Walker Downtown Development Authority

City of Walker Walker Downtown Development Authority Agenda Fire Station #2 - Upper Level 4101 Lake Michigan Drive NW Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 7:30 AM 1. Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance 2. Introduce New City Manager - Shay Gallagher 3. Approval of Minutes a) February 17, 2026 4. Business Meet and Greet - Dr. Daniel Hunderford of Freedom Chiropractic 5. Business Relations Manager Updates 6. Engineering/Facility Updates 7. Planning Updates 8. Other Business/Updates 9. Next Meeting Date and Time - Tuesday, April 21, 2025 at 7:30 AM 10. Adjournment If you have any questions or are unable to attend a meeting, please contact Jessica Marion at 616.791.6878 Page 1 of 3  City of Walker Walker Downtown Development Authority Tuesday, February 17, 2026 7:30 AM - Fire Station #2 - Upper Level 4101 Lake Michigan Drive NW 1. Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance Members present: D. Brinza, D. Prato, D. Schmalzel, T. Sipka, J. DeGroot, J. Banfill, and N. Smith. Members absent: M. Grooters, R. Smith, and C. Ludwick. DPW Director Gary Postema, City Engineer Scott Conners, Communications Manager/DDA Business Relations Manager Nicole DiDonato, and Planning Director Paula Priebe. 2. Approval of Minutes Motion by D. Schmalzel, supported by D. Prato, to approve the minutes from the November 18, 2025 DDA meeting. Motion carried. Notes from the unofficial DDA meeting held on January 20, 2026 were accepted. 3. Central Standale Subarea Plan Update S. Conners reported that the Public Safety Committee is currently evaluating future needs for the facility, as they are transitioning to full-time fire services. As part of this review, the Committee has requested that the DDA pause on the Central Standale Subarea Plan project for the next few months to allow time to assess parking considerations and related design implications. D. Brinza asked that DDA members be included in upcoming discussions with the Public Safety Committee to ensure the DDA has the opportunity to provide input during concept development. The Board expressed general agreement with temporarily pausing the project and indicated interest in future collaboration with Public Safety Committee as planning continues. 4. Business Relations Manager Updates N. DiDonato shared that the next business merchant meet-up will be held Thursday, February 19th from 9:00–10:00 a.m. at Morning Belle in Standale. Community Engagement Officer Mitch Harkema will present on managing challenging customer interactions and resolving disagreements within organizations and the community. N.DiDonato also provided a demonstration of Placer AI, showing comparative data with and without Meijer included, highlighting Meijer’s significant impact on local activity levels. The platform tracks visits longer than ten minutes and distinguishes between inbound and outbound traffic. She noted that the Placer AI subscription is up for renewal on March 25th and funding for the renewal has been included in the budget. 5. Planning Updates  P. Priebe stated that a portion of the Meijer parking lot near Wilson Avenue will be redeveloped into two smaller lots. One lot has been approved by Planning Commission for a new Chipotle with drive-through and pick-up service. A user has not yet been identified for the second lot. She also noted that at the February Page 2 of 3  4th Planning Commission meeting, a Site Plan Review and Special Land Use request for a 10,000-square-foot childcare center at 1187 Wilson Ave NW was approved.  P. Priebe reported that the Vista-45 project is continuing engineering and utility work and is expected to move forward once construction resumes. Additional inquiries are being received for the remaining Vista-45 out lots, with further development anticipated in 2026.  In response to a question regarding the Popeyes project, she explained that the site at 3791 Lake Michigan Drive NW has been rezoned from Office Research and Parking (ORP) to Local Commercial (C-1). The applicant must resubmit materials following delays in their initial review. The project remains within the application timeline, and its current status is pending. 6. Other Business/Updates  G. Postema reported that staff are reviewing landscaping from the past year and plan to replace grasses that have created visibility issues, including those on Manzana, Ferndale, and Lasalle. He noted that the irrigation system has experienced recurring problems due to sprinkler heads placed directly on hard-piped mainlines. The system will be updated with flexible piping to reduce future breakage. Everette’s will provide seasonal flowers again this year, with the installation date to be determined.  D. Brinza thanked City Manager, Darrel Schmalzel for his service to the DDA, noting that this would be his final meeting. Members expressed their appreciation. A reminder was given that his retirement reception will be held Thursday, February 19th from 3:00–4:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers. 7. Next Meeting Date and Time The next Walker Downtown Development Authority meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 7:30 AM at the Fire Station #2 Upper Level. 8. Adjournment Motion by D. Schmalzel, supported by J. DeGroot, to adjourn the meeting at 7:56 AM If you have any questions or are unable to attend a meeting, please contact Jessica Marion at 616.791.6878 Page 3 of 3