SAGINAW -- By day, Old Town Saginaw is a suit and tie business district near the Saginaw County Courthouse with nearby lunch time-ready restaurants. By night, the pubs get much of the clientele with SVSU students and others frequenting bars for an after-hours getaway. Seasonal events are also popular.
“We already have the Martini March, the Wine Walk, Beers Around the World, Grill Wars, the car show,” said Greg Fischer, a resident of Old Town and Saginaw DJ.
Now residents and business owners are planning to add more.
“We’re looking at a plan to introduce second floor space housing, particularly student housing, young professionals, paraprofessionals, as well as in-fill development or new construction to try and draw some residents into the Old Town neighborhood,” said Tom Miller, owner of Woody O’Brien’s and JB Meinberg’s.
Miller, also an Old Town resident, met with fellow business owners to hammer out a 3-5 year development plan, considering everything from building spaces to parking lots. The group is organized by the Saginaw Downtowns of Promise Committee. They met with representatives from the Michigan Housing Development Authority or MSHDA and consultants from Beckett & Raeder, Inc for a 2 ½ hour brainstorming session.
