City planning manager Wendy Rampson and Kirk Westphal, chair of the Ann Arbor planning commission, at a Jan. 7, 2014 working session in the basement of city hall. (Photos by the writer.)

Planning manager Wendy Rampson gave the mid-year update, reporting on items that were moving ahead, delayed or stalled. Some projects – like the downtown zoning review – had taken more time than anticipated, she reported. That meant some other projects didn’t get as much attention. [.pdf of work plan status report]

Two projects on the work plan have been completed: (1) an update to the city’s non-motorized transportation plan, and (2) the second-year update to the capital improvements plan (CIP). Other work – like the years-long effort to reorganize the city’s zoning ordinances, known as ZORO, continues to languish. That project is being overseen by the city attorney’s office, with support from planning staff.

Based on feedback from the four commissioners at the working session, as well as input from other commissioners via email, some items on the work plan will be tweaked.

City staff have drafted an action plan to implement goals of the city’s sustainability framework, which was approved last year. Planning commissioners are interested in moving that forward.

Commissioners also expressed interested in forming a new committee to explore the impact of pending changes to mandated floodplain insurance, with a cross-section of representatives from planning, the Washtenaw County water resources commissioner’s office, the city’s historic district commission and local creekshed groups.

In addition, Rampson was asked to explore the possibility of forming a joint planning commission with representatives from the four jurisdictions along the Washtenaw Avenue corridor – the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township and Pittsfield Township. A right-of-way report for that corridor will be completed soon, which will be reviewed by the commission.

Commissioners also directed Rampson to develop a list of pros and cons for eliminating drive-thrus as a by-right option in certain zoning districts, and instead requiring developers to seek a special exception from the planning commission in order to build one. Some commissioners think that drive-thrus – especially for fast food restaurants – make an area less pedestrian-friendly. Also of concern are the emissions generated from idling vehicles.

More immediately, the commission’s ordinance revisions committee will be reviewing recommendations from an advisory committee on R4C/R2A residential zoning. There will also likely be work on ordinance revisions for downtown zoning, depending on what direction is given by the city council. A set of recommendations already approved by planning commissioners is on the council’s Jan. 21 agenda.

Work Plan Overview

Each year, the planning commission sets a work plan, prioritizing initiatives and long-term projects that they’ll work on with staff during the city’s fiscal year, which runs from July 1 through June 30. For fiscal 2013-2014, commissioners developed a work plan in June of 2013, which was formally approved at their June 18, 2013 meeting.

At the commission’s Jan. 7, 2014 working session, Kirk Westphal, who chairs the group, reported that the commission’s executive committee had met to review the work plan and get an update on the status of various projects that the planning staff is undertaking. The intent was to review these projects at the working session and see if any priorities have shifted. The city is about halfway through its fiscal year.

The work plan has two main sections: (1) items related to master planning, and (2) items related to ordinance revisions or implementation. [.pdf of work plan status report]

Several items in the work plan haven’t moved forward as quickly as expected, according to city planning manager Wendy Rampson. The review of downtown zoning had been “all consuming” during the first six months of the fiscal year, she noted, and the ongoing R4C/R2A zoning review had also taken up considerable time. Neither of those efforts have produced anything tangible yet, she added, “but all of the discussion that’s gone on in the community has resulted in some consensus-building in that area.”

Rampson told commissioners that she was looking for direction about where the planning staff should put its energy in the next six months. The commission will also hold a retreat in the spring to look at priorities for next year.

The work plan also will be reviewed at an upcoming meeting of the full planning commission. Only four commissioners attended the Jan. 7 working session.

Master Planning

Under the category of master planning, the planning commission’s work plan has two main projects: (1) developing an action plan for the city’s existing sustainability framework; and (2) corridor projects on Washtenaw Avenue and North Main Street.

Master Planning: Sustainability Framework Action Plan

The planning commission and city council had approved a sustainability framework last year, adding it as an element of city’s master plan. The framework has 16 overarching sustainability goals, which are organized into four categories: resource management; land use and access; climate and energy; and community. City staff have drafted an action plan to implement the goals of that framework. [.pdf of draft action plan]

Planning manager Wendy Rampson reported that the staff made some good progress on drafting the action plan over the summer, but now “it’s basically stopped.” The two staff members who had taken the lead on it – Jamie Kidwell and Jill Thacher – got pulled into other projects, she said.

The draft action plan hasn’t yet been circulated to the three groups that were involved in developing the sustainability framework: The planning, energy and environmental commissions. If there’s interest in prioritizing this project, getting feedback from these commissions would be the next step, Rampson said.

The intent of the action plan is to take each goal of the sustainability framework and pick one to three items that could be implemented throughout the organization.

For example, under the category of integrated land use, one of the goals from the framework is: “Encourage dense land use and development patterns which draw people downtown and foster an active street life, contribute to its function as an urban residential neighborhood and support a sustainable transportation system.” Two action items have been drafted to help achieve that goal:

Develop a reuse strategy for end of life, vacant city-owned properties in and near downtown.

Implement the recommendations of the Connecting William Street effort, once adopted.

By way of background on Connecting William Street, at its March 5, 2013 meeting, the planning commission voted to add the Connecting William Street report as a resource document. However, the city council has not taken any action regarding that effort, which was undertaken by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority at the direction of the city council.

Action items for other land use goals include implementing recommendations of the South State Street corridor study and the North Main/Huron River corridor task force, continuing participation in Reimagine Washtenaw, and implementing appropriate city code revisions related to the R4C/R2A zoning review.

Kirk Westphal noted that the sustainability framework represents the highest priorities of several city commissions, and it made sense to him to finish the project by completing the action plan. “So even if we’re not always on the same page, at least we’re in the same pamphlet,” he joked.

In response to a query from Paras Parekh, Rampson said the action plan would be a working document. If approved, the staff would review progress on these items each year.

Rampson said it’s possible to link almost everything that the planning commission works on to the sustainability action plan. The Zoning Ordinance Reorganization (ZORO) project, for example, is linked to economic health and public engagement – the idea that there’s a clear understanding of the rules for development.

Jeremy Peters supported working on the action plan, saying it’s a point of pride if someone can look at work on the sustainability goals and say, “This is why I want to live in Ann Arbor. This is why I want to start my business in Ann Arbor.”

Diane Giannola urged each of the commissions to focus on the action items that are most relevant to their work. She was worried that it would be difficult to reach consensus on all of the action items.

