Civic News Ticker

A proposed residential development spanning North Main to North Fourth – on the site of the former St. Nicholas Church – is moving ahead, following action by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its May 21, 2013 meeting.

Commissioners recommended approval of several items for the Kerrytown Place project: (1) rezoning the sites at 414 N. Main and 401 N. Fourth Ave. to D2 (downtown interface), with a “secondary street” building frontage designation; (2) modifying the city’s landscape ordinance to allow interior landscape islands outside of the perimeter of the “vehicular use” area; and (3) approving site plans and development agreements for both sites. Staff had recommended approval for all items.

The parcels are located at 402, 408 and 414 N. Main and 401 N. Fourth. All parcels are currently zoned for The Gallery planned unit development (PUD), a type of customized zoning for a residential project that was never built.

For the North Main section, developer Tom Fitzsimmons plans to build a 16-unit townhouse building with an underground parking garage, 12 carport parking spaces and 24 surface parking spaces. The townhouse building is designed with two short towers on a base of underground garages. A 3-story tower on the west side, fronting Main Street, will have 8 dwelling units. A 4-story tower on the east side will have 8 additional dwelling units, which will  face a central courtyard located between the two towers. A pedestrian walkway will run between North Main and North Fourth, on the north side of a surface parking lot, which will be located on the south side of the development.

On the North Fourth site – now a surface parking lot – the plan calls for constructing a duplex with a 2-car garage for each unit and a 21-space parking lot. Each unit of the duplex would face North Fourth.

One major wrinkle of this project is that McKinley Inc. – which owns the property adjacent to 414 N. Main – holds an easement for 57 parking spaces on the Kerrytown Place site. Those spaces will be provided on the development’s surface parking lots. Fitzsimmons told commissioners that finding a way to accommodate the easement requirements into the design had been “challenging.”

The total project is estimated to cost about $11.8 million. According to a planning staff memo, the site layout and architectural design were influenced by the Johnson Street Townhomes in Portland, Oregon and the Wickliffe Place condo development in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown neighborhood.

The project will be forwarded to the city council for consideration.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 N. Main. A more detailed report will follow.

Following advice from city staff, the Ann Arbor planning commission voted to recommend denial of a rezoning request for 2271 S. State St., where owners would like to locate an auto dealership. The vote was 1-8, drawing support only from Eric Mahler. However, the commission did waive an area plan requirement for the site, an action that will allow for a certain amount of auto sales at that location. The waiver was approved on a 7-2 vote, with dissent from Kirk Westphal and Wendy Woods.

The project had previously been on the commission’s Dec. 18, 2012 agenda, when action was postponed.

The 2.24-acre site is located on the east side of South State, across the street from a University of Michigan tennis facility. Most recently, Pilar’s Tamales restaurant was located there, though that building is now vacant. The owner, Capital Investment Co., requested rezoning from M1 (limited industrial) to M1A (limited light industrial) so that an auto dealership could be located there. The plan calls for renovating an existing 1,868-square-foot building that fronts South State, to use as a sales office, while using the rear warehouse as an auto repair shop. Repaired cars would be stored and sold in the front parking lot.

The city’s master plan discourages commercial uses along South State, except for the sites adjacent to the Stimson and South Industrial commercial area. And a new corridor plan for South State recommends a mix of office and residential uses for that area. Earlier in the May 21, 2013 meeting, commissioners had voted to recommend adding the South State Street Corridor plan to the city’s master plan, as an amendment to the plan’s land use element.

The only speaker during a public hearing was local attorney Scott Munzel, representing the owner. Among other things, he noted that the intent is for a small, non-conventional auto dealership. The site isn’t conducive to a traditional dealership – it’s long and narrow, and difficult to develop, especially in the current market. He indicated that it would likely be a short-term use until the site is developed for a different purpose.

Some commissioners leaned toward approval, saying it would be good to have some kind of use on the long-vacant site. But others expressed concern that it didn’t fit with the goals of the corridor, and that it could set a precedent for other rezoning requests.

According to a staff memo, regardless of the outcome of the rezoning request, the owner still needs to resolve several compliance issues related to the existing site plan, including lack of required landscaping, an unfinished building foundation, deteriorated driveways, and stormwater drainage problems. Owners also need to submit a re-occupancy permit that would require approval by the city’s building department, and the site would need to be brought into compliance before a new business could open there. The property is located in Ward 4.

It would be possible for the owner to bring the rezoning request to city council, even though it received a recommendation of denial by the planning commission.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 N. Main. A more detailed report will follow.

Items related to the city’s master plan were on the May 21, 2013 agenda for the Ann Arbor planning commission.

A public hearing was held during the meeting to get input on any changes that residents might want to see in the city’s master plan. Such a review is required by the planning commission’s bylaws to be done each May. The hearing drew six speakers on a range of topics, including development in Lowertown, a park in downtown Ann Arbor, and adequate sidewalks cleared of vegetation so that kids can walk to school safely.

By way of background, there are seven documents that constitute the city’s master plan: (1) sustainability framework – adopted in 2013; (2) parks and recreation open space (PROS) plan – adopted in 2011; (3) land use element – adopted in 2009; (4) downtown plan – adopted in 2009; (5) transportation plan update – adopted in 2009; (6) non-motorized transportation plan – adopted in 2007; and (7) natural features master plan – adopted in 2004.

There is also a list of resource documents that are used to support the master plan. [.pdf of resource document list] The most recent addition to this list was made by the planning commission at its March 5, 2013 meeting, when commissioners added the Connecting William Street report, which had been developed by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. Commissioners spent a fair amount of time discussing why the Calthorpe report isn’t included on the list. That was a question raised during the public hearing by former planning commissioner Ethel “Eppie” Potts. The commission appeared to reach consensus that it would be worth reviewing the entire list of resource documents.

Planning staff recommended postponing action on the master plan review, pending discussion of work plan priorities for staff and the commission, as well as to give the commission additional time to consider comments heard during the public hearing. Commissioners voted to postpone action until their June 18 meeting.

