Meeting Watch: Pre-council Caucus (7 Sept 2008)

In one of the better-attended caucuses on the part of council in the last six months, seven councilmembers (Teall, Briere, Lowenstein, Rapundalo, Anglin, Higgeins, Hieftje) heard from interested parties on three different topics:

1. Peter Pollack (Pollack Design Associates), Richard Mitchell (Mitchell & Mouat Architects Inc.), Ron Woods (African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County) spoke on behalf of the proposed museum in the Polhemus House, which was moved from downtown Ann Arbor to its current location on Pontiac Trail.
2. With respect to the second reading of the proposed Citizen Participation Ordinance, council heard sentiments that the kinds of projects to which it applies could be expanded to include those that are not necessarily petition-based, as well as to ordinances and zoning changes. Council also heard the sentiment that attention must also be paid to property rights.
3. On the 42 North project, council heard an explanation from the developer’s traffic engineer about how service levels could actually be improved at some intersections as a result of the proposed project (near the intersection of Pauline and Maple) – because of the re-configuration of traffic signals, which are demand-based in that area of the city. The theme of inter-governmental cooperation was raised when Higgeins pointed out that the city does not control the signal at Oak Valley and Scio Church, so optimizing the city’s signal at Maple and Scio Church would require cooperation from the county road commission. Other questions raised: do traffic delays amount to a safety issue; and what are the legal bases of rejecting a “by right” project.

For Chronicle readers who wonder why on earth anyone would show up to pre-council caucus even if they didn’t have a vested interest in any issue coming before council, here’s a data point: Sabra Briere (Ward 1), who has not missed a pre-council caucus since The Chronicle began attending them back in May 2008, continued uninterrupted her practice of offering around homemade chocolate treats. Tonight’s confection contained nuts. It’s poor form to show up, grab some chocolate, and then leave.