Officials in Traverse City envision a new “Markets District” along west Front Street, west of downtown. The city will use grant money to hire a consultant to help re-design the area.
City Planning Director Russ Soyring says business owners want the area to have its own identity.
“And they don’t want to become just a pass-through – like a strip development – area that people just have to get through on their way from point A to point B," says Soyring. "They want to become a destination and they want to become the gateway for downtown.”
The plan is to create a “gateway” between Maple and Oak streets, where the city owns much of the land. The first step is a road construction project, which is scheduled to be done later this month.