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Michigan State Housing Development Authority News

2008 Michigan Downtown Conference Announced; Bay City Is Host

LANSING, Mich., May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Michigan Downtown Conference Partners announced today the 2008 Michigan Downtown Conference will be held September 8 - 10, 2008. The 2008 Michigan Downtown Conference is being held in an effort to help community leaders create successful strategies and case studies for attracting new investment, jobs and young professionals to city centers. This year's conference is being held at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Bay City.

The Michigan Downtown Conference Partners include the Michigan Downtown Association, the Michigan Municipal League, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's (MSHDA) Community Assistance Team (CATeam), The Community Economic Development Association of Michigan, the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, Main Street Oakland County, the Cool Cities Collaborative and the Michigan Historical Center.

"Downtowns who are successful at reinventing themselves leverage multiple and diverse financial resources, engage local entrepreneurs, aggressively facilitate green and mixed use development, relentlessly promote themselves to new markets and new generations, encourage appropriate design and encourage a thriving arts and culture community," Joe Borgstrom director of MSHDA's CATeam said. "These seven principles make up The 2008 Michigan Downtown Conference's theme, 'The Seven Habits of Effective Downtowns.' These principles are alive and well in our host downtown, Bay City."

This annual conference is dedicated to bringing the best ideas, resources and educational sessions together to create an energetic environment and celebrate the growth of Michigan's downtowns.

"Restoring the vibrancy of Michigan's Downtowns is critical for our state to compete in the 21st century economy," said Dan Gilmartin, executive director of the Michigan Municipal League. "A premiere downtown-focused conference like this helps get the best information out there and into the hands of our members to make our communities more attractive places to live and work."

Downtowns across Michigan are encouraged to attend the 2008 Michigan Downtown Conference and learn what it takes to become a hub of commerce, culture and community vitality.

"Even in a challenging economy like the one Michigan is facing now, there is still strong interest by developers and businesses in doing projects in our state's downtowns," said Phil Hansen, executive director for the Michigan Downtown Association. "This conference is designed to give aggressive downtowns an inside look by sharing the best practices and cutting edge theories from around the state and country."

This conference is for staff, directors and members of downtown development boards, key community leaders and planners, anchor business owners, economic development professionals, members of retail trade and promotional associations. Members of convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce and others interested in promoting tourism and business development should also attend.

MSHDA is a quasi-state agency that provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve safe and decent affordable housing, engage in community economic development activities, and address homeless issues. MSHDA's loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds and notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. For more information on MSHDA programs and initiatives, visit the Web site at www.michigan.gov/mshda.

SOURCE Michigan State Housing Development Authority

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