Also on May 21, the commission held a public hearing to get input on the South State Street Corridor plan, as a possible addition to the city’s master plan. Commissioners and staff have been working on this project for more than two years. No one spoke during the hearing.

After some discussion, planning commissioners voted to add the South State Street Corridor plan to the city’s master plan, as an amendment to the plan’s land use element. In a separate vote, they recommended that city council also adopt the plan into the master plan’s land use element.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 N. Main. A more detailed report will follow.

A surface parking lot at the Ann Arbor farmers market is getting an upgrade, paid for with $8,280 from the market fund balance. The city’s park advisory commission recommended the appropriation at its May 21, 2013 meeting.

The Ann Arbor public market advisory commission had recommended the work and appropriation at its April 18, 2013 meeting. According to a staff memo, the work would include “saw cutting and stripping the asphalt, grading the existing aggregate, and adding 3 inches of asphalt mix.” It’s a short-term approach intended to tide over the lot until longer-term improvements at the market are determined.

The lot is known informally as the “sand lot,” but parks & recreation manager Colin Smith noted that it’s actually built from a variety of materials, including asphalt. “It’s not some place where you’d be playing volleyball, let’s put it that way,” Smith said.

The project is already underway and initially will be paid for out of proceeds from the parks maintenance and capital improvement millage, to be reimbursed from the market fund balance. The total market fund balance as of Feb. 28, 2013 was $684,145.

The public market – located in Kerrytown, north of Catherine between Fourth and Fifth avenues – is part of the city’s parks & recreation unit, but operates as an enterprise fund. That means the intent is for the operation to be self-sufficient, without support from the city’s general fund. The market manager is Sarah DeWitt.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

In a unanimous vote, Bob Galardi was elected chair of the budget & finance committee for the Ann Arbor park advisory commission at PAC’s May 21, 2013 meeting. He has served on that committee since soon after being appointed to PAC in July of 2012. He was nominated by PAC chair Julie Grand to replace Tim Doyle as committee chair, following the end of Doyle’s term on PAC earlier this month.

Galardi’s term as committee chair will run until PAC’s September meeting, when the commission elects all officers.

Jennifer Geer – Doyle’s replacement on PAC – was confirmed by the city council the previous evening but did not attend PAC’s May 21 PAC meeting.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

A roof replacement is in the works for the city of Ann Arbor’s Mack indoor pool, located within the Ann Arbor Open school near the corner of Miller and Brooks. At their May 21, 2031 meeting, the Ann Arbor park advisory commission recommended awarding a contract to Pranam GlobalTech Inc. for $193,000 to cover the roof replacement and painting refurbishment. A 10% construction contingency brings the project’s budget to $212,300.

Pranam provided the lowest of two bids. The other bidder was Wm. Molnar Roofing Co. Inc., which bid $271,319 for the work. Pranam was previously selected to replace the roof at Veterans Memorial Park Ice Arena. The contract for that project was approved by the city council at its May 20, 2013 meeting.

According to parks staff, the existing roof from the early 1990s was expected to last just 15 years. There are leaks and rusted steel lintels and joists, which need to be replaced. The project also includes removing rust and painting the pool ceiling and joists.

Funding for the project is available from two sources: (1) $186,088 from the fund balance of the parks maintenance and capital improvements millage; and (2) $26,212 from the Ann Arbor Public Schools, which pays annually into a capital facilities escrow account earmarked for Mack Pool.

The work will be done in June and July, while school is out of session. The pool is not open during the summer months.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

Appointments to the city’s greenbelt advisory commission (GAC), the board of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA), and the city planning commission have been confirmed by the Ann Arbor city council in action taken at its May 20, 2013 meeting. Receiving confirmation from the council were Stephanie Buttrey (GAC), Susan Baskett (AATA board) and Paras Parekh (planning commission).

Buttrey had been nominated at the council’s May 6 meeting. She’s an engineer and retired Chrysler executive. She’ll serve out the remainder of Liz Rother’s term, through June 30, 2014.

Baskett currently serves as a trustee on the board of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, an elected position. She’s worked with a committee to replace some school bus routes with AATA service. Her confirmation by the council was 11-0, unlike the 7-4 vote taken a week earlier on May 13, 2013 on Eric Mahler’s appointment to the AATA board. Mahler’s term on the planning commission currently ends this summer and he won’t continue in that position after accepting appointment on the AATA board.

Replacing Mahler on the planning commission is Paras Parekh, whose confirmation was unanimous. Parekh is currently director of marketing and membership for the University of Michigan alumni association. His undergrad degree in economics is from UM. He has worked in marketing for a bit more than a decade, and spent two years as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives working for Congresswoman Lynn Rivers.

The council also confirmed Jennifer Geer as Tim Doyle’s replacement on the park advisory commission.

Also nominated at the May 20 meeting for service on GAC was Jennifer Fike, who is finance director of the Huron River Watershed Council. She would replace Laura Rubin, HRWC’s executive director, whose term on the commission ends in June. Fike attended the April 4, 2013 meeting of the commission to introduce herself and express her interest in serving. Nominations for GAC are made by the city council, not by the mayor. The procedure followed by the council is to place on the agenda a resolution making the appointment at one council meeting, but postpone it until the following meeting. For mayoral nominations, the names are placed before the council at a meeting as a communications item – on which no council vote is required. The confirmation vote takes place at a subsequent meeting.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

Water, sewer and stormwater rate increases have received initial approval from the Ann Arbor city council. The initial action came at the council’s May 20, 2013 meeting.

In terms of revenue generated to the city, the rate increases are expected to generate 3.55% more for drinking water ($739,244), 4.25% more for the sanitary sewer ($955,531), and 4% more for stormwater ($233,811). [.pdf of complete utility rate changes as proposed]

According to the city, the rate increases are needed to maintain debt service coverage and to maintain funding for required capital improvements. The city estimates that the impact on an average customer will be a $20.66 per year increase in total utility charges.

