Michigan's Underrated Towns are Hidden Gems
Michigan’s Most Underrated Towns. Source: World Atlas
On Friday, March 15th, we shared a World Atlas story on Facebook and LinkedIn that listed out the most underrated towns in Michigan. As it turns out, four of the nine communities on the list are our clients (Chelsea, Ypsilanti, Dexter and Manchester) and we could not agree more that they are wonderful places to be in our great state!
That said, and since we are very familiar with these communities, we’d like to share what we’ve done to help make these municipalities the best places to work and live.
Construction at the Thompson Block redevelopment on April 2, 2018. Source: Doug Coombe
Ypsilanti
Carlisle | Wortman (CWA) and Code Enforcement Services (CES) have been conducting building plan reviews and building code consultant for the City of Ypsilanti for many years; including redevelopment of the Thompson block.
CWA is the lead consultant assisting the City in the redevelopment of the Water Street Redevelopment Area - a 38-acre, City-owned site adjacent to the historic downtown.
City of Dexter
Carlisle | Wortman (CWA) and Code Enforcement Services (CES) have been the City of Dexter’s planning consultant(s) for over 20 years. During this time we’ve been a strategic partner with 3 Master Plan updates.
We modernized the Planned Unit Development process to allow for creative projects. Also, in order to protect the unique character of the historic Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, we helped to update the Zoning Ordinance with form-based regulations.
Downtown City of Dexter
Downtown Chelsea. Source: MLive
City of Chelsea
The city of Chelsea has a great downtown with community gathering spaces that are used for a verity of community based activities and events throughout the year. Carlisle | Wortman (CWA) and Code Enforcement Services (CES) are currently proving Community Development services for Chelsea and wrote the Chelsea Master Plan that was adopted in 2019.
Over time, the City has update the Zoning Ordinance to implement strategies identified in the Master Plan. CWA has been engaged to facilitate the City’s Master Plan 5 year update.
City of Manchester
Carlisle | Wortman (CWA) and Code Enforcement Services (CES) have served the City of Manchester as their planning firm for more than twenty-five years. During this time we’ve had the pleasure of drafting several Master and Recreational Plans. Formerly a village, Manchester has recently become designated as a city within Michigan.
We were instrumental in creating a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) for the City of Manchester with several new developments appearing in the downtown area including a board walk and canoe/kayak livery on the Raisin River. The City is currently working cooperatively with Manchester Township in development of a trail system to State and local park systems using abandoned rail corridors.
We have also helped set the stage for several regular festivals including Riverfest and the Manchester Chicken Broil.
Downtown Manchester. Source: Manchester.org