Comments on: Column: Rules, Parking, Transportation

By: jcp2

jcp2 — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 00:32:20 +0000

Housing prices in the downtown area and neighborhoods adjacent to downtown are market driven. It is precisely because these areas are attractive to live in that they are expensive. People with children in their families will move to areas where the intersection of acceptable schooling and cost of residence is at their comfort level. If you want to stay in walking distance of downtown, then Northside, with an average sq foot price of $155, is the least expensive. It goes up from there, all the way to Angell, with an average sq foot price of $240.

By: Tom Whitaker

Tom Whitaker — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 16:05:20 +0000

There’s been far too much blind emphasis placed on 20-somethings downtown. Since the current City administration set out to reinvent downtown as a place for “young professionals” to “live, work, and play” (cue gagging), we’ve seen only a proliferation of student rental housing, bars and chain restaurants. It is yet to be seen if young, non-students will move into the City Apartments, or the place on South Main (if it ever gets built).

When the students in the high rises graduate, and the 20-somethings hit 30, partner up, start families, and move up the ladder at work, what will be left for them downtown? Where will they live if they want to stay in or near downtown? What public and private amenities will be there for them? Even working 20-somethings don’t want to live in buildings full of undergraduates.

If you have a family or are over 30, the City, DDA, and other public entities have made it abundantly clear that you’re not particularly welcome in our near downtown. The only living situations for families within the DDA boundary are prohibitively expensive (although Sloan Plaza prices are likely to drop substantially thanks to yet another student building), and the City has not lifted a finger to improve the livability of the adjacent neighborhoods (in fact, the opposite). As demonstrated by the approval of 413 E. Huron, even a historic district is not enough to preserve the desirability of our existing downtown/near-downtown housing stock to families, working adults, and retirees.

Historically, it has been the working adults, 30+, who have invested in the community, volunteered to serve, contributed to charities, voted in elections, participated in community planning, and paid the lion’s share of taxes. If the City doesn’t start looking at ways to make downtown and its adjacent neighborhoods more enticing to families, working adults, and retirees, then its future will not be as sustainable as some City officials would like to believe it is.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 01:19:26 +0000

A friend pointed out the vapidity of my previous comment. My personal story was not intended to indicate any particular solution or outcome. I confess that I’ve gotten accustomed to a conversational exchange on these comments. I’ll stop.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 20:07:45 +0000

I can agree with that vision (22). But it should also include parking for “visitors” from outside the downtown as well as transit, since we don’t have a system in service for many of the hours downtown is in heavy use.

On a personal note, I tried to go to the Farmers’ Market on Wednesday about 10 a.m. but couldn’t find a place to park, though I drove all the way to Wheeler Park. Admittedly, I didn’t circle back to Ann-Ashley, because by then I was too discouraged. Taking the bus would not have been very convenient, because my route is only served hourly and I might have been waiting with bags of fresh produce as long as an hour. I had also hoped to buy some things at Kerrytown.

By: Tom Brandt

Tom Brandt — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 19:39:29 +0000

It’s a common observation that young people leave Ann Arbor right after college graduation and head especially for the tech centers on the coasts, because that’s where the jobs are. (A personal note: I’ve been working on-site for a Silicon Valley startup for the past few months. The presence of Michigan grads there is quite strong.) It seems to me that having tech companies open offices here is a good thing, because it gives people reasons to stay who would otherwise leave.

It is better to have them locate in the city rather than some office park in the townships for all kinds of self-evident reasons. Downtown is a good place for them to locate because the infrastructure to support them is there, and the transit system is geared to bring people in from Ann Arbor’s residential areas to downtown.

My vision of a functioning downtown includes a good mix of residential, retail, food service, and business, coupled with a strong transit system. Other people may have a different vision of a functional downtown.

By: Jim Rees

Jim Rees — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 16:36:25 +0000

Is “tourist” a derogatory term now? I didn’t intend it that way. I often describe myself as a tourist when I’m out of town. “Visitor” seems less precise to me.

By: Chai

Chai — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 15:35:21 +0000

Dave,
I read your coverage of AAATA regularly, and very much appreciate the detail and care in your writing. This is just to say, thanks for your work.

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 17:45:45 +0000

A more accurate, general (less derogatory?) term to use in place of “tourist” is “visitor”. Do either of you use “tourist” as an intentionally negative term?

i like your questions in #16, Vivienne. Let’s add to that (looking back to #14), functional for which residents? That is, while it might be less functional for 50- and 60-somethings, it’s probably more functional for 20- and 30-somethings. In this case, I think that the more specific and ‘speaking for myself’ we can be, the better for the discussion.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 14:10:37 +0000

Actually, the demise of our downtown lies in its success. What forced out many local businesses was the increased rents demanded because the higher rents could be supported by tourist- and student-oriented businesses.

This was good for property owners, of course. But it decreased the downtown’s diversity and serviceability.

By: Jim Rees

Jim Rees — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 13:53:35 +0000

The current downtown primarily serves tourists, not residents. That’s way better than a dead downtown, which is what you’ll find in most Michigan cities. But I miss the days when I lived downtown and could get all my goods and services there.