What do you like about downtown Ann Arbor?

And what would you change about the blocks of South Main Street between William and Huron?

A group of property owners forming the MainStreetBiz Initiative - an effort to tax building owners for improvements on the block - wants to know.

“We want to get a sense from the overall community: What do you think about downtown?” said Ellie Serras, director of the non-profit group. “We think it’s a good downtown, but you can always improve it.”

The group just released a link to its public survey on the MainStreetBiz website. The survey is part of the process - officially launched this summer - to in initiate a special assessment district among the 50 property owners on the blocks.

Eventually, MainStreetBiz will submit a petition to the Ann Arbor City Council, which would have to approve a ballot for property owners to vote on the assessment proposal.

The survey is a part of determining how much the group will seek, Serras said. Funds will be used to make downtown more predictable and convenient, she said. 

One example: The group can hire a common snow-removal service instead of leaving it to individual property owners.

And even though the property owners will be taxing themselves, they want input from other stakeholders.

“We want to know what the residents feel like, what do visitors want, what do businesses see and need and want,” Serras said. “We have to collect information to see if we’re going in the right direction to make sure we know what’s on people’s minds and what their priorities are.”