New Baltimore takes action to revitalize downtown.

The New Baltimore Downtown Development Authority (DDA), in conjunction with the City of New Baltimore, was one of six Michigan communities awarded designation for the State of Michigan Cool Cities Blueprints for Michigan’s Downtown's program.  The City will receive $20,000 to develop a market-based downtown action plan. 

Judy Sproat, City of New Baltimore Director of Planning and Economic Development, stated, “I truly believe that this initiative is going to be the catalyst for the revitalization of our downtown.  As a community, we have done a lot of research to understand where our downtown is and have a lot of confidence that this program will help us realize our greatest potential in creating a vibrant downtown.” 

The Cool Cities Blueprints for Michigan’s Downtown's program is offered by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MHSDA), the Michigan Municipal League (MML), and HyettPalma Inc., a nationally renowned downtown revitalization consulting firm.  The program focuses on a community-wide visioning process led by HyettPalma.  The public input gathered forms the basis for creating a comprehensive, market-driven, action-oriented, downtown enhancement strategy that will ultimately provide economic and physical enhancements over a five-year period.

The Blueprints program has been successfully implemented in 44 Michigan communities including the Village of Romeo and the City of Utica. 

MCPED is currently working with city officials and member of the New Baltimore Blueprint Process Committee to compile baseline data, which will act as the foundation for the initiative.