Big Things
Are Coming.
Ann Arbor's Southside Is Just Getting Started
Ann Arbor's Southside Is Just Getting Started
State Street is Ann Arbor’s Front Door
It’s the gateway that greets every visitor, connects every commuter, and anchors the largest commercial district in Washtenaw County. For too long, it hasn't looked the part.
The Southside Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) exists to change that.
Green = Southside BIZ
Blue = U-M Property
Creating a Neighborhood Where You’ll Choose Your Own Adventure
DINE
WORK
SHOP
STAY
PLAY
MOVE
LIVE
The Southside has all the fundamentals of a great community – homes, offices, shopping (Briarwood and so much more!), restaurants, hotels, and it’s bustling with activity with more than tens of thousands of visitors coming and going each day. And there’s no shortage of room for growth – the recent opening of Harvest Market is the latest exciting change in the neighborhood.
What we’ve really lacked on the Southside, though, is a dedicated organization that can help bring a shared vision to life.
Enter Southside BIZ!
We're a coalition of businesses and community partners who came together to fund beautification, infrastructure improvements, and placemaking across the district. Our mission is simple: make the Southside a place where people choose to be, not just pass through. We envision a genuine hub of Ann Arbor where people will live, work, and get around peacefully (and not always in a car!).
Who We Are & Changes We’re Making
“The BIZ” is a public body, formed under Michigan law and governed by a board of directors representing the businesses and property owners of the district. Getting here took years of organizing, a state-level legislative push, and ultimately a 96% in-favor vote from property owners in the district. That buy-in reflects how much everyone here believes in the potential of this neighborhood.
We pool resources, coordinate with the City of Ann Arbor and other regional organizations like M-DOT, and drive improvements that no single business could take on alone.
Our work is focused on the district itself – the streets, the medians, the public spaces in between.
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Landscaping, plantings, and visual enhancements that signal investment and care
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Installations and murals that reflect and celebrate the history and character of Ann Arbor
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Signage that helps residents and visitors navigate the district with ease
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Working with the City and other regional partners to improve the built environment over time
FIRST Project UP...Those Crumbling Medians!
The asphalt medians along State Street have been eyesores for decades – and that’s no way to greet the thousands of visitors who come through each day. This fall, that changes!
Southside BIZ has finalized a partnership with the City to remove the deteriorating medians and replace them with sustainable landscaping and visual enhancements. It will be an immediate transformation of one of Ann Arbor's most-traveled corridors, and the clearest signal yet that this neighborhood is on the move.
This is a coalition-driven effort, made possible by the organizations that have committed to the Southside's future: Oxford Companies, Briarwood Mall, MAVD, The Kensington Hotel, CIG, Destination Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor SPARK – along with a growing number of area property owners.
And this is just the beginning!
“From first-time visitors to life-long townies, we fundamentally believe that everyone benefits when the Southside shines.”
Margaret Wyzlic, Marketing Director, Oxford Companies