Neighbors, Our next City Council meeting takes place on Monday, July 17th. Before I get to a preview of our agenda, here are some updates about things going on around Ann Arbor.
Summer Parkside Constituent Hours I'm going to hold my monthly constituent hours at a variety of parks over the summer. Please bring a blanket or chair (I will try to secure whatever picnic table is available) and your choice of beverage and join me to talk about City Council and what matters to you (in case of rain, we will move to York on Packard),
TODAY 10am-11am at Mushroom Park: MOVED TO YORK DUE TO WEATHER
Saturday, August 19th 10am-11am at Allmendinger Park
Sunday, September 17th 10am-11am at Esch Park
Townie Street Party, July 16th The annual pre-Art Fair party is back! From 10am-6pm on Sunday, July 16th, join the street party on East Washington between Thayer and Fletcher. To learn more, visit: http://towniestreetparty.com/. Ann Arbor Art Fair, July 20-22 Three art fairs in one, the 2023 Ann Arbor Art Fair is less than a week away: https://www.theannarborartfair.com/#2023artfair. Allmendinger Park Playground Project Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation staff are excited to announce the improvement and expansion of the (Ward 4) Allmendinger Park playground will begin the week of July 24th. Community members provided feedback last year after a round of public engagement opportunities asking users what they'd like to see changed and added. Construction is expected to take four weeks (weather permitting). Many new features will be added including a new slide structure, nature and woodland themed climbing features, and a log crawl.
City Council Meeting, Thursday, July 17th at 7pm 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
There are a few ways to share your thoughts on agenda:
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" item.
Here are a few items of note from our agenda.
Consent Agenda
CA-6 Traffic Calming Devices on Granger Avenue (S. Forest Avenue to Olivia Avenue) ($40,000.00). This is for the installation of traffic calming devices on Granger Avenue between S. Forest Avenue to Olivia Avenue. The traffic calming plan includes two raised crosswalks as shown on the final plan attached to the agenda item. If approved, installation will take place Fall 2023 or Spring 2024.
CA-9 Resolution to Sell 350 S. Fifth to the Ann Arbor Housing Development Corporation ($6,200,000.00). This is a resolution for the City of Ann Arbor to sell what's commonly referred to as the "Y-lot" (across from the downtown branch of the public library) to the Ann Arbor Housing Commission. The City of Ann Arbor currently owns the lot, owing a debt of $5.2M on it that was incurred when the property was repurchased (after having been sold) with the purpose to build affordable housing on the site. The fair market value of the property has been assessed at $6.2M. The funding sources for acquisition from the City include $1,000.000.00 City ARPA funds and $5,200,000.00 City Affordable Housing Millage funds that have previously been granted to the AAHC. There were several councilmember questions about this item that you can read in the Agenda Response Memo to Councilmember questions.
Public Hearings/Ordinances at Second Reading
PH-1 1140 Broadway/Beekman on Broadway Rezoning. The 6.4-acre site at the northeast corner of Maiden Lane and Broadway Street was rezoned to C1A/R With Conditions (Campus Business Residential) on December 4, 2017. The applicant offered, and City Council accepted, conditions to limit the maximum height to eight stories and 100 feet for most of the site, and a maximum height of four stories and 60 feet nearest Traver Creek. A Conditional Zoning Statement of Conditions was executed and recorded. This means that Council approval is needed both for the change to the zoning with conditions (this item) and the new site plan (the next item). Both Planning Commission and City Planning staff have recommended approval of the change. The full staff report details the history of this development.
PH-2 999 Maiden Lane Site Plan and First Amendment of Development Agreement. The developer seeks to construct a 7- story, 196-unit apartment building where a similar building made up of 86 condos was planned in the original condition zoning (see item above). Both Planning Commission and City Planning staff have recommended approval of the change, though Transportation staff recommends denial of the new site plan because information to validate the original multi-modal transportation impact analysis is outstanding/incomplete. Read Transportation staff's review, which was also part of Planning Commission and Planning staff review.
Ordinances at First Reading
C-1 An Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Map, Being a Part of Section 5.10.2 of Chapter 55 of Title V of the Code of the City of Ann Arbor, Zoning of 11 City-Initiated, Annexed Parcels On Newport Road, Bird Road, and Victoria Circle from TWP (Township) to R1D (Single-Family Dwelling District). This ordinance approves City zoning district designation for eleven township parcels that have been annexed into the City of Ann Arbor. This ordinance will zone each of the 11 parcels R1D (Single-Family Dwelling). The Planning Commission recommended on May 16, 2023, that the 11 parcels be zoned R1D to allow increased opportunities to divide the properties to create additional sites for housing. The proposed R1D is distinct from the surrounding R1A zoning but the single family use is consistent with the recommendations in the City’s Comprehensive Plan: Land Use Element.
How Council Voted The Ann Arbor Voting Charts Project is a community-maintained record of voting history for City Council. Check out the July 6th, 2023 Voting Chart.