The Iron Mountain Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is starting the process of creating a Downtown Plan and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Plan (downtown/TIF plan) to guide development, redevelopment, housing, business growth, and public facilities within the downtown district over the next 25 years. Part of that process involves the formation of a Development Area Citizen’s Council (DACC) consisting of nine individuals who reside within the downtown district. Any resident (owner, renter, others) can serve on the DACC and your participation is encouraged.
The DACC will meet several times throughout the process to prepare the plans, as required by Michigan law (PA 57 of 2018) pertaining to Downtown and TIF plans. As stated in the Act:
Periodically a representative of the authority responsible for preparation of a development or tax increment financing plan within the development area shall consult with and advise the development area citizens council regarding the aspects of a development plan, including the development of new housing for relocation purposes located either inside or outside of the development area. The consultation shall begin before any final decisions by the authority and the governing body regarding a development or tax increment financing plan. The consultation shall continue throughout the preparation and implementation of the development or tax increment financing plan.
A development area citizens council may request of and receive from the authority information and technical assistance relevant to the preparation of the development plan for the development area.
Within 20 days after the public hearing on a development or tax increment financing plan, the development area citizens council shall notify the governing body, in writing, of its findings and recommendations concerning a proposed development plan.
Thus, the DACC serves as an advisory body or steering committee to help guide the effort, with the interests of residents given a strong voice in the planning process. The DDA staff will organize the DACC and assist with conducting meetings.
The DDA began seeking downtown district residents to serve on the DACC in March 2025, beginning with letters sent to 205 addresses via U.S. Mail. A complete list of all owner and renter-occupied housing unit addresses was developed using digital maps and aerial photos, the City’s property tax database, and visual surveys of specific properties. In addition, notices informing residents of this effort were posted on the DDA website and social media (Facebook and Instagram), and DDA staff engaged in conversations with numerous people in the community to enable them to assist the DDA in locating interested downtown district residents.
If you are a resident of the downtown district, are interested in serving on the DACC to help with the downtown/TIF plan, or simply have questions, please contact us.
The DDA anticipates conducting a first meeting of the DACC sometime in May 2025. The purpose of that meeting will be to introduce the members to each other, the DDA staff, and the effort to prepare a downtown/TIF plan. Subsequent meetings are anticipated for July/August, October/November, and December/January. Two of those meetings will be community-wide meetings, and not DACC meetings per se, but DACC presence at the community-wide meetings is beneficial and strongly encouraged. The last meeting of the DACC in late 2025 or early 2026 will be before the downtown/TIF plan is recommended to the City Council for adoption, and the DACC will be given the opportunity to provide final comments before the plan document becomes finalized.
For more information, check out the Downtown/TIF plan web page. Also, please follow Downtown Iron Mountain on Facebook and Instagram. If you have further questions / concerns, or are interested in being involved, please contact DDA Program Coordinator Tim McCauley at 906-774-8534 or programs@downtownironmountain.com.