There will be 4 PowerPoint’s/PDF’s BELOW that will serve as a DDA Review . It will be up to the Community to help decide if the DDA is working for the community, or should be disbanded again. The TIF money can be helpful – but it is the residents decision.
CONTENTS – PLEASE READ THE CHAPTERS IN ORDER
CHAPTER I A
Purpose of a DDA – and whether it is being met
Every public tool has a purpose. The question Harbor Springs must answer is whether the DDA still serves the purpose it was created for – and if not, what it is for now.
DDAs were designed to solve specific problems: blight, declining property values, failing infrastructure. They work best as focused, time-limited tools. Michigan law is clear – a DDA shall be dissolved when it has completed the purposes for which it was organized.
“DDAs in the post-COVID era may be well past their prime – especially in a community of 1,300 voters and 1,600 parcels.”
“Our town is uniquely placed. We are small and wealthy. We can drive ourselves.”
The November 2024 repeal of Ordinance 439 by ballot referendum reflects a significant current of community opinion. These are not fringe views. They deserve a serious answer – not a dismissal.
“The DDA is most powerful when it has a problem only it can solve. The problems must be clearly defined.”
Chapter I walks through when a DDA works, when it does not, what other Michigan communities have done – and whether Harbor Springs still has the kind of problem a DDA exists to solve. The full picture is in the slides.
SLIDE SHOW Purpose of the DDA ff 12 slides
The goal of this review and report
Right now, the DDA is managing a $20,000-$22,500 master streetscape plan for Harbor Springs, to be delivered by August 2026. How that project is being shaped – and who is in the room when decisions get made – is a question the community deserves to understand.
Much of the DDA’s work happens through committees that meet outside of public board meetings. Committees are a practical tool. But they become a governance problem when they bring back a single “final” option – and the full board votes to approve rather than decide.
“Permanent, visible changes to downtown should be discussed, costed, and decided in full public view – not shaped in a committee and moved through as a foregone conclusion.”
We are asking for three things: Zoom access to committee meetings, multiple options presented to the full board, and public input before direction is set – not after.
Chapter II covers the story of how the streetscape project started, how consultants were hired, how the committee structure works, and what the community can do about it. The full picture is in the slides.
SLIDE SHOW The Goal of this Report ff 17 slides
History of the DDA in Harbor Springs
The Harbor Springs DDA was first created in 1982, went completely dormant in 2003, and was restarted in 2011. Understanding why it failed the first time – and what has happened since – is essential context for any decision about its future.
One of the most striking examples of missing institutional knowledge: in 2025, it was discovered – almost accidentally – that the DDA has owned the New York parking lot since 1988. Neither the DDA nor the City had any record of it. A public body did not know what it owned. That is what a gap in institutional knowledge looks like in practice.
“In July 1986, the City Council put the DDA on hold until public comment was received. The concern then was the same as now – residents felt they hadn’t been informed before the DDA began work.”
Chapter III covers the timeline – the first DDA, its collapse, the reawakening, the TIF disputes, the controversies, and what the pattern of decisions tells us about where Harbor Springs stands today. The full picture is in the slides.
SLIDE SHOW History of the DDA ff 21 slides
Is the DDA the right system for Harbor Springs?
Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Boyne City, Traverse City – all running the same DDA framework, the same planning tools, producing similar-looking downtowns. Is that what Harbor Springs wants for itself?
The DDA is part of a larger chain: the state sets the framework through MEDC and RRC, consultants write it into local plans, and the DDA carries it out on the ground. A town’s identity can quietly become program-driven rather than place-specific – replacing 120 years of Harbor Springs character with an identity that could belong to any town.
“Should Harbor Springs follow a standardized economic model – or prioritize a more locally directed, distinctive path? Will the community stand up for what makes Harbor Springs unique?”
Chapter IV compares Harbor Springs to its peer communities, shows how the state framework shapes local decisions, and puts the central question directly to the community. The full picture is in the slides.
SLIDE SHOW Is the DDA the Right System for Harbor Springs ff 7 slides