Rampson said she’d schedule a time for the planning commission to discuss how to move forward, possibly at a working session in February.

Master Planning: Washtenaw Avenue, North Main Corridors

Wendy Rampson noted that two projects related to central corridors – Washtenaw Avenue and North Main – are on track.

Planning commissioner Paras Parekh.

The North Main/Huron River corridor task force had completed its work in the summer of 2013. The question for commissioners is whether they want to do a full-blown corridor study for North Main, as they did for South State Street, Rampson said.

Paras Parekh noted that there had been a lot of ideas about North Main, calling it a “vital part of the city.” He thought the commission should make a decision about what to do with the task force report, one way or another. Diane Giannola observed that a full-blown corridor study, like the one that was done for South State Street, is intense and would require a lot of work. Rampson pointed out a similar study for North Main would likely be less intense, because the North Main/Huron River corridor task force has already done a lot of public engagement and research. “It gives us a bit of a jump start,” Rampson said.

Regarding the Washtenaw Avenue corridor, the planning commission was briefed about Reimagine Washtenaw at a working session in December of 2013. The commission will need to decide what it wants to do next, regarding recommendations for that project.

Rampson reported that a Washtenaw Avenue right-of-way study being conducted by Smith Group/JJR would be completed soon. She suggested that the planning commission could look at how the right-of-way recommendations would impact potential redevelopment along Washtenaw Avenue. That corridor passes through four jurisdictions: the city of Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township, Ypsilanti Township, and the city of Ypsilanti. Rampson noted that the biggest challenge for Ann Arbor’s section is that it’s the widest part of the corridor. Any changes that would narrow the road would affect the service drives, which include parking areas.

Because the Reimagine Washtenaw recommendations will be coming soon, that’s probably the most timely project for implementation, Rampson said.

Parekh confirmed with Rampson that the changes would happen incrementally over the next few years, as properties get redeveloped. Owners would not be required to conform the existing buildings and setbacks to new zoning, for example. Although major changes would not happen immediately, Rampson noted that some property owners are interested in redevelopment. She cited the owners of the Victory Inn at 3750 Washtenaw Ave. near the US-23 interchange, saying they’ve come in to talk with planning staff about redeveloping that site.

It’s important that new requirements are in place so that when redevelopment does occur, it can conform to what the city and other jurisdictions would like to see along Washtenaw Avenue, Rampson said. Changes in transit will also impact some of the corridor improvements. “This is real planning – when you’re looking so far into the future,” she added. In addition to some of the “problem-solving” projects on the planning commission’s work plan, it’s good to have a longer-term project as well, Rampson told commissioners.

Kirk Westphal confirmed with Rampson that it would be possible to have a joint planning commission for the corridor, with representatives from each jurisdiction. He wondered if creating that would be the best first step. Rampson noted that state law governs the formal process of setting up a new joint planning commission. She pointed out that once it’s created, it has to be sustained – so the question is whether there’s enough energy among all the jurisdictions to do that. Responding to another question from Westphal, Rampson said a joint planning commission doesn’t preclude the formation of a corridor improvement authority (CIA).

Rampson reported that a joint technical committee – composed mostly of staff from the four jurisdictions, the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, and the Michigan Dept. of Transportation – continues to meet monthly. Their work has been driven by the right-of-way study, so after that the committee “will have to figure out what our reason for being is,” she said.

Also, there’s some funding from the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development’s Sustainable Communities planning grant for public art in the Washtenaw Avenue corridor, Rampson said, and Deb Polich of the Arts Alliance is working on that. Polich is also participating in the joint technical committee.

The involvement of elected officials in this project has started to wane, Rampson reported. The staff has also tried to get merchant associations involved, she added, but it’s been difficult along the Washtenaw Avenue corridor. The core businesses for the Washtenaw Avenue Merchants Association are Hiller’s grocery, Paesano restaurant, and Wheels in Motion, Rampson said, but she wasn’t sure how active the group is.

Rampson said she’d follow up with Nathan Voght of the Washtenaw County office of community and economic development, who is providing staff support for Reimagine Washtenaw, to explore a possible joint planning commission.

Master Planning: Completed Projects

Rampson noted that two projects on the work plan in the master planning category have been completed: (1) an update to the city’s non-motorized transportation plan; and (2) the second-year update to the capital improvements plan (CIP).

The planning commission approved an update to the non-motorized transportation plan at its Sept. 10, 2013 meeting. The document includes sections on planning and policy, as well as recommendations for short-term and long-term projects, such as bike boulevards, crosswalks, sidewalks and larger efforts like the Allen Creek greenway and Border-to-Border Trail. The city council subsequently approved the update as well. Items in the city’s master plan must receive approval from both the planning commission and the council.

The council does not approve the CIP – as that’s the planning commission’s purview. But the city council has budgetary control over the plan. Commissioners approved the 2015-2020 CIP at their Dec. 3, 2013 meeting, and it was forwarded to the council as an information item.

The CIP is a supporting document for the city’s master plan, and the city council bases its capital budget on the CIP. It includes a list of major capital projects, both those that are funded and those for which funding hasn’t yet been identified. [.pdf of staff memo and CIP for FY 2015-2020] Most of this year’s updates relate to FY 2015, which begins on July 1, 2014. This year reflects the first-time inclusion of projects undertaken by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and the Ann Arbor housing commission.

Ordinance Revisions & Implementations

Several items on the work plan relate to ordinance revisions, including reviews of downtown zoning and R4C/R2A residential zoning, the ongoing Zoning Ordinance Reorganization (ZORO) project, and possible ordinance changes related to floodplain issues.

Ordinance Revisions & Implementations: Downtown Zoning

The recommendations regarding changes to downtown zoning were originally due to the city council by October 2013. The planning commission had finished that work and approved the set of recommendations on Dec. 3, 2013. Wendy Rampson reported that the recommendations will be on the city council’s Jan. 21 agenda. “So we’re making progress on that, but it’s slow,” she said.

Kirk Westphal noted that even if the council signs off on the recommendations, then the planning commission gets “restarted” as they work with staff to develop actual ordinance revisions that implement the recommendations.

Ordinance Revisions & Implementations: R4C/R2A

Amendments to the city’s R4C/R2A zoning were scheduled to be completed by March of 2014, but that project isn’t moving ahead as quickly as planned, Rampson reported. She noted that a final report will be submitted soon by an advisory committee, and at that point the planning commission will need to decide what to do next. [.pdf of final advisory committee report]

Planning commissioner Diane Giannola.

