2 + 3 at 6:30 pm to view Program 1. A portion of the ticket sales directly support Riverside's work to provide affordable arts experiences for our community! Purchase tickets here
Current Events:
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Winnie, our neighbor, is selling Girl Scout cookies so her troop can go camping! Due to the weather, she hasn’t been able to go door-to-door so please check out her virtual order link here to place an order! You can select local delivery.
CITY COUNCIL: Major events are happening in city council this coming week. On Jan 23rd, the council will decide on two major positions: City Manager and Ward 2 City Council member.
View the agenda to see more information on the Q&A and resumes for both.
City Manager candidates:
Andrew Hellenga (current interim city manager)
Vester Davis (city manager of Springfield since 2020)
City Council Ward 2 candidates:
Patrick McLean
Jason Keech
Ward 3 Recall: Residents in Ward 3 are collecting signatures and have 2 weeks left to get the final 600 count to recall coucil member Desirae Simmons. Only residents in Ward 3 can sign the petition.
CRIME: Although it is winter months, we have an uptick in activity happening in our neighborhood. Concerns of what is to come for Summer months where there is more activity.
On Jan 16th at 10:29 pm there was a drive-by shooting on the corner of Woodward and S Washington. It is unclear if the driver was shooting at someone/something or if they were shooting up in the air. Ring camera video footage was shared in the Facebook group.
Although, we all heard the shots, only ONE resident called the police hours later to report it. This is not helpful to the police if only one resident is calling but more are witnesses. If you hear something or capture something on your cameras, please report it.
No update from the police chief yet on this incident.
PSA: CALL 911 - and report what you hear or see if you witness something.
WASHTENAW COUNTY HOUSING FUNDING: Update from Annie Somerville:
Open Discussion
LIBRARY UPDATE: Steve Pierce & Maggie Brandt toured the Library renovation recently. The updates are looking great! Another resident posted this in our Facebook group: “Support the library by becoming a donor! While this event has been covered by insurance, there are improvements on the horizon to make this branch an even more vibrant and essential part of our downtown revitalization.”
ACE HARDWARE RENOVATION: The downtown location has been renovated. General feedback is it’s disorienting to try to find products, but it seems like they have more products in stock now. They’ll be hosting a 100-year celebration and a Grand Reopening on March 7th. Food trucks and music will be present.
SHOPPING IN DEPOT TOWN: Bob Doyle did Christmas shopping in Depot Town and said the stores have a lot of great items. Check out the Depot Town stores if you need a gift for someone instead of shopping at big box stores!
HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION: The City was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Michigan Strategic Fund, State Historic Preservation Office, for a resurvey of our local historic district. The resulting report and data will document the district for the first time since the early 1980s. No changes to where the historic district exists.
NEXT MEETING:
We will start doing these official meeting bi-monthly from now on, with a more casual get-together in between those meetings. Next month’s meeting will be the first “casual” get-together and location + time is TBD. We will announce it soon so neighbors can plan accordingly. And please spread the word on
See you around the neighborhood!