Dharma's Council Newsletter, July 5, 2026

Neighbors,

I hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend. City Council meets Monday, July 6th at 7 p.m. Here is a run-down of the agenda.

City Council Meeting, Monday, July 6th at 7 p.m.

• Meeting Agenda

• Agenda Response Memo: Council Member questions and staff answers

Agenda Highlights

ORDINANCES AT FIRST READING

• 315 W Huron PUD Rezoning and Supplemental Regulations (C-1). Council will consider the first reading of a rezoning request for approximately 0.84 acres at 301, 311, 315, 317, and 319 W. Huron Street and 102 and 106 S. First Street. The proposal would rezone the site from D2, Downtown Interface, to PUD, Planned Unit Development, to allow a 10-story, fully electric mixed-use development. The project includes 285 residential units, including 15% affordable units at 60% of Area Median Income, along with a coffee shop, rooftop bar, resident amenities, 106 parking spaces, EV charging, 84 Class-A bicycle parking spaces, rooftop solar, and public open space. The site is partly located in the floodplain fringe and sits next to the Ann Arbor Railroad and the historic Allmendinger Building. The PUD would allow the building to be organized more vertically, with a height of up to 128 feet, so the project can avoid more constrained areas of the site, provide additional separation from the Allmendinger Building, and create public open space. Planning staff found that the proposal meets the standards for PUD approval and provides public benefits, including affordable housing, sustainability features, reduced parking, a publicly accessible greenway/Treeline Trail connection between Washington and Huron, and approximately 2,500–3,000 square feet of public park space. The Planning Commission recommended approval on June 2 by a vote of 7-0. You can read more about the project on the City's Engage website.

• Oak Wilt Prevention Ordinance (C-4). Council will consider an ordinance to help prevent the occurrence and spread of oak wilt disease. Oak wilt is a lethal disease that can quickly kill healthy oak trees, spreads through beetles, connected root systems, and the movement of contaminated logs or firewood, and has been found on both public and private property in the city. The ordinance would prohibit pruning or trimming oak trees on private property, public property, rights-of-way, and utility easements between March 1 and December 1. During that same period, any wound to an oak tree caused by pruning, trimming, accident, or construction would need to be treated immediately, and no later than 24 hours, with tree-pruning sealant or latex paint. The ordinance also assigns responsibility to property owners, contractors, or the person who caused the wound, and requires removed oak trees or branches to be promptly chipped to less than 3 inches. Violations may be issued to the property owner, contractor, or person who committed the violation, with civil fines up to $1,000. (Sponsor: Watson)

NEW BUSINESS - COUNCIL

• Resolution to Strengthen Police Training, Police Planning, and to Develop Amendments to City Code to Protect Places of Religious Worship (DC-1). City Council will consider a resolution directing the City Administrator and City Attorney to take additional steps to protect access to places of religious worship while preserving First Amendment rights. The resolution would direct the City Administrator to strengthen training for Ann Arbor Police and other city employees on hate crimes, discrimination, First Amendment-protected activity, and relevant state and local laws. It would also require AAPD protest-related policies to be reviewed and updated as needed, with resulting updates shared with ICPOC. The resolution would also require the City Administrator, upon request from a religious group, to develop a response plan within 45 days for protests at a place of worship that involve violations of state or local law. Finally, it directs the City Attorney to bring forward ordinance amendments to explicitly prohibit disturbance of the peace at places of religious worship and to address interference with access to those places. (Sponsors: Taylor, Radina, Eyer, Harrison, Cornell)

I'd love to hear from you.

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!