A review of these residential zoning ordinances has been in the works for several years. An advisory committee was originally established by the Ann Arbor city council in 2009. Its purpose was to give input as the planning commission developed recommendations for what some city staff have called a “broken” zoning district. The committee’s original recommendations were delivered to the commission in 2012, and planning commissioners adopted their own set of recommendations for the council in April of 2013.

Although there was considerable overlap, the planning commission’s recommendations diverged from the advisory committee in some significant ways. Some advisory committee members felt their work had been cut short and that the final report presented to the planning commission on behalf of the committee did not fully reflect the committee’s consensus. They also wanted to weigh in on some of the commission’s recommendations, including a proposed “group housing” overlay district.

So the city council reconstituted the advisory committee in the summer of 2013, with slightly different membership. The group met four times, then created a new report for the planning commission to consider.

Most recently, planning commissioners were briefed on the advisory committee’s report at a Dec. 10, 2013 working session. For background, see Chronicle coverage: “R4C/R2A Zoning Proposals Reviewed.”

On Jan. 7, Diane Giannola said that she and Bonnie Bona are interested in making some proposals related to the R4C zoning ordinance, like making it easier to convert garages into “carriage houses,” for example.

The next step will be for the planning commission’s ordinance revisions committee to look at all of the recommendations for the R4C/R2A zoning, and decide how to move forward. It’s possible that a new set of recommendations would be brought forward to the full planning commission. Ultimately, the city council would need to give direction on how the planning commission should proceed in developing actual revisions to the zoning ordinances.

The advisory committee’s final report will be part of the planning commission’s Jan. 23 meeting agenda.

Ordinance Revisions & Implementations: Citizen Participation Ordinance

An evaluation of the city’s citizen participation ordinance was due to be completed by October 2013, but hasn’t made much progress. Rampson said that Angeline Lawrence of the city’s planning staff has written a memo with suggestions about how to improve the city’s citizen participation. So Rampson would like to review that with the commission’s citizen outreach committee. Members of that committee are Sabra Briere, Diane Giannola, Paras Parekh and Jeremy Peters.

Ordinance Revisions & Implementations: ZORO

ZORO stands for Zoning Ordinance Reorganization. It’s a project that began in 2009. The goal is to do a comprehensive review of 11 chapters of the city code that are related to development, and to present the material in a more concise, user-friendly way, clarifying terminology, and eliminating inconsistencies and outdated material.

The chapters being reorganized by ZORO are:

• Chapter 26: Solid Waste
• Chapter 47: Streets and Curb Cuts
• Chapter 55: Zoning
• Chapter 56: Prohibited Land Uses
• Chapter 57: Subdivision and Land Use Regulations, and the attached Land Development Regulations
• Chapter 59: Off-Street Parking
• Chapter 60: Wetlands Preservation
• Chapter 61: Signs and Outdoor Advertising
• Chapter 62: Landscaping and Screening
• Chapter 63: Soil Erosion, Sedimentation Control and Storm Water Management
• Chapter 104: Fences

Don Elliott of the consulting firm Clarion Associates was hired by the city to do the initial work, and presented a draft report about two years ago. Since then, it has been worked on by planning staff and the city attorney’s office, which is overseeing the project. Over the years, planning commissioners have expressed frustration that ZORO hasn’t been completed. At the commission’s April 23, 2013 retreat, for example, it was a topic of discussion.

On Jan. 7, Rampson reported that ZORO has made no progress in the last six months.

Kevin McDonald of the city attorney’s office, who’s point person for the project, was originally scheduled to give commissioners a ZORO update at a Jan. 14 working session. However, a special meeting of the planning commission was convened on that night instead, for the purpose of holding closed session with McDonald to discuss attorney-client privileged information. That is one of the exemptions allowed under Michigan’s Open Meetings Act.

Ordinance Revisions & Implementations: Floodplain Ordinance/Insurance

Rampson told commissioners that it looked like FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) was going to delay moving to mandating market rate flood insurance, “so that gives us a little breathing room.”

By way of background, at its March 5, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council gave final approval to an ordinance change that will adopt a new Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for the city. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) makes flood insurance available for properties in participating communities – Ann Arbor is a participant. If a building has a federally-backed mortgage and it’s located within the “1% annual change floodplain” (previously called the “100-year floodplain) then flood insurance is required.

Ann Arbor’s previous FIRM dated from Jan. 2, 1992. In 2004, the FEMA began a map revision process for Washtenaw County. Various drains in the city were re-analyzed, using updated data, and on July 27, 2007, FEMA issued preliminary maps. After required public review, appeal and revisions, on Oct. 3, 2011, FEMA issued a letter with a final determination, indicating that the new maps would become effective on April 3, 2012. [.pdf of Oct. 3, 2011 letter] [.pdf of Dec. 20, 2011 reminder letter]

Planning commissioner Jeremy Peters.

Compared to the previous 1992 maps, 321 parcels are no longer analyzed as lying within a floodplain. However, 116 parcels that were previously not analyzed as in a floodplain are now in a floodplain, according to the new maps. Building-wise, 452 structures are no longer analyzed as lying within a floodplain, while 88 buildings are now in a floodplain, according to the new maps. [See also Chronicle coverage: "Column: Digital Information Flood."]

Federal legislation passed in 2012 – the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act – will result in dramatic rate hikes for flood insurance, because federal subsidies will be eliminated. However, implementation of those increases has been delayed.

On Jan. 7, Rampson explained that the plan is to incorporate changes into the city’s flood and zoning ordinances that reflect the insurance risk factor. The primary changes will relate to the flood ordinance, which isn’t the planning commission’s purview. However, any zoning changes would come through the planning commission.

Historic structures have been exempt from regulations related to floodplains, Rampson said. But now, any structure in a floodplain must carry flood insurance, and the rates are expected to increase significantly. The deeper a property is into the floodplain, the higher the insurance rates would be. That might result in disinvestment within those areas, she said, or possibly owners would elevate buildings, which would change the character of a neighborhood. [If a structure is elevated above the flood depth, its insurance rates would be lower.] It’s primarily the impacts on historic districts that the city staff felt should be addressed by possible zoning ordinance changes.