The city’s drinking water charges are based on a “unit” of 100 cubic feet – 748 gallons. Charges for residential customers are divided into tiers, based on usage. For example, the first seven units of water for residential customers have been charged at a rate of $1.31 per unit and are proposed to be increased to $1.35 per unit. Since 2004 the city has used four tiers of rates, based on usage. For this year, however, the amount charged for the top tier – for usage over 45 units – is proposed to be collapsed into the next lower tier. Currently the top tier is charged at $6.78, but is proposed to drop to the third tier rate of $4.88.

Sewer rates are charged as a function of water usage. The commodity rate is proposed to increase from $3.48 to $3.65.

The city’s stormwater rates are based on the amount of impervious area on a parcel and are billed quarterly. For example, the lowest tier – for impervious area less than 2,187 square feet – has been $13.68 per quarter. Under the new rate structure, that increases to $14.20.

Water usage for Ann Arbor city residents is available on the city’s website. [You'll need your account number to access information.]

The increased rates will require a second and final approval from the city council after a public hearing.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

A task force that would consist of up to nine members has been established by the Ann Arbor city council to reflect on “core values, priorities, and activities regarding economic development and identifying operations that may be duplicative, resources including funding, and opportunities for collaboration …” The task force will draw two or three members from the city of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor SPARK and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.

The resolution, which the city council approved at its May 20, 2013 meeting, named the city’s representatives to the task force: city administrator Steve Powers, Sally Petersen (Ward 2) and Marcia Higgins (Ward 4). Higgins and Petersen had sponsored the resolution. It had grown out of an idea to establish a task force to review the Ann Arbor DDA in the context of proposed changes to the city ordinance governing the DDA. Those changes, which would clarify existing language in the ordinance that limits the DDA’s tax increment finance capture, have been postponed by the council until Sept. 3.

In more detail, the task force is supposed to do the following:

• Provide clarity, alignment and specificity on economic development policy and objectives for fiscal year 2014 toward accomplishing city council’s success statement for Economic Development.
• Provide for strategic alignment of priorities between the Task Force member entities.
• Highlight cost sharing and maximizing of resource utilization.
• Identify options for sustaining, modifying, or eliminating operations in a financially-responsible manner through efficiencies and/or partnerships as part of a cohesive economic development plan for the city.

The “success statement” mentioned in the resolution was crafted by the city council at a budget retreat held in late 2012. At that retreat, economic development was identified as one of five priorities. The others where fiscal discipline, public safety, infrastructure and affordable housing. The problem and success statements for economic development were as follows:

What is the problem we are solving? Create tax revenue separate from the University of Michigan, and the need to further increase and diversify private sector employment in the local economy.

What does success look like?

1. Creating diverse employment opportunities in various fields and industries.
2. Ann Arbor has an earned reputation as an attractive place to create, relocate, and maintain businesses.
3. Quality of life is maintained and improved.

The task force established at the council’s May 20 meeting is supposed to provide a report of findings and recommendations in December 2013. It’s possible that Higgins, as chair of the task force, might not be serving on the council at that time, because she faces a challenge from Jack Eaton in the Democratic primary election this August.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

Initial consideration of a new ordinance regulating the use of public surveillance cameras has been postponed again – this time until June 17.  The council’s action came at its May 20, 2013 meeting. The council had previously postponed the item at its April 15 meeting – due to the length of that meeting – and again at its May 6 meeting. [.pdf of ordinance as presented to the council on April 15, 2013]

The new ordinance would apply only to a limited range of cameras – those used by the city of Ann Arbor “to monitor human activity without the physical presence of an operator, including cameras on remotely operated aerial vehicles.” The ordinance would not apply to a range of city of Ann Arbor cameras, for example: cameras used to improve traffic design, security cameras operating in jails, prisons, water treatment facilities, public housing facilities, or the Ann Arbor Airport and other governmental facilities.

The new ordinance would allow for public surveillance cameras to be installed for 15 days or less at the discretion of the city administrator if the purpose is to address a specific criminal problem.

A period of longer than 15 days would require two-thirds of nearby residents to give written permission. Regardless of the period of the installation, onsite notice of the camera’s presence would be required. If a private residence is in the public surveillance camera’s range, then the residents of that property would have to give written permission for the installation.

A public surveillance camera could not be used for live-monitoring, except in emergencies, and audio recording would not be permitted. Access to the recorded images would be limited to “employees of the police department and attorneys involved in criminal proceedings.” After 90 days, surveillance recordings would be deleted unless they are part of an ongoing investigation. A report on the effectiveness of a camera would be published on a public website after its removal.

The council had been alerted to the forthcoming ordinance proposal nearly four months ago, when Chuck Warpehoski (Ward 5) told his colleagues at their Dec. 20, 2012 meeting that he and wardmate Mike Anglin would be bringing a proposal forward.

At that Dec. 20 meeting, Warpehoski said that the Ann Arbor police department doesn’t currently use that technique, but there’d been some concerns in other communities.

By way of additional background, the ordinance has been long in the works but has been delayed. Former Ward 1 councilmember Sandi Smith had announced at a council meeting over a year ago, on Aug. 4, 2011, that she’d be bringing a video surveillance ordinance for consideration at the council’s Sept. 6, 2011 meeting. And a year before that she’d indicated the city’s human rights commission would be working on the issue.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

A $535,000 contract with Pranam Global Tech Inc. to replace the roof at Veterans Memorial Park Ice Arena has been given final approval by the Ann Arbor city council. The project includes a 10% construction contingency of $53,500, bringing the total project budget to $588,500. The vote was taken at the council’s May 20, 2013 meeting. The city’s park advisory commission had recommended the contract at its April 16, 2013 meeting.

Pranam, based in Livonia, was the lowest of five responsible bids received by the city. Other bidders were A.Z. Shmina Inc. ($612,000), Cedroni Associates Inc. ($738,000), Construction Solutions Inc. ($738,800) and Phoenix Contractors ($747,754).

