FARMINGTON, Mich. – The city of Farmington is hoping to attract more residents and businesses to its downtown area by investing in its outdoor spaces.
To help reach that goal, the city is looking toward crowdfunding. There is another element on the table, though: Whatever the city raises through crowdfunding will be matched with a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
All of the money raised and matched will go toward a space known as Mason’s Corner.
Downtown Farmington has seen many new businesses open over the last couple of years, and the city hopes to retain them while also attracting more.
“Well, we know that there’s a direct connection with public space and economic development and these walkable downtowns,” said Kate Knight, executive director of Farmington’s Downtown Development Authority.
Knight says outdoor public spaces are a big deal to these businesses.
“A lot of our businesses here on Farmington Road don’t have outdoor seating in the traditional sense, so Dinan Park serves as that,” Knight said.
Dinan Park was the city’s first crowdfunded project. In 2023, over 300 people donated, and that money was matched by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Kim DeGiulio: OK so, who is donating? People who live here? People who care about this area?
Knight: I would say all of the above. We have a strong response from locals. I talked with a gentleman who donated $5 while he was paying his water bill last week. He donated $5 to Dinan Park, our last project, and he liked how it turned out so well that he donated another $5 to this project.
For the latest project at Masons Corner, the city has the same matching opportunity as the MEDC.
“It’s very beautiful. It’s really a trailhead of sorts for our two major streetscapes downtown: Grand River, and then we just completed Farmington Road with a major reconstruction there to make it more walkable and accessible,” Knight said.
The city is hoping to receive $75,000 in donations for their latest project, which would be matched by the MEDC to bring to a total of $150,000.
But the time to crowdfund is running out. There are just 23 days left to receive that matching grant before they plan to start construction on July 1.