Rampson suggested that the effort should be coordinated with the historic district commission. The question is whether the HDC would come up with a new set of standards for dealing with historic structures in a floodplain. The Secretary of the Interior’s standards don’t really address it, she said. Rampson noted that the HDC has been briefed on this issue by city planner Jill Thacher, “so they already understand that this will be a problem.”

Diane Giannola proposed putting together a committee to tackle this issue, and include former planning commissioner Evan Pratt, who is now Washtenaw County’s water resources commissioner. Other members could be pulled from the HDC, the planning commission, the zoning board of appeals, and local creekshed associations. Giannola noted that Pratt has extensive background on this issue.

Rampson asked about priorities. If planning commissioners want the staff to work on this project, what other project will be moved to a lower priority? Giannola recommended holding off on launching a North Main corridor study, and that the floodplain project should take priority over that.

Rampson reported that Jerry Hancock, the city’s stormwater & floodplain program coordinator, had briefed the city council on this issue last year. He had anticipated that the council would provide direction on what steps to take next, but that hasn’t happened yet. Giannola didn’t think that councilmembers understood the implications of the flood insurance rates on historic districts.

Rampson said she’d work on pulling a committee together to work on this issue. Giannola, Kirk Westphal, Jeremy Peters volunteered to serve.

Ordinance Revisions & Implementations: Redevelopment Ready

The city council – at its Nov. 18, 2013 meeting – authorized the city to participate in the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s Redevelopment Ready Communities Certification Program. The planning commission had been briefed on the program at a Sept. 10, 2013 working session.

The program was originally developed by the nonprofit Michigan Suburbs Alliance, and later acquired by the state through the MEDC. [Both organizations have local connections. The suburbs alliance is led by Conan Smith, an Ann Arbor resident who also is an elected official serving on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners. MEDC's CEO is Michael Finney, former head of Ann Arbor SPARK.]

The program is viewed as a tool to help communities put in place elements that would allow redevelopment to happen. Those things include master plans that are clear about what community expectations are for new developments, and zoning that reflects those expectations in a very specific way. It means that when developers look at a specific property, they’ll be able to know exactly what they can do. The program includes a list of best practices focused on six categories: (1) community plans and public outreach; (2) zoning policy and regulations; (3) development review process; (4) education and training; (5) redevelopment ready sites; and (6) community prosperity (economic strategies, marketing and promotion). [.pdf of best practices document]

In March of 2013, the MEDC announced that 8 communities – including Ann Arbor – had been selected for the program’s first round to receive a formal Redevelopment Ready Communities evaluation. If the city completes this evaluation successfully, Rampson said, then it would be certified as a “Redevelopment Ready” community. The state has indicated that communities with this certification could receive priority points on grants from MEDC and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).

On Jan. 7, Rampson reported that the city is moving forward more slowly than expected, and will probably get started on the certification process in March. That had originally been the timeframe for expected completion of the certification.

Ordinance Revisions & Implementations: Sign Ordinance

A project to revise the city’s sign ordinance is on the work plan for completion by June of 2014. Rampson reported that the staff is waiting for funding to pay for a consultant before that work can start.

Potential Future Projects

In addition to the projects already underway, Wendy Rampson provided an updated list of potential projects that planning commissioners have previously indicated an interest in pursuing:

• Economic development initiatives
• Student neighborhood property conditions/enforcement in R4C
• Southeast area neighborhoods visioning
• “Mixed use” overlay amendment
• Neighborhood outreach/engagement
• Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance amendments
• “Age-Friendly” master plan and ordinance amendments
• Non-motorized plan implementation/pedestrian safety & sidewalk initiatives (with systems planning unit)
• Lowertown land use amendments
• Ordinance amendment to make all drive-thrus special exception uses
• High school student representation on the planning commission

Potential Future Projects: Drive-Thrus

Diane Giannola asked what the impetus was to look at eliminating the current by-right use of drive-thrus. It’s come up in discussions about corridor improvements, Rampson replied. One of the challenges in encouraging major corridors to be less auto-friendly is that the city keeps getting proposals for drive-thru restaurants, like Tim Hortons, she said. Currently, drive-thrus are allowed “by right” on any property that’s zoned C3 (fringe commercial). It’s particularly an issue along Washtenaw Avenue, where most of the property is zoned C3.

Planning commission chair Kirk Westphal.

Kirk Westphal noted that most restaurant proposals include drive-thrus. “It’s just a cash box in a busy corridor,” he said, “but it makes everything around it not walkable.” To him, it’s a broader question of looking at which parts of the city could evolve into a “walkable node.” If those areas are identified, then the city could ban drive-thrus there. In the meantime, changing the ordinance to require a special exception use for a drive-thru seemed like a good safeguard, he said, so that the planning commission could make a decision on a case-by-case basis.

In response to a query from Paras Parekh, Rampson explained the process for changing the ordinance. Language for an ordinance revision would be drafted by city staff and reviewed by the commission’s ordinance revisions committee. The planning commission would hold a public hearing on it, vote on a recommendation, then send that recommendation to city council. The council would need to approve any ordinance change.

Rampson noted that some cities have banned drive-thrus completely. With a special exception use, it would allow drive-thrus under certain conditions. Those conditions would need to be articulated.

In addition to restaurants, other businesses that use drive-thrus include banks and pharmacies, Rampson noted.

Based on the interest that commissioners were indicating, Rampson said the planning staff would add it to their work plan and draft some ordinance language for commissioners to review.

Diane Giannola and Jeremy Peters asked for an analysis for making this change. “You’ll have landowners and business owners and franchisees up in arms, so it would be good to see some pros and cons,” Peters said. Giannola cautioned that eliminating drive-thrus might result in the need for more parking.

Westphal responded, saying that it might result in fewer fast food restaurants coming to town. “I don’t know that McDonald’s would build a new restaurant if they couldn’t include a drive-thru,” he said. “So that’s one question: Do we have enough drive-thrus?”

Rampson added that from a sustainability perspective, vehicle emission from idling at drive-thrus is an issue. The air quality issue has caused some communities to ban drive-thrus.

Present: Diane Giannola, Paras Parekh, Jeremy Peters, Kirk Westphal. Also: City planning manager Wendy Rampson.

Absent: Eleanore Adenekan, Sabra Briere, Bonnie Bona, Ken Clein, Wendy Woods.

