The Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce will end its decade-long merger with with the Downtown Development Corporation.
The Chamber said it will not renew its contract with the city after the agreement expires in April.
Chamber President Alex Geisler said the business group took the opportunity to reevaluate the partnership after the leader of the downtown development portion left her position.
“From that we realized that the Downtown Development Corporation and the Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce look differently than they did when the merger was conceived so we just thought for the good of our members we would go ahead and give that responsibility back to the city of Macomb,” Geisler said.
Geisler said there are real challenges associated with downtown development efforts in Macomb.
“The conditions of the buildings [downtown]are very hard, especially if you are going to be a renter there isn’t a whole lot you can do,” Geisler said. “We do have a lot of incentives to help but, again, if you are only renting sometimes those aren’t applicable to you.”
Geisler also said as people’s shopping habits change, the downtown seems to be moving toward more service oriented businesses instead of retailers.
“Unfortunately a lot of the retail is going out toward the east end of the community so we really need to focus those incentives and make sure those people want to come downtown and it's more of a benefit for them,” Geisler said.
Once the Chamber's agreement with Macomb expires, the city will take over the responsibility of attracting and retaining downtown businesses. It will also be in charge of organizing most of downtown events, though the Chamber will maintain control over the Al Sears Jazz Festival.
Mayor Mike Inman said the city needs to decide whether to seek proposals from private groups or individuals wanting the job, or to assign the responsibilities to a city employee.
Fourth Ward Alderman and current downtown business owner, Dave Dorsett, said there should be one single entity promoting the downtown.
“What we’re talking about is downtown as a part of the community and I think it’s better served by having an organization that’s more committed to it in a holistic manner than as just parts of the membership,” Dorsett said.
The Chamber will continue to represent its 400 plus members including the ones located on the square. “This was not a messy divorce, the city and chamber are still on very good terms,” Geisler said.
Geisler said the chamber will help with the transition of responsibilities back to the city or to the new entity that is chosen to take over.
