Dharma's Council Newsletter, July 20, 2025

Neighbors,

City Council meets next on Monday, July 21 at 7 p.m. I'm hopping right into the agenda.

City Council Meeting, Monday, July 21 at 7 p.m.

• Meeting Agenda

• Responses to Council Member Questions

Agenda Highlights

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS

• Murals That Bridge Project on North Main (CA-10). City Council will vote on a second Murals That Bridge installation; this time on the North Main railroad overpass near M-14. If you’ve seen the mural at Huron and First, this is its companion piece. The project will transform another major gateway into a vibrant landmark, employing Michigan artists (including youth) and adding five years of maintenance. This will all be funded privately with no city dollars. Because the site is on a state trunkline, MDOT requires the City to apply for a permit and sign a maintenance agreement. This resolution authorizes those steps so work can begin this summer/fall.

• Seventh Street City-State Agreement (CA-13). This resolution would approve a contract between the City of Ann Arbor and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for the construction phase of the Seventh Street Capital Preventative Maintenance (CPM) Project between Miller Avenue and Lutz. The staff memo this week includes response to a question I asked about safety improvements related to Seventh that are part of our Federal Safe Streets for all grant. These safety improvements are independent of this project and will happen in 2026: "As part of the SS4A implementation, we plan to install a range of quick-build treatments along the corridor designed to support safer travel for all users. These include: Upgrading buffered bike lanes to protected bike lanes using vertical delineators; Pavement marking enhancements to increase visibility and safety; and Hardened centerline treatments at key intersections: 7th & Pauline; 7th & Stadium; 7th & Madison; 7th & Liberty."

PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS

You need not sign up in advance to comment on a public hearing item.

• UDC Amendment (Public Notices and Hearings) (PH-1). City Council will consider an ordinance to update how the City handles public notices and hearings for development projects. The goal is to create a clearer, more consistent process that remains transparent and ensures meaningful opportunities for public input. The changes standardize how and when notices are posted, mailed, and published, and remove the extra public hearing requirement for certain site plans at the Planning Commission. Public comment will continue to be welcomed on every site plan included on the agenda. The ordinance also updates language to be clearer and more inclusive and aligns our local rules with state law.

• UDC Ordinance - Citizen Participation (PH-2). City Council will consider updates to the Community Participation Ordinance to improve how and when residents are informed about new development projects. The changes would add digital notifications through city communication channels (in addition to required mailed notices), create a citywide calendar of participation meetings on the City’s website, and require these meetings to happen at the same time a site plan is submitted, so feedback is gathered when it can be most useful in the review process. Staff has provided a page summarizing the proposed changes. 

• 255-371 Scio Church, 2180 Ann Arbor-Saline Robertson Homes Conditional Zoning and Accompanying Site Plan Approval (PH-3 and PH-4). Approval of these two ordinances will rezone four recently annexed parcels (255, 315, 371 Scio Church Road, 2180 Ann Arbor-Saline Road) from TWP (Township) to R4E with conditions (Multiple-Family Residential) and accept conditions to limit the maximum height to 50 feet in this district. The site plan would enable the parcels to be redeveloped for 75 attached townhomes with 150 garage vehicle spaces and 17 surface spaces

  The City’s Comprehensive Plan for this area calls for attached single-family housing, and the proposed R4E zoning supports that vision. In addition, the developer has agreed to conditions that significantly limit the project’s overall intensity compared to what R4E would normally allow. While the zoning district permits buildings up to 50 feet in height, the proposed townhomes will be about 34 feet to the roofline, with rooftop decks reaching approximately 40 feet. These height and design limits, combined with setbacks greater than required (25+ feet), substantial tree screening, and an 8-foot privacy fence, are intended to reduce impacts on neighboring properties. With these conditions in place, staff and the Planning Commission have determined that the proposed zoning is appropriate and consistent with the City’s adopted land use policies.

• Resolution Regarding the Draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan (DC-3). City Council has received extensive feedback on the draft comprehensive land use plan and this resolution. I appreciate the energy, engagement, and expertise residents have brought to this conversation. On this resolution, I’ve heard concerns about the “near-campus” language. I understand why it raises equity questions, and I support removing it. At the same time, we can’t ignore the significant pressure the University puts on our housing market, which pushes many residents out. The City must take deliberate steps that will lead to the creation a range of housing options for students, families, young couples, empty nesters, and retirees so our community remains dynamic and welcoming. This resolution makes clear that duplexes and triplexes will be allowed throughout low-density residential areas (what is currently R1 and R2) in our comprehensive land use plan, with no carve-outs (note: these changes will still require zoning revisions after the plan is passed). Some have raised concerns that a unit cap is too restrictive when the draft already uses form-based controls, which regulate building size and shape rather than the number of units inside. But my conversations with residents show the need for clarity in plain language. Without it, misinformation and fear take hold, and that helps no one. As I’ve said before, I am committed to addressing equity, sustainability, and the rapid rise in housing costs. That will require the whole city’s participation. It means allowing multi-family housing in neighborhoods that currently only permit single-family homes, using form-based tools like lot coverage and maximum structure size so new homes fit a low-rise residential context. And it means concentrating higher-density housing downtown and along our corridors. This approach strikes the right balance to move us forward and make real progress possible. (Sponsors: Taylor and Councilmembers Disch, Watson, Eyer and Radina)

I'd love to hear from you.Feel free to reach out any time with your questions, concerns, or ideas:Email: DAkmon@a2gov.orgPhone/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!