Next regular meeting: Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 at 7 p.m. in the second floor city council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. The typical Tuesday meeting has been shifted to Thursday to accommodate scheduling changes related to the Jan. 20 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. [Check Chronicle event listings to confirm date]

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The city planning commission had voted unanimously to adopt the plan at its May 21, 2013 meeting. More commonly when the planning commission votes on a matter, it’s to recommend action by the city council. For master plans, however, the planning commission is on equal footing with the council: both groups must adopt the same plan.

Planning commissioners and staff have been working on this project for more than two years. [For additional background, see Chronicle coverage: "State Street Corridor Study Planned," “Sustainability Goals Shape Corridor Study,” “Ideas Floated for South State Corridor.” and “South State Corridor Gets Closer Look.”]

Recommendations in the South State Street corridor plan are organized into categories of the city’s recently adopted sustainability framework: Land use and access, community, climate and energy, and resource management. Among the recommendations are: (1) Evaluate use of vacant parcels for alternative energy generation; (2) Evaluate integrating public art along the corridor; (3) Evaluate use of open land for community gardens; (4) Assess and improve high crash areas along the corridor; (5) create boulevard on State Street between Eisenhower and I‐94 to enable safer automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian movement; (6) Consider utilizing vacant parcels for athletic fields and recreation facilities; (7) Develop a pedestrian and bicycle path along the Ann Arbor railroad that will connect the planned Allen Creek bikeway to Pittsfield Township through the corridor; and (8) Resurface roads in the corridor.

Each recommendation includes several related action items. The report also provides a section that organizes the recommendations into each of three distinct sections of the corridor: (1) from Stimson on the north to Eisenhower Parkway; (2) from Eisenhower south to the I-94 interchange; and (3) from I-94 to Ellsworth. In addition, there are nine site-specific recommendations for areas including Briarwood Mall, the complex of hotels near Victors Way and Broadway, and the research park development near the corridor’s south end.

The postponement was requested by Marcia Higgins (Ward 4), who said she had concerns about adding it to the master plan.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

The plan includes more than 40 overall recommendations for the corridor, which stretches about 2 miles between Stimson Street at the north end down to Ellsworth in the south. Recommendations are organized into categories of the city’s sustainability framework: Land use and access, community, climate and energy, and resource management.

Among the recommendations are: (1) Evaluate use of vacant parcels for alternative energy generation; (2) Evaluate integration of public art along the corridor; (3) Evaluate use of open land for community gardens; (4) Assess and improve high crash areas along the corridor; (5) create boulevard on State Street between Eisenhower and I‐94 to enable safer automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian movement; (6) consider utilizing vacant parcels for athletic fields and recreation facilities; (7) develop a pedestrian and bicycle path along the Ann Arbor railroad that will connect the planned Allen Creek bikeway to Pittsfield Township through the corridor; and (8) resurface roads in the corridor.

Each recommendation includes several related action items. The plan also provides a section that organizes the recommendations into each of three distinct sections of the corridor: (1) from Stimson on the north to Eisenhower Parkway; (2) from Eisenhower south to the I-94 interchange; and (3) from I-94 to Ellsworth. In addition, there are nine site-specific recommendations for areas including Briarwood Mall, the complex of hotels near Victors Way and Broadway, and the research park development near the corridor’s south end.

The city planning commission and staff have been discussing this project for several years, but have accelerated work on it within the past 12-18 months. See Chronicle coverage: “South State Corridor Gets Closer Look,” “Sustainability Goals Shape Corridor Study,” and “Ideas Floated for South State Corridor.”

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

The plan includes more than 40 overall recommendations for the corridor, which stretches about 2 miles between Stimson Street at the north end down to Ellsworth in the south. Recommendations are organized into categories of the city’s sustainability framework: Land use and access, community, climate and energy, and resource management.

Among the recommendations are: (1) Evaluate use of vacant parcels for alternative energy generation; (2) Evaluate integration of public art along the corridor; (3) Evaluate use of open land for community gardens; (4) Assess and improve high crash areas along the corridor; (5) create boulevard on State Street between Eisenhower and I‐94 to enable safer automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian movement; (6) Consider utilizing vacant parcels for athletic fields and recreation facilities; (7) Develop a pedestrian and bicycle path along the Ann Arbor railroad that will connect the planned Allen Creek bikeway to Pittsfield Township through the corridor; and (8) Resurface roads in the corridor.

Each recommendation includes several related action items. The report also provides a section that organizes the recommendations into each of three distinct sections of the corridor: (1) from Stimson on the north to Eisenhower Parkway; (2) from Eisenhower south to the I-94 interchange; and (3) from I-94 to Ellsworth. In addition, there are nine site-specific recommendations for areas including Briarwood Mall, the complex of hotels near Victors Way and Broadway, and the research park development near the corridor’s south end.

The city planning commission and staff have been discussing this project for several years, but have accelerated work on it within the past 12-18 months. See Chronicle coverage: “South State Corridor Gets Closer Look,” “Sustainability Goals Shape Corridor Study,” and “Ideas Floated for South State Corridor.”

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron, where planning commission holds its meetings. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Danielle Thoe, a University of Michigan graduate student in urban planning, explains a concept for creating a boulevard for pedestrians and bicyclists to navigate better the I-94 overpass along South State Street. (Photos by the writer.)

The Nov. 27 meeting included a presentation by four graduate students in urban and regional planning. They had analyzed the corridor between Ellsworth and Stimson, which the city has also been studying. The presentation came in the context of a draft report currently under review by planning commissioners, with more than 40 recommendations to improve the corridor. [.pdf of draft report]

The students approached their work by identifying changes that could have an immediate impact on the corridor, while also looking at more visionary, long-term goals. Shorter-term suggestions included replacing and widening sidewalks, and adding new sidewalks in sections where there are none.

A more ambitious idea is to transform the broad center turn lanes on the I-94 overpass into a protected bicycle/pedestrian median. Currently, navigating the freeway interchange on foot or by bike is daunting. The approach could serve multiple purposes. If bioswales and landscaping were in place along the outer edges, it would help with stormwater management and provide a physical barrier between vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists. The greenery would also have visual impact for people exiting the freeway, indicating that you’re entering a city that values the environment and alternative transportation, according to the students.

Creating a sense of identity along the corridor was a common theme, with an additional focus on safety issues, stormwater management, and functionality/aesthetics.

The meeting was attended by four of the eight current planning commissioners, as well as planning manager Wendy Rampson. The commission is expected to make a recommendation on the city’s draft corridor plan at either its Dec. 18 or Jan. 3 meeting. The Ann Arbor city council would need to approve the plan before any action is taken toward implementing its recommendations.

