GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Grand Haven businesses will soon pay slightly more to operate as the city's Downtown Development Authority works to update the Principal Shopping District assessment.
WATCH: Grand Haven businesses face small fee increase to fund downtown improvements
Grand Haven's Principal Shopping District was established in 2011 to enhance the business and shopping experience in both downtown and Centertown areas. Businesses pay into the fund, and the DDA uses those resources to maintain the area and host events that encourage people to shop locally.
"This has obviously been a huge development opportunity for the businesses within the district since 2011," Grand Haven Main Street DDA's Executive Director Chandi Pape said.
Pape said that costs for events and amenities like flowers have increased over the years, prompting the request for a small assessment increase.
"We talked with business owners and said look we want to do a two penny increase on your square footage and that averages out to be about 30 or 60 dollars per business owner per floor for each business owner for the year," Pape told FOX 17.
The proposed increase would generate an additional $20,000 for the Principal Shopping District fund, giving Grand Haven Main Street a total of $95,000 annually through 2031.
Caleb Berko, shop manager at MacKite in downtown Grand Haven, believes the increase will benefit businesses long-term.
"If we can pool our resources together to make sure our district looks beautiful to make sure that we're running cool awesome promotional events that are bringing people to the sidewalk and people into our stores that helps give us a competitive edge and an advantage," Berko said.
Grand Haven City Council still has three agenda items related to the shopping district that still need approval. Residents who want to learn more or share their thoughts with city leaders can find meeting schedules and agendas here.
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