Dharma's Council Newsletter, September 14, 2025

Neighbors,

City Council meets next on Monday, September 15 at 7 p.m. Before my agenda highlights, I have a few updates to share.

Ward 4 Listening Hour, September 28

CM Eyer and I are hosting our next Ward 4 constituent coffee hour on Sunday, September 28 from 10-11 a.m. at York (1928 Packard). RSVP, or just show up!

Annual Green Fair, September 19

Ann Arbor’s Green Fair is celebrating its 25th year on Friday, Sept. 19, from 5-8 p.m. and Main Street will be closed for the occasion. There will be electric vehicles to explore, a clothing swap, local food, games, raffle prizes, and lots of chances to connect with folks working on sustainability. Hope to see you there. More details are at: https://www.a2gov.org/sustainability-innovations-home/newsletter-events/a2zero-green-fair/

LED Streetlight Conversion Project Has Started

Starting in mid-July, DTE began converting the city’s remaining non-LED streetlights to LED as part of the citywide Streetlight Conversion project, which will run through the end of 2025. More than 3,700 new fixtures will be installed: 58W LEDs on major streets, school zones, intersections, and public lots, and 48W LEDs on local streets. Each light will include a house-side shield to reduce light spill into homes and yards.

Based on community input and Council discussions last summer, staff directed DTE to use a warmer 2700K color temperature and to prioritize the lower-wattage 48W fixtures on residential streets. The changes will improve lighting quality, cut energy use, and save money over time. DTE will be providing regular updates, and you can follow along or report issues at engage.a2gov.org/led-streetlight-conversion-project.

Listen to my interview about this project on WEMU's Issues of the Environment.

City Council Meeting, Monday, September 15 at 7 p.m.

• Meeting Agenda

• Responses to Council Member Questions

Agenda Highlights

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS

• Resolution to Authorize the City Administrator to Negotiate the Sale and Development of 415 West Washington Street and 309 South Ashley Street (CA-16). Council will vote on whether to authorize the City Administrator to negotiate the sale and redevelopment of two City-owned downtown parcels: Kline’s Lot at 309 S. Ashley and 415 W. Washington. After a competitive process led by our broker, CBRE, staff are recommending Hines Development as the preferred bidder for Kline’s Lot and BaseBld for 415 W. Washington. Both proposals emphasize housing, sustainability, and strong financial terms. If Council approves this resolution, the City Administrator will move forward with negotiations, with any final agreements returning to Council for approval before a sale occurs.

  • For 415 Washington, any development must conform with PUD arrived at through extensive community input and approved by City Council:

    • Remediate the contaminated brownfield site 

    • Build a segment of the Treeline Trail 

    • Provide affordable housing 

    • Preserve the chimney for chimney swift habitat 

    • Contribute to the character of the Old West Side Historic District 

    • Improve the floodplain from the existing condition

    • Base bid would also has an offer Price of $2,000,000; would build 100 units in two phases. 15% of the units would be affordable at 60% AMI. They also propose context-sensitive mid-century modern architectural style and emphasis on sustainability features

  •  For the Kline Lot, Hines has proposed the following:

• Offer Price: $17,451,000 (minimum $14,175,000, sale price tied to unit count)

  • Two 180-foot towers, each with 277 housing units and 5,000 sq ft of ground-floor retail

  • Will conduct a parking market study; indicate some current surface parking will remain available for public use even after tower 1 is up, before tower 2 commences

ORDINANCES AT FIRST READING

• The Crescent Rezoning (C-1). Council will hold the first reading of a rezoning request for 2525 Ann Arbor-Saline Road, a long-vacant 4.16-acre site next to Cranbrook Village. The proposal, called The Crescent, would rezone the property from Office to R4E (multiple-family) to allow a five-story, 262-unit apartment building with underground parking, bike storage, and resident amenities. Staff recommend approval, noting the site’s proximity to major roads, shopping, and transit makes it a strong location for high-density housing. The plan includes a new crosswalk across Ann Arbor-Saline Road, a redesigned and narrowed curb cut at Ann Arbor-Saline to improve pedestrian safety, and a crosswalk across Oakbrook Drive to connect to Cranbrook Park. In response to resident concerns, I asked staff several questions on this item. You can find their responses in the agenda memo. If this passes first reading, the rezoning and site plan will return to Council for a second reading and vote later this fall. Planning Commission recommended approval in a 6-1 vote.

• 1007 Woodlawn Ave Rezoning (C-2). City Council will take up a first reading ordinance to rezone a small parcel at 1007 Woodlawn Avenue, just off Packard. Right now the lot is technically zoned P (Parking), a designation the City used decades ago to buffer between commercial and residential areas before we had better landscaping and screening standards. The land was recently divided between Argus Farm Stop and the Zen Buddhist Temple, and this rezoning would bring it in line with the rest of the block by making it C1 (Local Commercial). That makes the zoning map more consistent with existing uses and avoids leaving a leftover “parking” designation that no longer makes sense. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval last month.

• Ordinance to Amend Chapter 14 (Purchasing, Contracting and Selling Procedure) (C-3). Council will consider an ordinance to change our purchasing rules. The proposal raises the threshold for contracts requiring Council approval from $75,000 to $90,000, shifting about 25 purchases a year (less than 3% of the total) out of Council oversight, in response to inflation. It would also allow future inflation-based increases to happen automatically, without Council approval. The ordinance makes similar changes for surplus property: Council approval would only be needed for sales over $90,000, and the Purchasing Agent could dispose of items under $5,000 without bids. Finally, it would give Council discretion on how to judge “best value” in real estate public-private partnership contracts. Council members asked several questions about this item, and you can find staff responses in the agenda memo.

  CITY COUNCIL SPONSORED RESOLUTIONS

• Resolution to Affirm City's Support of the Treeline Trail Project (DC-4). City Council is asked to reaffirm support for the Treeline Trail, a long-term project to create a greenway along Allen Creek and connect the Huron River back into downtown. The Treeline Conservancy is leading the effort, and this resolution comes as they prepare to fundraise for the “North Segment,” stretching from the Allen Creek Berm Opening Tunnel to 721 North Main. The City’s role at this stage is limited to issuing an RFP for design and engineering services, consistent with the 2019 collaborative agreement with the Conservancy. This resolution formally signals Council’s support for the Conservancy’s next phase of work. You can read more about their most recent plans on MLive.  (Sponsor: Taylor)

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!