State Street Background: Ongoing Study

The city planning commission and staff have been discussing improvements on South State for years. It was brought up more than two years ago at the commission’s April 2010 retreat, as one of the priorities that the body hoped to address as part of a broader effort to look at all of the city’s major gateway corridors, including Washtenaw Avenue to the east, Plymouth Road to the northeast, and North Main Street.

A year later, at an April 2011 work session, planning commissioners and staff talked about issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for a consultant to take on the work. About $150,000 had been set aside for a consultant’s study. But when the project moved to the city council for approval, a majority of councilmembers at that time were reluctant to make the expenditure, and the funding was not approved.

Planning staff took on the task instead, and planning commissioners were briefed on progress at an October 2011 work session. The work included interviews with businesses, residents and other stakeholders, public forums, and online feedback through the A2 Open City Hall site. For more detailed background, see Chronicle coverage: “South State Corridor Gets Closer Look.”

The area of study has focused on a roughly 2-mile stretch between Stimson Street at the north end down to Ellsworth in the south, and includes: a major intersection with I-94; Briarwood Mall; the large Hidden Valley Club apartment complex; acres of land owned by the University of Michigan, including its golf course and a sports complex; large office buildings, including 777 Eisenhower and UM’s Wolverine Tower; several hotels near Victors Way and Broadway; and a research park development near the corridor’s south end.

A draft report – including more than 40 overall recommendations for improving the corridor – was presented to commissioners at their Sept. 18, 2012 meeting. [.pdf of draft report]

Recommendations in that report are organized into categories of the city’s recently adopted sustainability framework: Land use and access, community, climate and energy, and resource management. Among the recommendations are: (1) Evaluate use of vacant parcels for alternative energy generation; (2) Evaluate integrating public art along the corridor; (3) Evaluate use of open land for community gardens; (4) Assess and improve high crash areas along the corridor; (5) create boulevard on State Street between Eisenhower and I‐94 to enable safer automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian movement; (6) Consider utilizing vacant parcels for athletic fields and recreation facilities; (7) Develop a pedestrian and bicycle path along the Ann Arbor railroad that will connect the planned Allen Creek bikeway to Pittsfield Township through the corridor; and (8) Resurface roads in the corridor.

Each recommendation includes several related action items. The report also provides a section that organizes the recommendations into each of three distinct sections of the corridor: (1) from Stimson on the north to Eisenhower Parkway; (2) from Eisenhower south to the I-94 interchange; and (3) from I-94 to Ellsworth.

UM Urban Planning Charrette

On Nov. 27, four University of Michigan graduate students in urban planning met with planning commissioners and staff to present ideas for transforming the South State corridor. Christian Roadman, Katy Ryan, Liz Treutel and Danielle Thoe – studying for master of urban planning degrees at UM’s Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning – spent about an hour explaining their proposals and talking to commissioners about the area.

Christian Roadman began the presentation by saying the group tried to strike a balance between identifying low-hanging fruit that would have an immediate impact on the corridor, while also looking at more visionary, long-term goals. Their suggestions primarily focused on safety, stormwater management, and functional aesthetics – not beauty for beauty’s sake, he said, but rather how to incorporate public art into functional things like signs or fences.

Christian Roadman, a University of Michigan graduate student in urban planning.

Overall, the students felt that the corridor lacked a sense of place, Roadman said. They wanted to develop that sense of place immediately when people enter the corridor off of I-94, and from there to build a feeling that “I’m coming into a unique city.”

Danielle Thoe highlighted the existing sidewalks, which she described as dilapidated and “disappearing.” In some stretches, there are no sidewalks at all, and in many spots they are narrow and very near the street, close to fast-moving vehicles. She noted that one easy solution would simply be to install new sidewalks, which would make pedestrians feel safer and make it viable to walk down the street.

Creating wider sidewalks would also be a benefit, Thoe said. Although there are bike lanes along parts of South State, the motorized vehicles travel fast and don’t always respect those bike lanes. Nor are the bike lanes welcoming for all types of bicyclists, she noted. It’s not likely a family would feel safe riding bikes along South State to the mall or restaurants there. Widening sidewalks would address this by creating multi-use paths for pedestrians, runners and cyclists.

Continuing south, Thoe pointed out that the intersection of I-94 creates an even greater problem for pedestrians and bicyclists trying to safely navigate across the bridge through heavy traffic and turning vehicles. The UM students suggested transforming the broad center turn lanes into a protected bicycle/pedestrian median over the freeway. Wide green stripes could be painted on the streets to indicate a crossing that would lead to the median.

Katy Ryan told commissioners that such an approach could serve multiple purposes. If bioswales and landscaping were in place along the outer edges, it would help with stormwater management and provide a physical barrier between vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists. The greenery would also have visual impact for people exiting the freeway, indicating that you’re entering a city that values the environment and alternative transportation. After going over the I-94 interchange via this center path, the cyclists and pedestrians would cross back into regular bike lanes and sidewalks on the other side.

Liz Treutel then highlighted other medians along South State, which are concrete but poorly maintained, with weeds growing through cracks. The suggestion is to change those medians into functional spaces for stormwater management with native plantings, and perhaps incorporate public art there as well. Vegetation in the center medians would make the road seem narrower and more inviting.

Treutel described some ideas for public art, with the goal of providing a cohesive identity for the entire corridor. Artwork displays could be changed biannually or quarterly, to bring change and excitement to the area. Public art could be incorporated into bus stops, signs and fences, such as the one along the UM golf course at the corridor’s north end. Other examples include a pedestrian bridge that could be designed in a creative way, or having a community contest to create different kinds of Ann Arbor wolverine sculptures, akin to the fiberglass cows exhibits in New York, Chicago and other cities. Also mentioned were tree sculptures, like the metal works designed by the artist Roxy Paine. [There is precedent for metal tree sculptures in Ann Arbor – as two are installed in West Park, funded by the city's Percent for Art program.]

The goals for the corridor should be to increase development with the goal of placemaking, Thoe said – reflecting the identity of Ann Arbor. Longer term, changes in zoning code could encourage a reduction in setbacks, with new buildings constructed closer to the street and parking in the rear. Ultimately, the hope is to create a true corridor, she added, that draws and guides people into the city while simultaneously introducing them to the city’s values and culture.

