Neighbors,
City Council meets on Thursday, August 8 at 7pm. Here are some updates before my preview of our agenda.
Primary Election Tomorrow, August 6
Tomorrow, August 6th is our Michigan state primary election. All polling places are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. If you're not already registered to vote, an Election Day Vote Center will be open at City Hall on Election Day from 7am - 8pm for voters registering to vote on Election Day. Voters who register on Election Day can receive a ballot and tabulate their vote at the Vote Center after registering to vote. The Vote Center is only available for newly registered voters.
To see your sample ballot, Ballotpedia makes it easy. Find your polling location here: https://tinyurl.com/2fcse6jy.
Ward 4 residents have the opportunity to re-elect my Ward mate, Jen Eyer. Sharp, incisive, and a champion for progressive policies around housing, transportation, and sustainability, she has my enthusiastic endorsement for re-election.
City Council Meeting, Thursday, August 8 at 7pm
Responses to Council Member Questions. Topics include:
415 Washington demolition
LED streetlight conversion
Agenda Highlights
Cost Sharing agreement between the City & County for the Barton/Bandemer Pedestrian Tunnel Project (CA-2). In January of 2024, the City and County signed a cost-sharing agreement to address the parties’ responsibilities and cost sharing allocation for Phase I of the project which consisted of the construction of the Border to Border Trail segment through Barton Nature Area. This agreement covers Phase II of the project and the construction of the pedestrian tunnel. The pedestrian tunnel will connect the new segment of B2B trail in Barton Nature Area with the existing B2B Trail network in Bandemer Park and extending to the east. The scope of work includes the pedestrian tunnel, the pathway connections to it, and renovation of an existing informal parking area. Construction of the tunnel is anticipated to be completed in summer/fall of 2025. This project is jointly funded by the City, the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission (“County”), and the non-profit Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative (“HWPI”) with each organization responsible for 1/3 of the cost of the project. The contracts for the work are CA-3 and CA-4 on our agenda.
Washtenaw/E Stadium Area Rezoning to TC-1 (C-1). Approval of this ordinance will designate 59 parcels covering 103 acres as TC1 in two areas along Washtenaw Avenue and East Stadium Boulevard. In the Washtenaw Avenue area, 41 parcels of land covering 88 acres, located between US 23 and Platt Road, are proposed to be rezoned to TC1 zoning designation. As part this rezoning, the north side of Washtenaw Avenue between US 23 and Glenwood Road is proposed to be designated Transit Corridor street type. On the south side of Washtenaw Avenue, Transit Corridor street type designation is proposed between US 23 and Pittsfield Boulevard, and between South Huron Parkway and Platt Road. In the East Stadium Boulevard area, 18 parcels covering 14.8 acres of land, generally between Washtenaw Avenue and St. Francis Boulevard, are proposed to be rezoned to TC1 zoning designation. As part of this rezoning, the south side of Washtenaw Avenue and both the north and south sides of East Stadium Boulevard within the proposed TC1 district is proposed to be designated as Transit Corridor street type. The TC1 (Transit Corridor) district is intended along existing transit corridors with regular fixed service provided by AAATA primarily on established commercial and office sites. It was created to facilitate, encourage, and support redevelopment and infill development to realize mixed use projects and achieve affordable housing, enable more housing choices, more sustainable forms of development, with reduced resource and energy needs.
LED Streetlight Conversion (DC-1). Council postponed this item from last meeting due to concerns raised by residents about the brightness of the proposed lights on local streets. A big part of the challenge is that DTE owns these lights and places restrictions on stocking "special order lights." Unfortunately, according to a staff memo published today, DTE is not willing to stock the lights themselves. Staff is still recommending that the City use 58W/2700K shielded fixtures as the typical fixture installed in this streetlight conversion project.
Background on this item from my last newsletter: As part of its A2Zero climate action goals around energy efficiency, the City seeks to convert DTE-owned and operated streetlights from high pressure sodium lights to LED. The projected cost to the City is $1.24M. Without a clear funding source for the upfront capital costs, in 2023 staff applied to and received a Carbon Reduction Program grant administered by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) to pay for $980k of the cost. DTE's standard LED light is both cooler and brighter than what is recommended for human health, wildlife, and climate goals. City staff were able to negotiate a work order with DTE for warmer color lights (2700K) than their standard as well as shielding at the time of installation to direct light downward. Both of these are consistent with Dark Sky principles. However, because this is considered a special order, DTE requires the City to stock and manage replacement lights in perpetuity. Staff has said that maintaining multiple lights--e.g. some 58W (completely appropriate on some of our arterials for pedestrian safety) and others 29W (more appropriate for local streets)--presents an operational challenge, both at installation time and on an ongoing basis. If the City does not pursue its own special LED conversion project, DTE will replace HPS lights with cold color LED lights (4000k) that range from 58W to 206W. I have fielded numerous complaints from residents when DTE has installed replacement 65W 4000k LED lights on local streets. As far as I know, DTE's response to complaints is to revert back to the (energy-inefficient, colder color temperature HPS light). Staff has recommended that we accept the SEMCOG grant funds to replace all of DTE's high pressure sodium lights to 2700K, 58W LEDs. The brightness of 58W LEDs on local streets has raised significant concern among dark sky advocates and residents.
Resolution Directing City Administrator to Negotiate Transfer of All State-Owned Trunklines within the City of Ann Arbor to the City of Ann Arbor (DC-2). In June, City Council held a work session on a trunkline transfer study conducted by Sam Schwartz consulting. Four state-controlled trunklines bisect the city: North Main Street and the Washtenaw Avenue/Huron Street/Jackson Avenue corridor. This has resulted in roads designed to prioritize motor vehicle throughput volume over all else, including safety and accommodating other forms of transit. The State has not previously been willing to work with the City to implement changes to improve these corridors. It's worth noting that since the time the Transfer Study was commissioned (late 2022) to the present time, one-third (12 out of 36) of all serious and fatal injury crashes in Ann Arbor have occurred on state trunklines, with six (out of 17) involving vulnerable road users. This resolution directs the City Administrator to negotiate with MDOT to transfer jurisdiction of all MDOT-controlled trunklines within the City’s limits to the City of Ann Arbor, while considering the cost to bring the trunklines up to a state of good repair. The study estimated that the cost MDOT would incur to bring the roadways up to a state of good repair is $82,083,000. According to the study, the benefits outweigh the costs on most segments of these trunklines. The estimated If this resolution passes, the negotiation work is likely to be lengthy and terms would need to come back to Council for approval.
Please reach out if you have questions, concerns, or thoughts on any of the agenda items. Email: DAkmon@A2gov.org | Phone/text: 734-492-5866
You can also communicate your thoughts via:
Email City Council: CityCouncil@a2gov.org
Comment at the meeting (remote or in person): Call the City Clerk's office at 734-794-6140 beginning at 8 a.m. on the day of the meeting to reserve a public speaking time. NOTE: you do not need to reserve time to speak during a "public hearing (PH)" item.
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