Comments on: Two Library Lot Proposals Eliminated

By: Ecarter

Ecarter — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:13:00 +0000

I like the idea of a park in the center of town, at this time however, there are several beautiful areas that encompass a more continuous space for play. It is wonderful how the people of Ann Arbor want to keep as much green space as possible, but if one were to think clearly it would, in time just be an expensive liability instead of something that generated employment and city revenue. Additionally, if the city were really concerned about green space and revenue they might consider a plan that included both a green space and a structure, which would take care of most of the the requirements for construction to begin. This would help the local economy, create new employment and maybe a new center of activity would rise in that space that would attract new people to the area further enhancing the cities progressive, not regressive attitude to change.

By: Anon

Anon — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:48:16 +0000

How many parks does a city the size of Ann Arbor need? This space is just around the corner from the Liberty Square and I can honestly say that I have entered that space maybe two times in the 20 years that I’ve lived here.

On the other hand, I have tried to organize meetings and conferences for my organization in downtown Ann Arbor and have been stuck dealing with the Campus Inn and the Bell Tower, and neither have ever been able to accommodate large group meetings. Clearly, fact that the Dahlmann Group was pushing for a park was to limit competition from other hotels. Ann Arbor needs a solution that will generate income for the city.

By: jcp2

jcp2 — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:50:17 +0000

Dog walking will take place on the Allen Creek Greenway, if dogs are still allowed. I hear that their carbon footprint is greater than a car. Frisbee throwing will be at the fields in Fuller Park, the Arb, or on the Quad. Helmets and mouthguards mandatory, of course.

By: John Floyd

John Floyd — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:40:40 +0000

Downtown Ann Arbor has no “there” there. The last time it had a central spot seems to have been when the old county courthouse was torn down to make way for the current one. The town square/gazebo concept, altered to fit a community of our size, gives a sense of place to
Ann Arbor.

Again, if the city envisions adding 10,000, 20,000, or 30,000 new residents in central Ann Arbor, where are they going to walk their dogs or throw a frisbee? Cramming several thousand more residents to the middle of town, without making any provision for park space, is not recipe for long-term success.

By: Lisa Dengiz

Lisa Dengiz — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:02:08 +0000

Thanks for clarification, David.

Lisa

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:58:08 +0000

Seems like one of the few successful uses of Liberty Plaza has been music. It would be great to develop a space downtown where bands could play outdoors in a pleasant setting. A couple summers ago, driving back from out west, I stopped for the night in some Illinois town that had a public square right in the middle of town with a little bandshell/gazebo, and a band (the oompah kind) was setting up to play and half the population of the town must have been there with blankets and picnic baskets (then an enormous thunderstorm hit, which added another whole level of public participation, but that’s another story). It was great.

The more open visions for the library lot would be ideal for this. Skating rinks are nice in the winter, but what about summer? Imagine the West Park bandshell, but downtown and a central part of city life. Wouldn’t it be cool to see music, speeches, plays, dances, weddings, hootenannies? We don’t really have a public space like this downtown, and I think we suffer for it. (If the library lot options are foreclosed, at least think about reconfiguring Liberty Plaza to lower the suck quotient for music.)

By: David Lewis

David Lewis — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:14:48 +0000

Lisa: If you read the article on the caucus meeting you will see that there is a willingness (3 council members) to hear the proposals the committee tossed out. The city council will have the final say, not the committee.

A consultant paid for by the DDA seems wise in this case. The UM won’t volunteer people with expertise in real estate finance in part because they don’t have anyone who does it daily.

I do wonder if the city can possibly support a park on this site and the Greenway Parks. Seems like the city needs to choose one or the other and that it would still be a stretch.

By: Lisa Dengiz

Lisa Dengiz — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:34:21 +0000

How sad that the wise words and sentiments of the citizens are once again rejected and relegated to the business- as- usual back room politics. More of the same….

The ice rink/slash summer green space and gathering area that Dahlmann ( do not know him) graciously offered to fund- think Martias Park in Detroit, Rockerfeller Plaza, and much of visionary, cultural development of downtown Chicago- would have been a lovely draw for townies, tourists, business and university folks that would happily spend more time and revenues downtown.

Seems we are still lacking a downtown cultural vision/space.

Back to the drawing board, kind folks.

But please, can we forgo high paid consultants which our leaders often seem to ignore anyway?

Can we ask the UM or other bright stars/ citizens that reside here to volunteer their time and energy to help fill the current fiscal /vision gap? After al, they have the most to gain- and lose.

Thank you!

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:06:44 +0000

Christopher, those are the questions the consultant will presumably answer. But they didn’t look at beneficial financial impacts of the open space proposals before eliminating them.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:50:38 +0000

Where is the specific information on which plans will bring in more revenue over time? The committee must have done more than just hand-waving on this question. What information did they use? Did they just make things up? What’s on the record?

I hope that the people thinking about fiscal responsibility took indirect revenue (and indirect expenses) into account when they put together their long-term financial projections.