Dharma's Council Newsletter, January 31, 2026

Neighbors,

City Council meets Monday, February 2nd at 7 p.m.

Like so many in our community, I am deeply disturbed by Department of Homeland Security and ICE actions across the country. Heavy-handed enforcement of civil law, indiscriminate raids, lack of transparency, and disregard for basic due process undermine civil rights and erode trust in government. Reports of people being unlawfully detained, abused in detention centers, and deported to places where they face real danger are unacceptable in a country that claims to value human dignity and the rule of law. Americans do not want armed, masked federal agents pulling parents away from their children, targeting people for removal who have committed no crime, or responding to protests with violence as happened when federal agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

City Council is stepping up with a resolution this week that reaffirms Ann Arbor’s longstanding policy against using city resources for civil immigration enforcement, bans federal agents from using city lots as staging areas, requires clear signage on public property to deter operations, and provides templates for private landowners to protect their spaces. It also pushes for identifiable federal agents (no masks; visible badges) pending active litigation on the topic in California. I also urge you to contact our representatives in Congress and oppose adding more money to ICE’s already massive budget without meaningful oversight and binding reforms to stop its abusive, illegal actions.

City Council Meeting, Monday, February 2 at 7 p.m.

• Meeting Agenda

• Responses to Council Member Questions

Agenda Highlights

PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS

• Ordinance Change for Rental Application Fees, Pre-tenancy Fees, and Tenancy Fees (PH-1). City Council will vote on an ordinance to curb hidden and predatory rental fees. The changes would ban pre tenancy fees like move in, holding, or option fees. It also requires mandatory fees to be included in the advertised rent so renters can see the true cost upfront. These changes would apply to new and renewed leases beginning August 1, 2026 in time for the next major rental cycle. (Sponsors: Radina, Harrison, Taylor, Cornell, Ghazi Edwin)

• 201 N Main Street Curb Cut Closure (PH-2). City Council will be voting on a resolution to close the curb cut at 201 North Main Street on Ann Street as part of the Ann Street Improvements Project. The existing curb cut creates a documented safety hazard, with cars routinely blocking the sidewalk and forcing pedestrians into the street near a crosswalk. City staff and an independent engineering review found the conditions unsafe for people walking, biking, and driving and inconsistent with Vision Zero standards.

• Proposed Amendment to the Boundaries of The Ann Arbor Downtown District and to The Development Plan and Tax Increment Financing Plan (PH-3). City Council is considering an amendment to the Downtown Development Authority’s Development Plan and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Plan. The proposal would expand the DDA boundary to the north for the first time since the DDA was created more than 40 years ago and update the long-term plan that guides how DDA funds are invested. The boundary expansion would allow the DDA to invest in critical infrastructure and public improvements in areas that function as part of downtown today, including North Main Street, nearby riverfront areas, and key transportation and bikeway connections. These projects would otherwise be delayed for many years if funded solely through the City’s regular capital improvement process.The amended Development and TIF Plan outlines priorities for the next several decades, including streets and sidewalks, utilities, public spaces, accessibility improvements, climate and energy investments, and support for affordable housing downtown. The proposed plan would also fund a new Downtown Service Team to keep downtown clean and well-maintained. Another key change is a revised revenue-sharing model that would allow the City and other taxing jurisdictions to continue receiving growth in tax revenues while providing the DDA with the capacity needed to take on expanded infrastructure responsibilities (DDA's growth has been capped at 3.5% annually). If it passes, this public hearing opens a 60-day public comment period.