To describe why change is needed, Roadman described his own experience on his first trip to Ann Arbor. He traveled here on the Megabus, and disembarked at a South State Street park-and-ride lot. There was no sense of being in a special place – the location and first impression didn’t get him as excited about the city as it potentially might have, he said.

Thoe listed some possible next steps, prioritized by the ease of implementation – from installing sidewalks and bike/pedestrian paths to road resurfacing, zoning changes, and development of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system.

Ryan wrapped up the presentation by saying they had a great time with the project, and became really invested in the ideas.

UM Urban Planning Charrette: Commission Discussion

Planning manager Wendy Rampson asked about the issue of identity. When the students talked about Ann Arbor’s identity, did they mean the city or the University of Michigan? Danielle Thoe replied that they hadn’t been envisioning a UM-centric identity, but certainly the university would be part of it, especially since UM owned so much property along the corridor. Thoe  described the city’s identity as intellectual and innovative – a place where people would want to stay, whether or not they had attended UM.

Drawings by UM urban planning students of possible changes to South State Street in Ann Arbor.

Planning commissioner Bonnie Bona said she sensed that the students had been a little restrained in their approach. She encouraged them to push their ideas even further. For example, she suggested putting in a center-lane pedestrian/cycling boulevard along the entire stretch, from the planned roundabout at State and Ellsworth all the way north, perhaps to another roundabout that would bookend the corridor at Stimson.

Katy Ryan replied that they were concerned about presenting ideas that might seem too much like a pipe dream.

Commissioner Ken Clein mentioned the idea of having a version of New York City’s High Line, an elevated park. Christian Roadman said the students had talked about the need to improve bus routes. He liked the notion of vertical integration, like creating an elevated pedestrian/cycling path built over a lane dedicated to bus rapid transit. Rampson observed that traffic engineers can come up with some innovative ideas, if they’re prompted to think creatively.

Rampson liked the idea of viewing the medians as pallets for other purposes, like rain gardens and public art. She also said she was fascinated by the idea of sculptural signage. David Diephuis, a resident who attended the session, floated the idea of using large sculptures to evoke specific destinations, like a huge bed to point the way to hotels along the corridor.

There was some discussion of using tree sculptures to create a canopy along a central pedestrian/bike median. That prompted Diephuis to look up the Roxy Paine sculptures on his iPad – he noted that they cost a minimum of $1 million each. Jennifer Olmstead, the Taubman College’s career services and alumni network coordinator who had facilitated this project, wondered whether Briarwood Mall might view the idea as a branding opportunity – with trees emphasizing Briarwood.

Clein joked about a tie-in with local history. Harry Bennett, the head of security for Henry Ford, lived in the Ann Arbor area along the Huron River, in an estate called Bennett’s Castle. Bennett built realistic-looking concrete trees that were designed so that his gunmen could stand inside the trunk and shoot through slots, Clein said. So there’s precedent, he said, adding “not that we should have any shooting.”

Referring to sculptures and other possible artwork, Roadman observed that there’s a fine line between just putting something there for art’s sake, versus using artwork to create a cohesive sense of identity.

Clein noted that the city has been struggling with the identity of South State for a long time. Many people see it as just a drive-through area between destinations, but clearly there are a lot of people who view it as more than that, he said. The ideas presented by the students have addressed this issue, bringing in the concepts of sustainability and the “tree town” reputation of Ann Arbor. The ideas have real viability, he said.

Next Steps

The city’s draft South State corridor report is being reviewed by planning commissioners, who are expected to vote on it at their Dec. 18 or Jan. 3 meeting. Their recommendation would be sent to the Ann Arbor city council, who would be asked to authorize the plan formally to be distributed to adjoining jurisdictions – including Pittsfield Township, which the corridor abuts.

At that point, there would be a formal 42-day comment period before the plan’s formal approval process. The city would hold another public meeting on the plan during that 42-day period, according to planning manager Wendy Rampson.

When the plan is approved, city staff would begin identifying ways to implement the recommended actions, including identifying funding sources.

Next regular meeting: Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012 at 7 p.m. in the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. [Check Chronicle event listings to confirm date]

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The Sept. 18, 2012  Ann Arbor planning commission work session focused on South State Street – an aerial map of the corridor is spread out on the table. To the right is Kristin Baja, who provided staff support for the project. She’ll be leaving the city to take a job in Baltimore, and was praised by commissioners for her work. (Photos by the writer.)

Eric Mahler recalled that both projects had been highlighted at a planning commission retreat two years ago, and that in some ways their completion marked a new era in city planning. The corridor study is the first project that incorporates the sustainability goals. The study’s recommendations are organized into the four main sustainability categories: resource management; land use and access; climate and energy; and community.

The recommendations themselves cover a wide spectrum of issues, from traffic and walkability to public art and zoning. [.pdf of draft report] Planning commissioners spent nearly two hours reviewing the recommendations in a working session immediately following their regular Sept. 18 meeting. They’ll likely address the project again before it’s forwarded to city council.

Also during the Sept. 18 meeting, planning manager Wendy Rampson reviewed highlights from an annual report of planning activities for the fiscal year 2012, which ended June 30, 2012. The report reflected an increase in development activity within the city. As one example, there were 28 site plans submitted during the year, up from 13 in FY 2011.

Several University of Michigan students attended the commission’s regular meeting on Sept. 18. Responding to a query from Tony Derezinski, they reported that they are graduate students in urban planning, taking a class from professor Dick Norton. Coming to this meeting had been part of a class requirement. [Norton had also been a speaker on some of the panel discussions related to the city's sustainability efforts.]

Sustainability Framework

Planning commissioners were asked to recommend that the city council distribute Ann Arbor’s sustainability framework to neighboring jurisdictions, as the next step toward incorporating these goals into the city’s master plan. The commission had previously recommended approval of the 16 overarching sustainability goals, which are organized into four categories: resource management; land use and access; climate and energy; and community. [.pdf of sustainability document]

Wendy Rampson, the city’s planning manager, described the action as procedural. State law requires that changes to a community’s master plan must be communicated to adjacent jurisdictions and other stakeholders to allow the opportunity for feedback. The sustainability framework will be distributed to these entities: the planning commissions of Ann Arbor Township, Scio Township, Lodi Township and Pittsfield Township; the Barton Hills Village long-range planning committee; the Washtenaw County board of commissioners; the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG); DTE Energy; Norfolk-Southern Railroad; the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority; the University of Michigan; and the Ann Arbor Public Schools board of education.

