The task force was organized by the Sterling Heights Area Chamber of Commerce and had a two-hour brainstorming session with city leaders last week. City officials held the meeting to discuss ways to reduce building vacancy rates. About 50 business leaders in the Sterling Heights Area Chamber of Commerce attended the two-hour session that city officials say may set the stage for an upswing in the commercial future of Sterling Heights.
"Do we need structural change? Can we mix-use?" interim city manager Dan Bishop asked business leaders. "Do we need to lobby for tax credits? We want you to be successful because it means more tax dollars."
Planning consultant John Jackson said his firm is working on the city's Master Plan, and the top concern of residents is whether aging "mom and pop" shops can survive the onslaught of retailers like Meijers, Lowe's and Wal-Mart.
Jackson told business leaders that "mixed-use" developments are becoming more popular. They combine retail shops with residential areas. For example, nearby Royal Oak and St. Clair Shores have high-rise, mixed-use developments planned in their cities.
Pat Lehman, the city's community relations director, said the city is drawing up a letter to the state legislature inquiring about tax incentives for struggling commercial businesses.
The city is considering what, if any of the tools used elsewhere in the state and nation for commercial revitalization, might be appropriate for Sterling Heights including such statutes as the Blighted Area Rehabilitation Act, the Business Improvement Act and the Brownfield Redevelopment Act.
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