050426 ~ The Southside BIZ - Jeff Hauptman

The Southside Biz district, a newly approved business improvement zone in Ann Arbor, is poised to transform the South State Street and Eisenhower corridor through major landscaping, signage, and infrastructure upgrades. Jeff Hopman, CEO of Oxford Companies and chair of the Southside Biz Board, reveals that after nearly a decade of advocacy—including state-level legislative changes—the district is now moving forward with a self-taxing model funded by local property owners. This initiative aims to create a more walkable, welcoming gateway to Ann Arbor, with plans for 800 market-rate apartments, 200 permanent affordable units, retail space, a hotel, and a two-acre central park. The project is part of a broader vision to make the area a vibrant urban node, not a replacement for downtown, but a connected, mixed-use hub. Hopman emphasizes that the funding comes from future property tax increases generated by new development, not current tax dollars, and that partnerships with the city, MDOT, and neighboring communities like Pittsfield Township are critical to success. With construction on the medians set to begin by late summer and the Arbor South development awaiting final county approval, this marks a pivotal moment in Ann Arbor’s urban evolution. The episode also unpacks the controversy around public funding for high-density development, clarifying that tax increment financing (TIF) uses only future tax revenue from new construction—leaving current taxes untouched.