Walker Downtown Development Authority

City of Walker Walker Downtown Development Authority Agenda Fire Station #2 - Upper Level 4101 Lake Michigan Drive NW Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 7:30 AM 1. Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance 2. Approval of Minutes a) November 18, 2025 b) No approval is required for the minutes from the January 20, 2026 meeting, as it was deemed unofficial due to absence of a quorum. The minutes are provided for reference as notes only. 3. Central Standale Subarea Plan Update 4. Business Relations Manager Updates 5. Planning Updates 6. Other Business/Updates 7. Next Meeting Date and Time - Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 7:30 AM 8. Adjournment If you have any questions or are unable to attend a meeting, please contact Jessica Marion at 616.791.6878 Page 1 of 9  City of Walker Walker Downtown Development Authority Tuesday, November 18, 2025 7:30 AM - Fire Station #2 - Upper Level 4101 Lake Michigan Drive NW 1. Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance The meeting was called to order by Chair Brinza at 7:30 am. Members present: D. Brinza, D. Schmalzel, R. Smith, D. Prato, C. Ludwick, and T. Sipka. Members are absent: T. Hiller, M. Grooters, A. Van Ess, J. DeGroot, and J. Banfil. Staff present: Communications Manager/DDA Business Relations Manager Nicole DiDonato, Planning Director Paula Priebe, and City Engineer Scott Conners. Guests present: Brandon Simon, Professional Engineer with Progressive and Sharlene Shineldecker Chief Operations Officer for Cherette Group. 2. Approval of Minutes Motion by R. Smith, supported by D. Prato to approve the minutes of the September 16, 2025, DDA meeting. Motion carried. Motion by R. Smith, supported by C. Ludwick to approve the minutes of the October 29, 2025, Special DDA meeting. Motion carried. 3. Standale Subarea Update Upon D. Brinza request, City Planning Director Paula Priebe provided an overview of the Central Standale Subarea Plan for DDA member Tiffany Sipka. P. Priebe explained that Rowe Professional Services, a professional consulting firm, was hired to help with the vision of the project which aims to enhance the community space in the central part of Standale. The project area is located behind Fire Station #2 on Lake Michigan Drive NW, extending from Kinney to Cummings Ave, and north to Walker Community Park. A DDA subcommittee was established earlier in the year to address specific tasks and present recommendations at the DDA monthly meetings. Rowe is currently halfway through the project, providing renderings, public feedback, and an action plan. There was discussion by members to revisit the Master Plan next year. Members reported a successful open house was held on October 29th at the Fire Station #2, but there was concern regarding the absence of GVSU representatives, highlighting a need for collaboration. There was also discussion regarding the need for collaboration with the city. D. Schmalzel reminded members that the Community Park is not part of the DDA, however there is potential for the DDA to seek City Commission approval for improvements that support the project. 4. Vista 45 Lighting and Landscape Discussion S. Conners introduced Brandon Simon, Professional Engineer with Progressive and Sharlene Shineldecker Chief Operations Officer for Cherette Group and started the discussion with two items for the DDA to consider: Page 2 of 9  1. Will Vista 45 use the same lights as the DDA 2. Should the DDA take over the maintenance of the proposed section of Vista 45? City staff recommended that the DDA to confirm with the Department of Public Works (DPW) and Everett's Landscaping, the DDA's current landscape maintenance contractor, their willingness and ability to provide maintenance services for the proposed section of Vista 45. There was discussion on whether the proposed lighting would face the road or the pedestrian pathways, the height of the poles currently proposed are at 20 feet, as well as the center islands and traffic circles will be fully concrete for low maintenance with no grass. Street tress will be planted every 40 to 50 feet alongside planting beds featuring grass and low maintenance perennials. D.Schmalzel explained the process for establishing a special assessment district, presenting two options: amending the existing district or creating a new special assessment district specifically for this project to simplify assessment calculations. He emphasized that while the process for establishing a new district would be lengthy, it would be feasible to execute and the best course of action. He stated that establishing a new district involves multiple steps, including approving resolutions from the DDA and the City Commission, holding a public hearing, and cost calculations for maintenance. Motion by D. Schmalzel, supported by D. Prato that assuming all conditions are satisfied, the DDA would consider establishing a special assessment district for the maintenance of the portion of Vista 45 currently being proposed. Motion carried. 5. Business Relations Manager Updates N. DiDonato stated that they have hired AAA Lawncare for the holiday streetlighting on Lake Michigan Drive from Kinney to Cummings. She also provided members with a report of activity tracked within the Standale area for the month of October using the Placer AI system. She reviewed the month's collected data, analyzing the trends and their correlation with specific events. 