JACKSON, Mich. (WLNS) — In Jackson, the city is working on ways to get more people to make a trip downtown this summer.
This comes as leaders say they’ve already seen new growth that includes more than 7,000 people frequenting the area every day.
Coyn Speiser, head of the Jackson Downtown Development Authority, grew up in Jackson and has seen first hand how far the area has come.
“It’s on the upswing right now, and that’s more than optimism that is really just a fact about what’s going on downtown right now,” Speiser said.
Speiser is using his position to help leader a revival of Jackson’s downtown area.
“You want to keep the historic preservation of the city very important moving forward, and you know we want to promote economic growth. So, when we come down here what we see and what we are striving to do is get more traffic in the downtown area,” Speiser said.
Jackson has had dozens of new businesses crop up downtown in the past few years, bringing the total to more than 200.
It’s also created a social district, which allows people to drink legally outdoors in designated downtown areas.
“What it allows you to do is wander freely. Whether you want to enjoy the parks, or any area within the social district you can take part in. So, you can move from place to place or just come out and enjoy the fresh air,” Speiser said.
Starting next month, Jackson is set to kickoff a series of concerts as well as Food Truck Tuesdays and a farmers market.
The city also has historic projects still in the works, including the highly anticipated renovation of the Hayes Hotel.
“What I can tell you is it’s right on track. You’ve heard that a lot, but the good news is that we can say that it is is on track,” Speiser said.
Speiser says these projects are part of an effort to allow this community to keep growing.
“My hope for downtown Jackson is that people understand that where the core of a city goes, everything follows,” Speiser said.
