Columbia Avenue Business Improvement District

The vision for Columbia Avenue is to create a unique commercial corridor that is attractive, economically viable, locally celebrated and built on strong partnerships. The boundaries of the district are Columbia Avenue from M-66 (I-194) to 20th Street. The BID is governed by a nine-member board who are representatives of the property owners in the district. The board meets on a monthly basis, usual

ly the third Thursday of each month at 8:30 a.m. at Michigan Tile and Carpet. Since it was established the BID has held events including the Columbia Avenue Restaurant Ride, meet and greets, and the Great American Summer Event to Support Our Troops; worked on beautification through ongoing corridor clean-up, establishing in-ground flower plantings, purchasing banners to hang, and placing concrete flower pots along the avenue; established co-operative advertising programs, storm repair grants (after the devastating storms in 2011), property improvement grants, and streetscape grants for businesses and property owners within the Business Improvement District.