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MARQUETTE -- Vango's Restaurant owner Michele Butler says she loves doing business on Third Street.

"We're centrally located, we're close to the university, the hospital, people don't have to drive far to get things that they need," says Butler.

But despite the fact that the area is thriving, she says there's still room to improve.

"We need additional parking, and we need ways to access that parking," Butler says.

That's why Butler and several other Third Street businesses wanted to become a part of the Marquette Downtown Development Association to improve their resources.  Becoming a part of the Marquette DDA may raise business taxes, but it will make the district eligible for more state grants and it will give the area more strength in numbers.

Mona Lang of the Marquette DDA says the downtown will also benefit from the collaboration.

"I do think we're becoming more and more a tourist-based economy that visitors coming into the area don't realize that there's a difference between the two business districts, so I think it would be advantageous to join the two together," says Lang.

In a few weeks, a consultant will be coming to the area to make recommendations for how Third Street can improve.  The Marquette DDA will then adopt the development plan for Third Street with a resolution to the City Commission.  Ultimately, they'll ask the commission to expand the DDA to include Third Street.

"It's just a larger group of independent businesses, really working to advocate for the larger business community and really join forces to promote Marquette as a destination," Lang says.

They're hoping to have the process completed by the middle of July.