Old Town Commercial Association

Description

The Old Town Commercial Association (OTCA) is a diverse group of businesses, property owners and individuals united to promote the historic preservation, development and adaptive reuse of Lansing's Old Town. Located on a beautiful stretch of the Grand River, Old Town is the original site of Lansing's mid-nineteenth century commercial settlement, and preserves the largest collection of Victorian commercial buildings in the Capitol City. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Old Town is a symbol of Lansing's heritage and has become a commercial and tourist attraction, as well as an inviting urban neighborhood. To help Old Town flourish, OTCA's current activities are structured in large part by a program called Old Town Main Street. Old Town Main Street is a four-year revitalization strategy to preserve Old Town's historic structures and strengthen its economic vitality. Our strategy is to work on four issues simultaneously: promotion, economics, design and organization. Main Street is conceived as a partnership among businesses and community members, the City of Lansing, the National Main Street Center (a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Our in-house budget for Main Street activities is approximately $90,000 annually.