According to a staff memo, the roof is nearly 40 years old and has several leaks. A coating was applied 12 years ago but is no longer effective. The purlins and beams have rusted due to moisture condensation, and many need to be replaced. The project will be funded from the FY 2013 park maintenance and capital improvements millage proceeds.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

At the Ann Arbor city council’s May 20, 2013 meeting, the  controversial site plan for 413 E. Huron will likely be reconsidered and re-voted because of a technical detail in the resolution previously approved by the council on May 13, 2013. The resolution approved by the council on a 6-5 vote did not specify the correct date on the set of plans that the developer had submitted. [.pdf of May 20, 2013 staff memo explaining the issue]

The parliamentary procedure the council would need to use is to move for reconsideration. It’s only a member of the prevailing side – one of the six who voted in favor – who can move for reconsideration. Moving for reconsideration of a vote at the next regular meeting following the initial vote does not require more than a six-vote majority. The council is likely to treat the exercise as a formality and not as an opportunity to re-open the debate on the issue.

In a formal resolution, the board of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority has acknowledged the request of the city of Ypsilanti to join the AATA. The board’s action came at its May 16, 2013 meeting.

Ypsilanti mayor Paul Schreiber attended the May 16 meeting and discussed Ypsilanti’s desire to join the AATA, citing several signs of  Ypsilanti’s support for transit – including the request to join AATA and the dedicated transit millage approved by Ypsilanti voters in 2010.

At the Ypsilanti city council’s April 23 meeting, councilmembers had made a formal request to join the AATA under the transit authority’s existing enabling legislation – Act 55 of 1963. For the city of Ypsilanti, joining the AATA represents a new way to generate more funding for transportation. Because the city already levies at the state constitutional limit of 20 mills, the city itself can’t add an additional tax burden.

But the AATA could ask voters of all member jurisdictions to approve a levy of its own – something that it currently does not do. And that would not count against the 20-mill state constitutional limit that Ypsilanti already levies. The city of Ypsilanti and the city of Ann Arbor each have a millage dedicated to transit, which is not levied by the AATA itself.

Adding Ypsilanti to the AATA would also require the cooperation of the Ann Arbor city council – to amend the AATA’s articles of incorporation. At a meeting of the urban core communities held on April 25, 2013, Ann Arbor mayor John Hieftje indicated his support for the idea, suggesting that the seven-member AATA board could be expanded to nine seats, one of which would be appointed by the city of Ypsilanti.

Meetings among nearby surrounding jurisdictions – including the cities of Ypsilanti and Saline, and the townships of Ypsilanti and Pittsfield – have continued after the demise of an effort in 2012 to expand the AATA’s service and governance area to the entire county. The smaller group of government units has been presented with a set of increased services and various funding and governance options. Among those options is the possibility of Ypsilanti and other nearby jurisdictions joining the AATA.

While there had been some speculation the AATA might act immediately to approve admission of Ypsilanti as a member, the AATA is taking a somewhat more deliberative approach. That’s due in part to the fact that the board has a natural opportunity to discuss the issue in the context of broader planning issues at an upcoming annual retreat that had already been set for this general timeframe. That retreat will take place at 12:30 p.m. on May 22 at the Holiday Inn Express (Gresham Room), 600 Briarwood Circle.

At the May 7, 2013 meeting of the AATA board’s planning and development committee, a rough outline of possible steps toward Ypsilanti’s membership was discussed. From the committee minutes:

• Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber would meet with the Ann Arbor City Council to discuss the request to join the Authority;
• AATA would then adopt a resolution supporting Ypsilanti’s request and send it to the Ann Arbor City Council;
• The Articles of Incorporation would need to be modified to include Ypsilanti, and then be sent to City Council;
• AATA would then ask the City Council to approve and file the Articles of Incorporation.

The next meeting of the urban core group is June 27 at the Pittsfield Township hall starting at 4 p.m.

This brief was filed from the downtown location of the Ann Arbor District Library at 343 S. Fifth, where the AATA board holds its meetings. A more detailed report will follow.

Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board member Jesse Bernstein attended his final regular meeting of the board on April 18, 2013. The following month, on May 16, his board colleagues approved a resolution acknowledging his five-year term of service, which began on June 16, 2008. Bernstein was not able to attend the meeting.

The resolution of appreciation approved by the board highlighted Bernstein’s turn as chair of the board, chair of the performance monitoring and external relations committee, and the executive search committee that resulted in the hire of CEO Michael Ford. The resolution also called out his role in the development of the AATA’s transit master plan and his service as chair of the unincorporated Act 196 authority board, which was part of an effort that culminated in the incorporation of that authority as The Washtenaw Ride, in the summer of 2012.

The Washtenaw Ride was an effort that ultimately found almost no traction, as municipalities across the county exercised their right under Act 196 to opt out of the authority after it was incorporated. The city of Ann Arbor, which had been expected to lead the countywide effort, opted out at the Nov. 8, 2012 meeting of the city council. Since that time, a more limited geographic focus on the “urban core” communities has resulted in a formal request from the city of Ypsilanti to join the AATA.

Susan Baskett has been nominated by mayor John Hieftje as Bernstein’s replacement on the AATA board. Baskett currently serves on the board of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, an elected position. The city council will be asked to confirm Baskett’s appointment at its May 20 meeting. It’s possible that her appointment could be subjected to debate by the council. On May 13, the council approved Eric Mahler as David Nacht’s replacement on the AATA board on a 7-4 vote. Compared to typical votes on appointments, which are often unanimous, Mahler’s appointment was confirmed by a relatively narrow margin.

The reasons given by dissenters for voting against Mahler included the idea that it’s important to widen the pool of members across all city boards. Mahler is finishing his second three-year term on the city planning commission – but will not continue in that role. Dissenters also alluded to an alternate candidate they felt could represent the disability community better than Mahler.

The alternate candidate, LuAnne Bullington, has also been a vocal critic of the AATA’s efforts to develop regional rail connections. The council’s debate, however, seemed focused more on issues of board candidates’ status as minorities or members of the disability community. Mahler and Baskett are both African American. Bullington is visually impaired.

Mahler was not able to attend his first scheduled meeting on May 16 due to illness, according to AATA staff.

This brief was filed from the downtown location of the Ann Arbor District Library at 343 S. Fifth, where the AATA board holds its meetings. A more detailed report will follow.

