Quinn Evans Architects worked on the Justice Center/city hall renovations. Dick Mitchell has worked on a variety of other high-profile projects, however, including the Fourth & Washington parking structure and preliminary designs for the Fuller Road Station. Last month he also was appointed to the downtown design guidelines task force, which will review and make recommendations regarding improvements to the design review process.

Both Quinn Evans and Mitchell & Mouat have other connections to city government. Ken Clein, a principal with Quinn Evans, serves on the city’s planning commission. John Mouat, a partner with Mitchell & Mouat, is a member of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board.

Here’s an excerpt:

Noting that it’s not in the planning commission’s purview, Erica Briggs said she felt compelled to weigh in with her frustration over the building’s design. The inward-focused design reflects a lack of desire to be pedestrian-oriented. In thinking of the city’s long-term goals, it seems likely that Fifth Avenue will have traffic-calming measures at some point. It’s frustrating that the house doesn’t include “eyes on the street” in some capacity. The design seems very insulated, and it’s not necessary to be that way, she said.

Because the site is in the Old Fourth Ward historic district, the site plan also was reviewed by the city’s historic district commission, which issued a certificate of appropriateness for it.

It’s close to being a nice (if huge) house.. Pop it up three feet and replace one of those main floor front windows with a front door and porch…