ORDINANCE CHANGES - FIRST READING

• The Dean (558 S Fifth Ave) Rezoning with Conditions (C-2). Council will consider a rezoning request for a 41,461-square-foot site on East Madison Street between South Fourth and Fifth Avenues. The proposal would change the zoning from a mix of residential and limited industrial to D1 (Downtown Core) with a Midtown character overlay and Secondary Street frontage, allowing a high-rise residential building (14-stories with approximately 180 apartments). The Planning Commission found the rezoning consistent with surrounding uses and the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Of three voluntary conditions originally offered, the Commission recommended accepting only a 10-foot setback where the site abuts residential zoning, noting that height limits and design standards are already addressed by existing regulations. The applicant has since revised the request to include only the setback.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS - COUNCIL

• Arbor South Brownfield Plan (DC-1). City Council voted to postpone this item at the last meeting so that staff could come back with an updated development agreement. Staff answered several Council questions regarding this plan absent the public private partnership agreement presented previously. Staff reports that eligible Brownfield costs equal about 31% of total construction costs, excluding the sewer trunkline and interest. While state law allows interest on unreimbursed eligible costs, increasing the potential reimbursement to roughly $329 million, staff cautions that this overstates the public share because it does not account for the developer’s financing costs. When financing is considered on both sides, the effective public/private ratio remains approximately 31%. From my last newsletter: This project has been before City Council in various forms for more than a year, often involving both a Brownfield Plan and a proposed public-private partnership (PPA) for City-owned parking structures. The item on this agenda is narrower. Council is not being asked to approve a PPA or commit the City to building or owning parking garages. Instead, this vote is limited to whether to approve the Brownfield Plan that establishes how tax increment financing would be structured and prioritized for the Arbor South development. Under the plan, future property tax growth could be captured for up to 30 years, with parking structures designated as the highest reimbursement priority. City staff estimates parking-related eligible costs at approximately $185 million including interest. Other infrastructure such as streets, utilities, bike and pedestrian improvements, and a proposed sewer trunkline expansion would be reimbursed only after parking costs are paid, and only if sufficient tax increment remains. City staff evaluated the proposal against Ann Arbor’s Brownfield Policy, which generally seeks a reasonable balance between private investment and public participation. The first criteria that must be met is: "Developer-reimbursable Brownfield TIF shall not exceed 20% of overall project investment." In the staff report, staff acknowledges that the scale of public tax increment financing proposed for Arbor South significantly exceeds the City’s typical benchmark when compared to private investment. However, they recommend approval stating, "This project, however, has been contemplated as a public-private partnership involving substantial City investment, although the ultimate extent of City participation has not yet been determined. Regardless of the City’s ultimate role, the Plan proposes a significant public tax increment financing investment due to the exceptional scale of infrastructure required to support the development and the magnitude of the public benefits the project is expected to deliver. Given these factors, the level of public investment necessary to realize these outcomes is not expected to align with the 20 percent benchmark, whether or not the City ultimately participates as a financial partner." For me, this raises two concerns. First, approving a project-specific exception to a clear policy guardrail sets a difficult precedent. Second, the plan prioritizes public reimbursement for parking structures ahead of other public infrastructure needs. Given the length of the capture period and the scale of the proposed reimbursement, these choices will shape the City’s fiscal and transportation priorities for decades. For those reasons, I will vote no.

• Resolution Reaffirming the City of Ann Arbor's Policy Regarding Civil Immigration Enforcement and Mitigating Erratic Lawless Tactics with Intentional City Efforts (DC-3). As I discussed in the intro to my newsletter above, this resolution reaffirms Ann Arbor’s longstanding policy against using city resources for civil immigration enforcement, bans federal agents from using city lots as staging areas, requires clear signage on public property to deter operations, and provides templates for private landowners to protect their spaces. (Sponsors: Cynthia Harrison, Christopher Taylor, Travis Radina, Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, Erica Briggs)

Feel free to reach out any time with your questions, concerns, or ideas:

Email: DAkmon@a2gov.org

Phone/Text: 734-492-5866

There are also several ways to share your thoughts with the full City Council:

• Submit an eComment online

• Email all of Council: CityCouncil@a2gov.org

• Speak at a Council meeting (in person or remote): Call the City Clerk’s office at 734-794-6140 starting at 8 a.m. on the day of the meeting to reserve a speaking time. Note: You do not need to reserve time to speak during a formal public hearing.

Thank you for staying informed and engaged!