Comments on: South State Corridor Gets Closer Look

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:07:22 +0000

Please work on improving the biking experience across State St. over I-94.

By: liberalnimby

liberalnimby — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 02:33:25 +0000

@Vivienne: I don’t know all the different methods for structuring TIF districts, but do you think that all ways would be a net negative for the overall city economy? I’d imagine it would be quite a battle these days to convince city council to invest in one particular area (like State St.) to the exclusion of firefighters, the potholes on everyone’s block, etc. Not a direct comparison, but do you think our current DDA is a net positive or negative?

By: Jim Rees

Jim Rees — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 18:33:00 +0000

I work near the corner of State and Eisenhower and bike every day. I have very little faith in the City’s ability to improve this corridor. The more money they spend the worse it gets. For me personally, I hope they just leave it alone.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:25:56 +0000

Whoa! Let’s not go anywhere with that Corridor Improvement Authority idea unless there is a strongly perceived need. That would cream property taxes from new development into a TIFA authority not directly accountable to citizens. We don’t need a “State Street DDA”.

What is the purpose of developing State Street? Presumably to make a better city. But also we have an interest in increasing the tax base to provide services across the city. This is no time to start redirecting taxes into an entity that might simply exist to promote development for its own sake (and private profit).

By: Eric Boyd

Eric Boyd — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:53:52 +0000

Plenty of people bike to work up South State on bikes. I do it often and see others every day.

One of the nicest things you could do to improve bike commuting in the area, IMO, would be to build the portion of the greenway along the tracks from Main Street to Stimson. it would be even better if that continued on along the tracks past the Produce station and hooked into the top of Boardwalk. The second bit would really help avoid the hill if you don’t need to go up it to get over to the Georgetown area.

By: Steve Borgsdorf

Steve Borgsdorf — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:17:05 +0000

Sorry, but spare me the trees and signs and “gateway” features. Aesthetics–regardless of whose–are nowhere near as important as infrastructure improvements. The “State Street Corridor” will only ever be as welcoming as the actual surface of State Street. Instead of planting a tree, maybe upgrade traffic signals to reduce congestion. In a related curmudgeonly opinion, pedestrians and cyclists can lump it in this part of town. The “fast moving, heavy traffic” is people going to and from work, the freeway, or the mall (or soon Costco). Nobody bikes to Costco.

By: Anne Laurance

Anne Laurance — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:59:56 +0000

I travel through this area at least every other week and it isn’t a welcoming experience. (I am usually going to Zingerman’s for bread.) As a beginning courtesy to the community, why not have a flagman stationed at the only remaining exit from Airport Plaza onto Ellsworth road? It’s very chancy to make a left turn onto Ellsworth from the Airport Plaza exit. I’ve given up and have made a right turn, going out of my way, to avoid the hazard. The city could request Costco to accommodate their future customers by making this travel easier on everybody.

By: James Jefferson

James Jefferson — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:47:30 +0000

It seems like the priorities are opposite what would be best to spend tax dollars on. Why not do the infrastructure improvements first, storm water, sanitary, trails and sidewalk, etc, if needed, then worry about the aesthetics, signage, lighting at the end? Plus the signs we end up, like the whole city signage system, are expensive, not that helpful, and frankly sort of overworked and ugly.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 21:11:10 +0000

This area is close to the Ann Arbor Railroad tracks. Old railbeds are often severely contaminated with chemicals from pre-environmental times when tank and bulk rail cars leaked like sieves and chemicals were so cheap that it was not worthwhile to fix them. The plans should include an environmental audit.