At the May 15, 2013 meeting of Washtenaw County board of commissioners, board chair Yousef Rabhi pulled from the agenda a resolution related to a $345 million bond proposal, pushing back a process that was originally scheduled to start that evening. The proposed bond issue – the largest in the county’s history – is intended to cover unfunded pension and retiree healthcare obligations. The process is expected to be picked up again at the board’s July 10 meeting, when a public hearing will be held on this issue.

On May 15, the board also scheduled a special board meeting for July 24, to allow for additional votes and public commentary related to the bond proposal, if needed.

The resolution that originally appeared on the May 15 agenda would have authorized the publication of a “notice of intent” about the bond issue. Several commissioners had previously expressed concern at the timeline, given that the county does not yet have the updated actuarial information it needs to set the specific amount of the bond issue. In explaining the decision to delay this process, Rabhi said he wanted to provide more time for public input, and to move the vote until after the actuarial information has been received. He also announced his intent to hold a series of informal meetings at coffee shops in Ann Arbor to discuss the bond proposal with residents. He’s calling the meetings “Bonding Over Coffee.”

The notice of intent is a standard initial step in the bonding process. It must be published in a “newspaper of general circulation within the county,” and lets residents know that they have 45 days during which they can circulate petitions to require a vote of the people before any bonds are issued. The notice must include a maximum amount of the bond issue, a maximum interest rate, and a maximum term for the bonds.

The amount of the bond issue is an estimate at this point and will not likely be as high as $345 million, according to the county’s bond counsel, John Axe of Axe & Ecklund. To set the specific amount of the bond issue, the county needs updated actuarial information – but those reports won’t be ready until late June. The board is expected to vote on publishing the notice of intent on July 10.

The board has been briefed on this proposal most recently at a May 2 working session. [See Chronicle coverage: "County Board Debates $345M Bond Proposal."] At that time, the county’s bond counsel – John Axe of Axe & Ecklund – had indicated a timeline that included giving initial approval to two other bond-related resolutions on May 15, in addition to the notice of intent.

Those other resolutions were: (1) a resolution setting the bond’s maximum amount; and (2) a continuing disclosure resolution that’s standard for all bond issues over $1 million, indicating that the county will provide updated financial information annually during the term of the bond. However, neither of those two other resolutions were on the May 15 agenda when it was made available to the public prior to the meeting. It’s likely those resolutions will also be on the board’s July 10 agenda for an initial vote.

The bonding is made possible by Michigan’s Public Act 329 of 2012, which the state legislature passed in October of 2012. [.pdf of Public Act 329] The law enables municipalities to issue bonds to cover unfunded accrued pension and retiree healthcare liabilities, but has a sunset of Dec. 31, 2014. The county faces a $30 million contribution toward these obligations in 2014, and is looking for ways to manage that obligation.

The most recent estimates put the county’s maximum retirement obligations at $340.8 million. The board was presented with calculations for borrowing $344 million at an assumed average interest rate of 4%. The county would pay $239 million in interest over the life of the bond, for a total of $583 million in combined interest and principal.

County administrator Verna McDaniel is advocating for this move, in part to make long-term budgeting easier by having predictable bond payments. The bonding is also linked to new 10-year labor deals approved earlier this year, which closed the defined benefit plan to employees hired after Jan. 1, 2014. Unless the defined benefit plans were closed, the county would not have been allowed by law to proceed with this type of bonding.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building, 220 N. Main in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow.

The Washtenaw County board of commissioners formally expressed its support for the state of Michigan to expand the federal Medicaid program, as part of the Affordable Care Act – informally known as Obamacare. A resolution of support, brought forward by commissioner Andy LaBarre (D-District 7), was approved at the board’s May 15, 2013 meeting on a 6-0 vote.  During deliberations, Dan Smith (R-District 2) voiced his objection to the county weighing in on state issues, but he left the room prior to the vote. Conan Smith (D-District 9) and Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5) were also not in the room during the vote.

Expansion of the Medicaid program would cover individuals and families earning up to 133% of the federal poverty level, and provide coverage for over 10,000 Washtenaw County residents who are not currently eligible. The resolution cites additional reasons to support the action:

Without the expansion, approximately 5,000 Washtenaw Health Plan (WHP) members will have no coverage options at all because their income is below 100% of poverty, thus by law, these individuals cannot buy subsidized coverage through the insurance exchange; and

WHP funding will be significantly cut on January 1, 2014, and ultimately eliminated completely, regardless of whether or not the state expands Medicaid, thus Washtenaw County’s ability to provide services to this population will be severely limited and these residents will be left to seek care in hospital emergency rooms, adding additional economic burdens to Washtenaw County residents who must indirectly pay those costs;

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder supports the expansion, but it’s not clear whether the Republican-controlled Michigan legislature will approve it.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building, 220 N. Main in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow.

Washtenaw Urban County‘s five-year strategic plan through 2018 and its 2013-14 annual plan has received final approval from the county board of commissioners. The vote came at the board’s May 15, 2013 meeting, following initial approval on May 1. [.pdf of draft strategic and annual plans]

The Urban County is a consortium of Washtenaw County and 18 local municipalities that receive federal funding for low-income neighborhoods. Members include the cities of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Saline, and 15 townships. “Urban County” is a designation of the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), identifying a county with more than 200,000 people. With that designation, individual governments within the Urban County can become members, entitling them to an allotment of funding through a variety of HUD programs. The Urban County is supported by the staff of Washtenaw County’s office of community & economic development (OCED).

Two HUD programs – the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership – are the primary funding sources for Urban County projects.

The plans indicate that the Urban County area is expected to receive about $2.7 million annually in federal funding, which will be used for these broad goals:

1. Increasing quality, affordable homeownership opportunities

2. Increasing quality, affordable rental housing

3. Improving public facilities and infrastructure

4. Supporting homeless prevention and rapid re‐housing services

5. Promoting access to public services and resources

6. Enhancing economic development activities

A public hearing had been held at the board’s April 17, 2013 meeting.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building, 220 N. Main in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow.

At the Washtenaw County board’s May 15, 2013 meeting, the county financial staff and administrator Verna McDaniel gave an update on the 2013 budget status as well as a preliminary look at the next four years.

