TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse city will have a new place for people to gather on the east side of town
The East Side Placemaking Project also known as the ‘Social District’ near Eighth and Garfield in Traverse City, is going to be open for its first full summer. The district is hoping to create a community where people can hangout after kids’ baseball games or come grab a bite to eat after work.
The East Side Placemaking Project became a concept in 2023. In 2024 the Social District went through the approval process through the Traverse City, City Commission allotting $60,000 for the project. Now the city has put over $30,000 into the area by adding benches with umbrellas, and once the weather is warmer, planters for decoration.
“I think it is a community. I think that’s the big thing, “says Andrew Kidwell-Brix, Owner of Tank Space, “Its people running into their neighbors, running into friends. Kids and families running into their doctors. It’s amazing just to see people spending time together.”
Last summer the social district opened Labor Day weekend. This only gave businesses a little time to see what the impact could be, tank space saw around a 30% increase in drink sales after it was open for two months.
“I think we’re going to start to see the potential of what this space could be. And, I think this could be kind of the start of a destination here on the east side, shares Kidwell-Brix.”
This summer there will be community events including a piano recital from the Interlochen Center for The Arts and more to be announced. Oakwood Proper Burgers Co-Owner is really hoping people feel at home.
“I would say this is the first community space on the east side of traverse city, and it’s really lacking here for a place for people to gather outside, commune with each other, whether they’re eating food, having shakes, soda or a beverage of another nature…It’s just wonderful when i drive by and see people here, utilizing it makes it feel a little bit more like home.”
The Social District is open now through October. The goal of the project is to create another pedestrian accessible community other than Downtown Traverse City.
“For a long time, we’ve made a lot of investment downtown, as we should,” says Shawn winter, Traverse City Planning Director, “It’s a regional draw, but, we’ve kind of forced everyone to go downtown then for their commercial needs, when really if we want to be a real walkable, accessible community, we need to have those nodes of commercial activity throughout the city serving the individual neighborhoods. And that’s what’s starting to develop here.”