Liberty St. Condo Project Postponed
Action on a site plan for new condominiums on West Liberty was postponed by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its May 20, 2014 meeting. The postponement was based on a recommendation from the planning staff, to allow time for a public water system issue to be addressed.
Rendering of Mark Condominium proposal, as viewed from West Liberty next to the former Moveable Feast building.
The proposal from developer Alex de Parry is to demolish an existing car wash at 318 W. Liberty and build an 11,910-square-foot structure with seven residential condominiums – five two-bedroom and two three-bedroom units. Each condo would have its own two-car tandem garage for a total of 14 parking spaces, although no parking is required.
The lot, on the north side of Liberty, is east of the historic Peter Brehme house at 326 W. Liberty and located in the Old West Side historic district. The historic district commission issued a certificate of appropriateness for the project on March 13, 2014.
The project would require two footing drain disconnects, according to a staff memo. In addition, the existing six-inch water main in West Liberty Street would need to be upsized to a 12-inch water main. The six-inch main wouldn’t have the capacity to handle the additional development, particularly the building’s fire-suppression system. That was the reason for postponement. [.pdf of staff memo]
De Parry told commissioners that the development team had just been informed about this issue last week, and they are now analyzing the budget impact and alternatives that they might pursue.
The project is expected to cost $2.7 million.
This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]