At its May 1, 2013 meeting, the board had approved development of a four-year budget. Looking at that period from 2014-2017, McDaniel told the board on May 15 that she hopes to identify $6.99 million in structural cuts in the first year of that four-year period. That’s a slight increase from the $6.88 million in structural changes that McDaniel targeted in her previous budget briefing, delivered at the board’s Jan. 16, 2013 meeting.

If the $6.99 million in structural changes can be identified in that first year, it would eliminate compounded, projected deficits over the four-year period that would total $34.45 million. [.pdf of 2014-2017 budget estimate] The projections do not factor in a possible major bond proposal that the board is considering.

The approach to addressing this $6.99 million target depends on whether the county moves ahead with a major bond proposal that’s in the works, to cover the county’s pension and retiree healthcare obligations. [See Chronicle coverage: "County Board Debates $345M Bond Proposal."] If the board does decide to bond for those obligations, McDaniel said, then the goal in 2014 is to reduce operating costs by $1.83 million, cut $100,000 from outside agency funding, and realize $5.06 million in cost savings from bonding for obligations for the county’s pension and retiree heathcare.

If the board decides not to bond for those obligations, however, then McDaniel said that most of the $6.99 million would need to come from a reduction in operating costs, as well as $100,000 in cuts to outside agency funding.

Both scenarios assume an additional $2.4 million in revenue for 2014. It’s expected that will be achieved from an increase in property tax revenues, as property values in the county climb.

McDaniel told the board that she and her staff need direction in terms of setting priorities and identifying core services. She indicated that the county can no longer provide the broad range of services that it has in the past.

The board held its first budget retreat on March 7, 2013. Commissioners will convene for a second retreat on May 16, starting at 6 p.m. at the county’s Learning Resource Center at 4135 Washtenaw Ave., near the county jail complex. The meeting is open to the public.

For 2013, the county’s financial staff is now projecting a $818,999 shortfall for the year. That amount is lower than the $3.03 million shortfall that was originally projected for 2013. The county had anticipated covering that $3.03 million by tapping its fund balance, but it’s now expected that the county will need $2.21 million less than that from the fund balance to cover the shortfall. The projected fund balance at the end of 2013 is expected to be about $16 million.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building, 220 N. Main in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow.

Washtenaw County commissioners have given initial approval to the 2013 county general operating millage rate at 4.5493 mills – unchanged from the current rate. Their action took place at the county board’s May 15, 2013 meeting, with a final vote expected on June 5.

Several other county millages were authorized and are levied separately: emergency communications (0.2000 mills), the Huron Clinton Metroparks Authority (0.2146 mills), two for county parks and recreation (0.2353 mills and 0.2367 mills) and for the natural areas preservation program (0.2409 mills). That brings the total county millage rate to 5.6768 mills, a rate that’s also unchanged from 2012.

This is an annual procedural action, not a vote to levy new taxes. With a few minor exceptions, the county board does not have authority to levy taxes independently. Millage increases, new millages or an action to reset a millage at its original rate (known as a Headlee override) would require voter approval.

The board also voted to set a public hearing for the millage rate at its June 5 meeting. The rates would be included on the July tax bills for property owners in Washtenaw County.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building, 220 N. Main in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow.

Now that the 4 p.m. May 14 deadline has passed for filing nominating petitions, the Ann Arbor city council races for the Aug. 6, 2013 primaries are set. Only Democratic primaries will be contested, and they’ll be held in just two of the city’s five wards – Ward 3 and Ward 4. No Republicans filed nominating petitions. In the fall, at least five possible independent candidates could appear on ballots citywide, counting Ward 2 incumbent Jane Lumm.

In Ward 1, incumbent Democrat Sabra Briere, who’ll be seeking her fourth two-year term, will be unopposed in the Democratic primary. She could face independent Jaclyn Vresics in the November general election, if Vresics files at least 100 valid signatures by Aug. 7. Vresics is a University of Michigan student affiliated with the Mixed Use Party.

In Ward 2, Democrat Kirk Westphal, who has not previously sought elected office, will not need to contest a primary race. He’ll likely face independent incumbent Jane Lumm in the November general election, along with independent Conrad Brown. Neither Lumm nor Brown have submitted signatures. Brown has taken out nominating petitions, but Lumm has not. Their deadline is Aug. 7.

In Ward 3 Democratic incumbent Stephen Kunselman, who’s served a total of three terms on the council, will contest the primary with Julie Grand, who’s seeking elected office for the first time. Grand currently serves in an appointed position on the city’s park advisory commission. Kunselman was elected in 2006, but did not win re-election in 2008 when he lost the Democratic primary to Christopher Taylor. The following year, Kunselman was elected in a primary field that included incumbent Democrat Leigh Greden and LuAnne Bullington. [Each ward is represented with two seats on the 11-member body, which includes the mayor. Every year, one of the two ward seats is open for election.]

In Ward 3, Samuel Devarti took out petitions on May 13 to run as an independent in the November general election, but he won’t need to submit signatures until Aug. 7.

In Ward 4, Democratic incumbent Marcia Higgins will contest the primary with Jack Eaton. Higgins began her city council career as a Republican, first winning election to the council in 1999. She changed parties to become a Democrat in 2005. Higgins ran for mayor in 2002, but received less than 25% of the mayoral vote against Democrat John Hieftje. Vote totals that year were 8,764 (24.83%) for Higgins compared to 26,495 (75.05%) for Hieftje. Eaton has contested the Ward 4 primary twice previously with incumbent Margie Teall. In the August 2012 Democratic primary, the race between Teall and Eaton was close enough to require a recount, as Eaton and Teall received 846 and 866 votes, respectively.

In Ward 4, Noah Weber took out petitions on May 13 to run as an independent in the November general election, but will have another three months, until Aug. 7, to submit signatures.

In Ward 5, Democratic incumbent Mike Anglin will not have a contested primary. Anglin was first elected in 2007, and will be seeking his fourth term on the council. Democrat Thomas Partridge took out petitions but did not submit any signatures by the deadline. Partridge has previously appeared on the ballot as a candidate for the 53rd District seat in the Michigan house of representatives and the 18th District seat in the Michigan senate.

