Downtown Development Authority (DDA)
Meeting Dates
• 4:00 pm
• 2nd Thursday of the month (as needed)
What is a Downtown Development Authority (DDA)?
The DDA is a civic group focused on the betterment of businesses along Van Dyke Avenue and 10 Mile Road in Center Line. The Downtown Development Authority Act (Public Act 197 of 1975 of the State of Michigan) provides the legal mechanism for city officials to address the needs and encourage economic development within the City of Center Line business district. This act seeks to attack problems of urban decline, strengthen existing areas, and encourage new private development in the downtown districts. It seeks to accomplish this goal by providing communities with the necessary legal, monetary, and organizational tools to revitalize downtown districts, either through public-initiated projects or in concert with private development projects. The manner in which the DDA chooses to make use of these tools does, of course, depend on the problems and opportunities facing each particular city and the development priorities sought by the city in the revitalization of its business district.
For more information on the Center Line DDA, call Dennis E. Champine, DDA Director at 586-757-6800 or email him.
Center Line Economic Development Strategy
View the Center Line Economic Development Strategy (PDF).
Master Plan
View the City of Center Line Downtown Development Authority Master Plan (PDF), adopted June 2023.
DDA Boundary Map
Liquor Licenses are now available in Center Line
Michigan Expands Development District Liquor License Availability
A recently passed Michigan law will streamline access to liquor licenses in development districts and is expected to lower costs for hospitality industry businesses that invest in constructing or restoring buildings.
Development district liquor licenses can now be issued for newly constructed buildings within recognized development districts. Previously, development district licenses were only available for restoration of existing buildings. Specifically, the $75,000 threshold for capital investment in the rehabilitation or restoration of an existing building now applies to new construction. The recent Michigan Liquor Control Code ("Liquor Code") amendment (2022 Public Act 16) expands development district license availability to new restaurants, hotels, bars and clubs where alcohol is served for consumption on the premises. These licenses are not subject to the population-based quotas that restrict the amount of liquor licenses to one per 1,500 residents of any given municipality.
Recognized development districts include:
- Downtown development authority districts
- Tax increment financing districts
- Corridor improvement authority areas
- Principal shopping districts
Existing development district license eligibility requirements remain unchanged. Primarily, applicants must demonstrate that they are not readily able to purchase an existing on-premises license due to unavailability or economic unfeasibility. The Liquor Code still limits development district licenses to one per $200,000 of investment over the previous five years within the respective district. To meet this requirement, applicants must coordinate with the applicable assessor and municipal clerk to obtain an affidavit certifying the history of investment. Applicants must also obtain a municipal resolution recommending that the Michigan Liquor Control Commission issue the development district license.
A successful applicant will be assessed a $20,000 fee upon issuance of a development district license. Coupled with the $75,000 capital investment threshold, the total spend is roughly equivalent to the market rate for an existing on-premises license. Business owners should benefit from lower cost entry into the hospitality industry because the construction expenses count towards the typical cost of a liquor license. Although a development district license cannot be transferred to another location, the licenses can be sold to a new owner desiring to replace the outgoing licensee.
Public Acts of 2022 - Act No. 16