MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Thursday morning, the Marquette Downtown Development Authority was presented with an annual review of its 2026 performances, as well as some projects expected for next year.
The Marquette DDA has been busy this year by continuing beloved community traditions, while also adding more guidance to visitors with an ongoing wayfinding initiative. The board welcomed 15 new downtown businesses this year, and reflected on their ability to provide matching funds for a few local storefronts.
“We’ve been able to help a lot of downtown businesses with facade grants and different state-level grants,” explained Executive Director Tara Laase-McKinney. “Just keeping the downtown a really vibrant, wonderful place to be.”
Compared to last year, the DDA saw a slight decrease of an average turnout at some events this summer, stemming from unpredictable weather and poor air qualities.
“We happened to have rough weather on Wednesdays so we didn’t have the turnouts we normally do for the evening markets, and we had to cancel a Music on Third in July because of the air quality,” said Laase-McKinney. “It’s nothing of super concern for us right now, those numbers will be right back where they were in previous years.”
The 2027 outlook for downtown will focus on creative uses for existing spaces. This includes along Third Street and in areas like the Marquette Commons.
“[The Marquette Commons] can be better for what we’re using it for right now, which is mostly the farmers market. While it does work, it doesn’t work as well as it could,” said Laase-McKinney. “We’re looking at Third Street, how it’s layed out, and making that work better for businesses, people driving, pedestrians, and bikers.”
As snow begins to fall, the DDA’s next steps are to gear up maintenance crews for the seasonal shift.
