Jefferson East Business Association celebrated the conclusion of a successful year — and it's 10th anniversary — with a dinner at the Roostertail on November 17. JEBA’s target area is the four square miles bounded by St. Jean, Alter, Charlevoix and the Detroit River, with Jefferson serving as the neighborhood’s Main Street.
JEBA works in four specific areas, each of which made noticeable strides in 2006:
• Business Development: 80 clients received 241 hours of counseling on business start-ups which resulting in the acquisition of over $300,000 in business loans; a partnership is being developed with the Detroit Entreprenuership Institute to connect its graduates with available storefronts in the JEBA business district.
• Clean & Safe: a vacant lot on Jefferson at Ashland was transformed into a community park that has already hosted events. Robin Duncan, JEBA’s business development coordinator, says the organization “hopes to make it a gathering place for the community.”
• Planning & Development: completed 6 storefront façade improvement projects with 4 under construction; designed a Streetscape and Parking Plan for the commercial corridor.
• Promotion: hosted Jazzin’ on Jefferson which, over 2 days, brought 18,000 people into the district. Duncan says, “This is something that has been really well-received. It celebrates some of the history of this area, [and we’re] trying to bring attention to this neighborhood, the available storefronts, the housing options.”
Approximately 300 people attended the dinner. Duncan describes it as a “dynamic evening. Everyone had a had a great time.”
Source: Robin Duncan, JEBA
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