Organization’s Description
The Eight Mile Boulevard Association revitalizes and promotes the Eight Mile transportation, business and residential corridor by linking the efforts of the public and private sectors.
The Eight Mile Boulevard Association (8MBA) is an 18 year old organization that is charged with revitalizing and promoting the Eight Mile transportation, business, and residential corridor by linking the efforts of the public and private sectors. Our district consists of a 27 mile stretch of roadway, bounded by I-275 to the west and I-94 to the east. Our Board of Directors is made up of the 16 chief elected officials from the 13 bordering communities and 3 counties. In addition, the Director of MDOT and 15 local businesses serve on the Board. There are two full time staff members, the Executive Director, Tami Salisbury, who has been with the organization for over 8 years and Associate Director, Alan Weber, who has been with the organization almost 2 years.
The primary goals of our organization are to economically and visually transform Eight Mile Road into a vibrant commercial corridor. We would like to erase the historical moniker as a “dividing line” by physically transforming Eight Mile Road and perceptions associated. We are accomplishing these objectives by facilitating a Facade Improvement Program where we match private sector funds to improve properties along Eight Mile Road. We have constructed and maintained 11 city identification signs and 36 perennial gardens in the median. We host an annual clean up each spring drawing hundreds of volunteers to spruce up the corridor an some of our more problem properties. We also facilitate a code compliance program (8MBA Corridor Keeper Program) assisting businesses to remedy existing exterior code violations. We also host two large fundraising events attended by over 1,000 individual each year representing corporate, residential, and community organizations that have a stake in Eight Mile Road. We are also routinely performing business retention activities, and business attraction activities to find occupants for vacant properties.
Eight Mile Road/Baseline is utilized each day by nearly 100,000 vehicles and is a major transportation artery for the millions of residents within Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