6. Planning Updates P. Priebe mentioned that the rezoning for 3791 Lake Michigan Drive was finalized and that Popeye's plans to submit in December for the Planning Commission to review their plans at a January meeting. 7. Other Business/Updates - None 8. Next Meeting Date and Time Following discussion among members, the next meeting originally scheduled for December 16, 2025 has been rescheduled to Tuesday, January 20, 2026. 9. Adjournment - Motion by D. Prato, supported by R. Smith, to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 am. Motion carried. If you have any questions or are unable to attend a meeting, please contact Jessica Marion at 616.791.6878 Page 3 of 9 Page 4 of 9  October 2025: Walker Placer AI Civic Report Standale DDA Visitor Highlights • Standale DDA had 592,930 visits in October 2025, making it one of the most actively visited locations in the City • The area experienced a MoM growth of 5.3% compared to September 2025. • YoY , Standale experienced a 1.4% increase in visits, representing modest but steady long-term growth. • The three-year trend is slightly negative at -2.6%. Possible Reason Behind Numbers? • GVSU home football games in October drew significant crowds for rivalries and special events like Family Day and Kids Day • In general, GVSU football game attendance is up, with Family Day posting attendance above 15,000 and regular games consistently above 12,000 spectators, which could have helped drive increased local business traffic Other Important Numbers for October 2025: • Out-of-Market Visitors: 242.1K (+2.1% YOY) • Out-of-Market Visits: 592.4K (+1.3% YOY) • Highest Daytime Total: Sat, Oct 4: 30K • Highest daytime total in 2025 = Thurs Aug 21: 35K (GVSU move in week) • Average Daytime Totals: 19k Page 5 of 9  Top Places Visited by Out-of-Market Visitors Top Non-Chain Visits by Out-of-Market Visitors Page 6 of 9 Page 7 of 9  City of Walker Walker Downtown Development Authority Tuesday, January 20, 2026 7:30 AM - Fire Station #2 - Upper Level 4101 Lake Michigan Drive NW 1. No Quorum Present - Unofficial Meeting Members present: D. Prato, D. Schmalzel, J. DeGroot, C. Ludwick and Nathan Smith. Members absent: D. Brinza, M. Grooters, R. Smith, J. Banfill, and T. Sipka. City Engineer Scott Conners, Communications Manager/DDA Business Relations Manager Nicole DiDonato, and City Treasurer Daniel DeVries. Guests present via virtual: Brandon Jones, Jesse Morgan and Hrilekha Bogapati with Rowe. Deputy Clerk Jessica Marion administered the oath of office to Nathan Smith, a newly appointed Downtown Development Authority (DDA) member, as appointed by the City Commission in December. Only five members were in attendance, and a quorum was not achieved; therefore, no official meeting was held and no formal action was taken. The following information reflects updates and discussion topics shared by staff for informational purposes only: 1. Rowe held a virtual presentation for the members and staff present, providing an overview of two preliminary concept options for the Central Standale Subarea, including potential elements such as splash pads, townhomes, a farmers market, parking, and tenant housing. S. Conners indicated that the presentation materials would be distributed for further review, and discussion noted that additional work on the concepts may be delayed pending the Public Safety Committee’s evaluation of a potential police department relocation in the Standale area. 2. D. Devries reviewed the proposed 2026 DDA Streetscape Special Assessment District (SAD) billing and explained the annual recommendation process to the City Commission. Two assessment options were presented: Option 1, reflecting a 5.26% increase totaling $155,740.00, and Option 2, reflecting a 7.89% increase totaling $159,633.52, both approaching the maximum allowable cap under the applicable resolution. While no vote or motion was made due to the lack of a quorum, discussion indicated a general preference among members present for Option 2. D. Schmalzel indicated that staff intends to forward the recommendation to the City Commission for consideration at its upcoming meeting. 3. D. Devries reviewed the DDA’s current finance and budget report with the members. A budget-to-actual report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2026 was provided and discussed, highlighting a property tax capture component and total expenditures. Additionally, a budget-to-actual report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2026 for the DDA Streetscape Special Assessment Fund was provided and discussed. 4. S. Conners reported that a portion of the Meijer parking lot near Wilson Avenue will be redeveloped, creating two smaller lots. One site is proposed for a Chipotle restaurant with primarily drive-through and pick-up service, while plans for the second site have not yet been finalized but are expected to be similar. 5. N. DiDonato gave an update on the street lighting for the season. She noted that there were several lights that were out due to electrical and moisture issues. After multiple site visits and recent rainfall, DPW believes the issues have been identified and corrected, and the lights are currently functioning. Total cost for the Page 8 of 9  season was approximately $2,500–$3,000, and AAA Lawn Care will begin removing the lights as scheduling allows. There was discussion about extending the lights further as well as adding garland for next year. 2. Next Meeting Date and Time - Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 7:30 AM If you have any questions or are unable to attend a meeting, please contact Jessica Marion at 616.791.6878 Page 9 of 9