A map outlining the Dix Corridor

DEARBORN — Dearborn’s Warren Avenue and Dix Road are thriving— restaurants, cafes, grocery stores, pharmacies and retail shops line those streets while heavy traffic goes by throughout the day like a perpetual rush hour. 

The city has created two boards to further develop the two corridors and address the needs of business owners.  Last month, the City Council approved the Warren and Dix-Vernor Corridor Authorities.

Mayor Jack O’Reilly said Dearborn wants to create an identity for the districts to make them more interesting and attractive to customers and investors.

He said the newly created commissions are modeled after the east and west Downtown Development Authorities, which have been a “catalyst” for business since the 1970’s.

O’Reilly said it is important that business owners are on the boards because they can help the city recognize their needs.

“This is the key,” the mayor said. “That board will have decision-making powers on how to use the tax capture that they will get from the city to make the commercial corridors stronger. If the commercial corridors are stronger, the neighborhoods are stronger.”

He added that the boards make city resources available to businesses to strengthen their presence.

O’Reilly explained that the corridor authorities, like the DDA, will not be funded by additional taxes, but by allocations from existing taxes. Increased tax revenues from higher property values will go to those boards.

“What we want to do is things like making sure that the sidewalks are clean and the snow is plowed; that there’s no debris or garbage; that the districts are attractive,” he said. “We want to attract a new customer base, create perhaps a visitors’ center on Warren Avenue.”

Both Warren and Dix continue into Detroit. 

O’Reilly said Dearborn is cooperating with Detroit to enhance business and services in both cities.

He said there is a regional initiative to develop a Michigan Avenue corridor from downtown Detroit, through Dearborn, all the way to Ann Arbor.

Haidar Koussan, the co-owner of Greenland Market, who sits on the Warren Corridor Authority, said lack of parking and bad driving are the main concerns for businesses along Warren Avenue.

Koussan recalled that when he was a high school student in the 1980’s, Warren was deserted.

“We’ve come a long way,” he said.

Koussan suggested building city-sponsored parking structures, similar to those in downtown West Dearborn, to accommodate the population and business growth in the area.

“Parking is a must,” he said. “When you have enough parking you bring in more business and more customers. Parking is the number one issue we have to address.”

Greenland has three stores on Warren in Dearborn. Koussan said while his stores have ample parking, residents use businesses’ lots to park their vehicles on public service days, when it is illegal to park on the streets. 

Koussan said the authority has met three times and early results are promising. He said the group is communicating with the county to change the traffic light on Chase and Warren. The light starts flashing after 10 p.m., which is causing accidents at the busy intersection. Residents and business owners want it to be in standard mode throughout the night.

The business owner said plans include making the avenue more pedestrian-friendly.

There have been several accidents involving pedestrians, including a fatal one, on Warren Avenue over the past few years.

Koussan said avoiding such incidents requires more precaution from the community and stricter law enforcement.

He added that city services have been improving and urged residents to be more interactive with the city.

“Community involvement is very limited,” Koussan said. “Don’t expect the city to know everything. Call them; they will respond.”

Besides Warren Avenue, the city is working to improve the business district along Dix Road in the Southend.

Mahdi Ali, board member of the American Moslem Society, Dearborn’s first mosque, said the Dix-Vernor business district has great potential for success.

Ali, who was named to the Dix-Vernor Corridor Authority, said the area has been improving and the initiative could bring more people to the district.

He said truck traffic and pollution constitute the biggest problems for businesses in the Southend.

The Southend is a few miles from the Ambassador Bridge, a major U.S.-Canada crossing for commercial vehicles. Ali said the authority is working on plans for an alternative route for big trucks.

“This will help a lot,” he said. “It will make the area safer and more attractive to shoppers, residents and business owners.”

Ali hailed the diversity of the Southend, saying that more Latinos from neighboring Southwest Detroit are shopping and socializing the Dearborn neighborhood.

“This is not an area just for Yemeni Americans or Arab Americans,” he said. “We are discussing ideas to make Dix more vibrant.”

Ali suggested beautifying the neighborhood by planting flowers and taking better care of the landscape.

He thanked the city for the improved services but asked for increased police presence for public safety.