8 GROUNDCOVER NEWS YPSILANTI Update on Water Street redevelopment area MAY 29, 2026 MARIE Groundcover contributor affordable mixed-use units. 2026’s Committee came about via As of May 20, the City of Ypsilanti’s Water Street Ad Hoc Citizen’s Committee is halfway through its minimum of six meetings. According to a Sept. 2025 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) draft, the Committee is charged with helping identify “capable developer(s) with experience designing, building and constructing mixed-use brownfield projects …” On May 20, the committee held its third meeting, which was titled “Second Visioning Session.” Two meetings were previously held in April, and the next three are currently scheduled for 7 p.m., at City Hall, on June 24, July 22, and Aug 26. Links to the previously recorded meetings are available on Ypsilanti’s website. Upcoming meetings may be accessed in person, or via zoom at us02web.zoom.us/j/84396004768. The Committee is the newest phase in redevelopment efforts. In 2025, the City hosted multiple Water Street information sessions, which included a Brownfield session on April 23. According to the recording, Michigan Brownfield Act eligible projects such as Water Street include those that are functionally obsolete, historic and/or have contamination or perceived contamination that prevents areas from being redeveloped. According to AKT Peerless Environmental Services, who was hired to conduct soil testing, site contaminants include lead, asbestos and PCBs. It is understood that the redevelopment area may be eligible for numerous tax credits or incentives, due to historical uses and need for City of Ypsilanti’s May 6, 2025 Resolution No. 2025-088, Resolution for the Creation of an Ad Hoc Citizen Committee to Develop a RFQ for the Water Street Redevelopment Area. The parcel is currently described in the 2025 RFQ draft as a 38-acre parcel, located at 20 E Michigan Ave. The Water Street Redevelopment Area runs along Michigan Ave. and the Huron River, over the bridge from Ypsilanti’s main historic downtown district. The property line extends to Family Dollar, which is the only portion of the site redeveloped thus far. The committee, according to its March 25, 2026, agenda packet, was created “to assist in creating the RFQ for Water Street property development, ensuring inclusion of community input and values from the City’s Community Benefits Ordinance.” The resolution calls for the committee to draft an RFQ, and present qualified developer finalists to City Council. An RFQ is similar to a job posting, where applicants present their qualifications, in an attempt to be chosen to create a plan for the property, that considers challenges based on environmental contamination as well as the community’s identified needs and wants. In accordance with the parameters established in the resolution creating the Water Street Committee, there are currently 12 active participants. The staff liaison is Katie Jones, the Manager for Strategic Communications, see WATER STREET page 13
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