The site plan application for 413 E. Huron – a proposed 14-story, 216-apartment building at the northeast corner of Huron and Division streets – has been approved by the Ann Arbor city council. The vote was 6-5 with dissenting votes coming from Sabra Briere (Ward 1), Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1), Jane Lumm (Ward 2), Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3), and Mike Anglin (Ward 5). Voting for the project were Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Christopher Taylor (Ward 3), Marcia Higgins (Ward 4), Margie Teall (Ward 4), Chuck Warpehoski (Ward 5) and mayor John Hieftje.

The vote came on May 13, 2013 at a meeting that had started on May 6. On that night councilmembers had recessed the meeting around 11:30 p.m., just as the council reached the 413 E. Huron item on its agenda.

The development was presented to the council as a “by right” project, which means that in the judgment of the city planning staff, it met all the zoning requirements. The site is zoned D1 (core downtown).

The council had previously postponed a site plan decision on April 15, 2013, April 1, 2013 and on March 18, 2013.

Consideration of the site plan came after the council had considered and postponed – over the course of several earlier meetings – then finally voted not to impose a possible moratorium on site plan applications in the D1 area.

Instead, the council voted on March 18 to give the planning commission direction to review the city’s D1 zoning. The scope of that review and a deadline of Oct. 1 was given at the council’s April 1 meeting.

A new public hearing on the 413 E. Huron project was started at the April 1 meeting, and held open so that it could resume on April 15. That public hearing continued on May 6.

The council’s split on the site plan vote, taken on May 13, was different from the 6-5 split on the moratorium question, which was considered on March 18. On that occasion, those who voted to leave some kind of moratorium in the resolution were Jane Lumm, Chuck Warpehoski, Mike Anglin, Sumi Kailasapathy and Sabra Briere. Voting to strike any mention of a moratorium on March 18 were John Hieftje, Sally Petersen, Christopher Taylor, Stephen Kunselman, Marcia Higgins and Margie Teall.

[.pdf of letter from attorney Pat Lennon] [.pdf of letter from Susan Friedlaender] [.pdf of nine-point booklet] [.pdf of planning staff response to 9-point booklet] [.pdf of response to 9-point booklet from Conor McNally for the developer] [.pdf of Norm Hyman, Christopher Taylor Q&A]

This brief was filed from the second floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

The Ann Arbor city council has taken the initial step toward changing the city’s public art ordinance, so that capital improvement projects are no longer required to set aside 1% of their budgets for public art – up to a maximum of $250,000 per project. The action came on May 13, 2013 at a meeting that had started on May 6.

If the ordinance change is given final approval by the city council at a subsequent meeting, the way that public art is funded in the city – through a Percent for Art approach – would fundamentally change.

The main change is to eliminate in the ordinance any reference to a specific percentage for art in a capital project budget. Also, art funds would not be pooled as they are now – which entails setting aside money from projects into which it would be difficult to incorporate public art. Under the amended approach, city staff would work to determine whether a specific capital improvement project should have enhanced design features “baked in” to a project – either enhanced architectural work or specific public art. The funding for any of the enhanced features would be included in the project’s budget and incorporated into the RFP (request for proposals) process for the capital project.

At the council’s April 1, 2013 meeting, a vote was taken to extend a moratorium on spending of public art funds – through May 31. The council had originally enacted the moratorium on spending at its Dec. 3, 2012 meeting.

The action to impose a moratorium came in the context of a failed millage proposal in November 2012, which was meant to provide an alternative funding mechanism to the Percent for Art approach. The millage proposal was put forward in part in response to objections that voters had not explicitly approved the Percent for Art mechanism, which taps all capital funds – even those deriving from fees and millages designated for other purposes.

At the Dec. 3 meeting, a committee consisting of Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Sabra Briere (Ward 1), Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3), Margie Teall (Ward 4) and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) was appointed to recommend amendments to the city’s public art ordinance. The committee has met several times and has made recommendations on revisions to the ordinance.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

Ann Arbor city council action taken on May 13, 2013 at a meeting that had started on May 6 has failed to grant a right-of-way occupancy for the University of Michigan to install conduits in Tappan Street. The purpose of the conduits under Tappan Street is to connect a new emergency generator to the Lawyers Club buildings at 551 S. State Street. The Lawyers Club and the generator are located on opposite sides of the street.

The item was treated as if it required an 8-vote majority – that is, as if it conveyed an interest in land. But Marcia Higgins (Ward 4), Mike Anglin (Ward 5), and Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1) voted against it. Because Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) left the meeting early, the item had only seven votes in support.

According to the staff memo accompanying the agreement, it could have broader implications – because the agreement on the Tappan Street conduit could serve as a template for long-term occupancy agreements. The city and the university legal staff appeared to have reached an understanding on how to disagree about the significance of the agreement. According to the memo:

The University has insisted that each occupancy agreement be processed as if the document grants to the University an interest in land, even if it doesn’t. The City does not believe that the occupancy agreement grants to the University any interest in land. As drafted, it grants to the University an interest in land only to the extent it grants to the University, by its terms, an interest in land.

Nevertheless, in accordance with the University’s request, but without agreeing that the agreement grants an interest in land, the document was submitted to City Council for approval with a requirement of 8 votes as if it granted an interest in land.

But because the council failed to give the agrement an eight-vote majority vote, the resolution did not pass.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

Federal grant funds of $622,884 will flow to the city of Ann Arbor as a result of a much larger grant that was awarded to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). UMTRI received a $14.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to pilot the use of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety technology in the city.

Ann Arbor city council action taken on May 13, 2013 – at a meeting that had started on May 6 – formally accepted the money and authorized a contract with the University of Michigan. The money will be used by the city of Ann Arbor to install telecommunications fiber, sensors and electronic equipment as well as some network support.

The pilot study undertaken by UMTRI will be a large-scale test of connected vehicle technology that will take place over a 30-month period. Data will be collected through wireless communications between vehicles participating in the program and roadside equipment.

After the study, the city will own the fiber and equipment that was installed with the grant money.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

A federal grant of $87,876 has been accepted for the Ann Arbor fire department through action taken by the city council on May 13, 2013 at a meeting that had started on May 6.

The grant, which comes from the Department of Homeland Security under the auspice of the Assistance to Firefighters grant program (AFGP), is for a specific project for which the local fire department applied. The project involves installation of vehicle exhaust capturing systems – so that diesel fumes don’t accumulate inside the fire stations. The federal grant requires a local match of $21,969 (25%). That local match is being made with money from the city’s general fund.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

Ann Arbor firefighters will be equipped with $150,000 worth of firefighter gear, as the result of city council action taken on May 13, 2013 at a meeting that had started on May 6. The contract authorized by the council is with Phoenix Safety Outfitters.

According to the labor contract between the city and the International Association of Firefighters Local 693, the city is required to provide two sets of turnout gear for each firefighter – in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.

According to the staff memo, at least 20 sets of gear are due for scheduled replacement, and 14 more sets of gear are needed in order to equip seven new hires.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

Two steps required to establish special assessments on properties on Miller Avenue in Ann Arbor have been taken by the Ann Arbor city council. According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, the properties will be special assessed for sidewalk improvements ($5,976) and curb/gutter improvements ($3,429) totaling $9,405.

In action taken by the council on May 13, 2013 at a meeting that had started on May 6, the city assessor was directed to prepare a special assessment roll. [.pdf of table showing parcels and amounts] The second step was to set a public hearing on the matter – for June 3, 2013.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

Coke will be replacing Pepsi in Ann Arbor parks facilities, as a result of action taken by the Ann Arbor city council on May 13, 2013 at a meeting that had started on May 6. The city council acted on a recommendation by the Ann Arbor park advisory commission at its April 16, 2013 meeting. The commission’s recommended approval of a five-year contract with Coca-Cola Refreshments for cold beverage concessions was unanimous, as was the council’s vote.

However, councilmembers expressed concerns about Coca-Cola’s human rights record, the nutritive value of soft drinks, and the fact that no local vendor had responded to the city’s request for proposals (RFP).

A 10-year contract with Pepsi Bottling Group of Michigan is set to expire in June of 2013. In vying for the new contract, only two companies responded to an RFP. According to a staff memo, the other bidder was disqualified after failing to meet the bid deadline. The memo did not name that company, but deputy parks and recreation manager Jeff Straw told commissioners at the PAC meeting that it was Pepsi who had missed the deadline.

The new contract will cost the city an estimated $25,000 annually for non-vending items, but the city expects to generate $47,500 in revenues from the beverage sales. In addition, Coca-Cola Refreshments will provide an annual sponsorship fee of $10,000 to the parks and recreation unit, and give a 96-cents-per-case rebate on each case that’s sold. These funds will be used to provide scholarships to low-income kids for parks and recreation programs. The case rebate is estimated to bring in $700 to $1,000 each year for scholarships, according to Straw.

The company also will provide 50 cases of free product each year for public special events, and will sponsor four special events annually with product sampling and free giveaways. The firm also will provide recycling containers with credit for returnables.

Concessions and vending are located at Leslie Park Golf Course, Huron Hills Golf Course, Veterans Memorial Park, Buhr Park Pool and Ice Rink, Fuller Park Pool, Mack Indoor Pool, Gallup Park Canoe Livery and Argo Canoe Livery.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

A proposal to build 19 single-family houses on a 4.6-acre site on Hideaway Lane off Traver Road – near the city’s Leslie Park Golf Course – has been approved by the Ann Arbor city council. The planning commission had recommended approval of the plan at its March 19, 2013 meeting. The council’s action came on May 13 at a meeting that had started on May 6.

Action on the planned project’s site plan and development agreement had been postponed at the planning commission’s Feb. 5, 2013 meeting. At that time, the city’s planning staff had cited the need to resolve several outstanding issues, such as determining the project’s impact on the property’s natural feature and mitigation requirements. Traver Creek runs along the site’s western border.

Also needed was preliminary approval from the Washtenaw County water resources commissioner. On Feb. 5 the vote to postpone was 5-3, with dissent from Bonnie Bona, Kirk Westphal and Diane Giannola. The item came up late in the Feb. 5 meeting – after 11 p.m., following a long discussion and public hearing on the controversial 413 E. Huron project.

At the commission’s March 19 meeting, the recommendation from staff was to approve the project’s site plan and development agreement, which the commission did unanimously. In separate votes, commissioners also: (1) authorized the project’s anticipated disturbance of the natural features open space, and (2) recommended approval of an alternative mitigation plan for the site.

The project is located on the site of a development that began in 2005 but was never completed – and the site plan for that earlier development had expired. Currently, there are nine townhomes and one single-family home on the property, as well as infrastructure for additional development. The site is zoned R4A (multi-family dwelling district). The proposed new homes would all be two stories with either two or three bedrooms. The planned project proposal calls for spacing the houses 10 feet apart. Because the city’s zoning ordinance requires a minimum building spacing of 20 feet, the spacing modifications allowed under a planned project are being requested.

The developer is listed as Trowbridge Homes of Hideaway LLC of Auburn Hills, Mich.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.

A rezoning request for 490 Huron Parkway from R3 (townhouse district) to R1B (single-family dwelling) has received initial approval from the Ann Arbor city council. The action came on May 13, 2103 at a meeting that had started on May 6.

If given final approval at a subsequent council meeting, following a public hearing, the rezoning would allow the currently vacant 1.22-acre site, located north of Ruthven Park, to be divided into three separate lots. City planning staff had recommended the rezoning, and noted that the adjacent parcel at 500 Huron Parkway is also zoned R1B.

However, the proposal did not win approval from the city planning commission at its Dec. 18, 2012 meeting.

At that meeting, planning commissioner Bonnie Bona said she couldn’t support the rezoning. With 70,000 people commuting into Ann Arbor each day, it didn’t make sense to build single-family homes in that area. “Single-family homes should be built in townships, where they don’t want bus service,” she said. Only six of nine commissioners were present – and because a rezoning needs six votes to achieve a recommendation of approval, the request received a denial.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.