The planning commission will hold a public hearing – likely at one of its December 2012 meetings – for additional feedback. Entities more typically provide their input in written form.

Additional background on the Ann Arbor sustainability initiative is on the city’s website. See also Chronicle coverage: “Building a Sustainable Ann Arbor,” “Sustaining Ann Arbor’s Environmental Quality,” “Land Use, Transit Factor Into Sustainability,“ and “Final Forum: What Sustains Community?”

Sustainability Framework: Commission Discussion

Several commissioners praised the work that’s been done by staff to develop the framework. Ken Clein noted that it balances the need to be specific while not becoming an action plan. Having this as a part of the master plan sends a strong message about the importance of sustainability, he said. Clein also mentioned that he’d like to see more emphasis on the re-use of existing buildings.

Eric Mahler said it didn’t seem very long ago that the different commissions had started brainstorming on this project. It’s important to note that this framework is not set in stone, he added. He hoped that in the future the city could become even more aggressive in its sustainability goals, he added, so that it becomes part of the culture and permeates everything they do.

Evan Pratt highlighted the fact that this framework is actually a reorganization of more than 200 existing goals in various city plans. He appreciated the public process that had been involved in putting this framework together, and the thoughtfulness of its organization.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously voted to distribute Ann Arbor’s sustainability framework to neighboring jurisdictions.

South State Street Corridor Study

Kristin Baja, project director for the city’s South State Street corridor study, updated commissioners about the status of that project. A written report has been drafted, and she’s seeking input before bringing it forward for approval. [.pdf of draft report]

Planning commissioner Eleanore Adenekan.

It’s the next step in a project that’s been in the works for years. The plan includes more than 40 overall recommendations for the corridor, which stretches about 2 miles between Stimson Street at the north end down to Ellsworth in the south.

Recommendations are organized into categories of the city’s recently adopted sustainability framework: Land use and access, community, climate and energy, and resource management.

Among the recommendations are: (1) Evaluate use of vacant parcels for alternative energy generation; (2) Evaluate integrating public art along the corridor; (3) Evaluate use of open land for community gardens; (4) Assess and improve high crash areas along the corridor; (5) create boulevard on State Street between Eisenhower and I‐94 to enable safer automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian movement; (6) Consider utilizing vacant parcels for athletic fields and recreation facilities; (7) Develop a pedestrian and bicycle path along the Ann Arbor railroad that will connect the planned Allen Creek bikeway to Pittsfield Township through the corridor; and (8) Resurface roads in the corridor.

Each recommendation includes several related action items. The report also provides a section that organizes the recommendations into each of three distinct sections of the corridor: (1) from Stimson on the north to Eisenhower Parkway; (2) from Eisenhower south to the I-94 interchange; and (3) from I-94 to Ellsworth. In addition, there are nine site-specific recommendations for areas including Briarwood Mall, the complex of hotels near Victors Way and Broadway, and the research park development near the corridor’s south end.

The city planning commission and staff have been discussing this project for several years, but have ramped up action on it within the past 12-18 months. See Chronicle coverage: “South State Corridor Gets Closer Look.”

Baja told commissioners that the project’s next steps include finalizing the recommendations and report, holding a public hearing at a future planning commission meeting, and forwarding it to the city council for approval.

South State Street Corridor Study: Commission Discussion, Work Session

Several commissioners praised the work. Bonnie Bona noted that several projects had been proposed in the State Street area that differed from what the city’s master plan and zoning ordinance allowed. This study had been long-awaited, she said, and she’s eager to delve into the details of the proposed changes.

Tony Derezinski talked about the context of this study in relation to other corridor improvement efforts, including Reimagining Washtenaw Avenue and the North Main/Huron River task force that city council created earlier this year. He also noted that originally, the city had set aside funding for a consultant to do the South State Street study, but the council later decided not to expend those funds. The staff had moved forward with it instead, and the results are amazing, he said. One priority of these efforts is to beautify the entrances to the city, Derezinski said. As he has done several times in the past, he mentioned the possibility of partnering with the Rotary Club.

Eric Mahler said it was fortuitous that both the sustainability framework and the South State study were coming to the planning commission at the same meeting. At the commission’s retreat a couple of years ago, they had talked about getting both of these projects off the ground, he recalled, and layering the sustainability goals over the corridor study. [For Chronicle coverage of that retreat, see: "Ann Arbor Planning Priorities Take Shape."] This corridor study, with its incorporation of the sustainability goals, marks a new era of planning for the city, he said.

After the commission’s regular meeting adjourned, the group spent nearly two hours in a work session reviewing the draft report of the South State corridor study. The wide-ranging discussion was followed by a round of applause for Baja, who’ll be leaving the city to take a job in Baltimore next month.

Annual Planning Activity Report

During the commission’s regular meeting on Sept. 18, Wendy Rampson, the city’s planning manager, reviewed highlights from an annual report of planning activities for the fiscal year 2012, which ended June 30, 2012. She told commissioners that it would give them an idea about how the planning staff spends its time. [.pdf of annual activity report]

Ann Arbor planning manager Wendy Rampson.

Planning staff provided support for 70 meetings during the year, which Rampson noted takes a substantial amount of time and energy. The staff’s historic district activities included reviewing 157 applications, up 31% from 120 in FY 2011. The staff also reviewed 895 building permits to check for zoning compliance, compared to 756 permits in FY 2011 – an increase of 18%. These items include things like building additions to single-family houses or renovations in rental properties.

For development reviews – the kinds of projects that come before the planning commission – there was a sharp increase, too. The staff handled 13 zoning/planned unit development applications, compared to just one the previous year. There were 28 site plans submitted, up from 13 in FY 2011.

Sometimes it’s hard to make comparisons from year to year based on the number of applications, Rampson said, because some projects are more complicated than others and therefore take more time to handle. But there’s no doubt that during the last fiscal year, the staff spent more time on development review, she said.

This report will be forwarded to city council as an item of information.

Present: Eleanore Adenekan, Bonnie Bona, Ken Clein, Tony Derezinski, Diane Giannola, Eric Mahler, Evan Pratt, Kirk Westphal.

Absent: Wendy Woods.

Next regular meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012 at 7 p.m. in the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. [Check Chronicle event listings to confirm date]

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The intersection of South State and Stimson, looking north. A study of the South State corridor runs south from Stimson to Ellsworth. (Photos by the writer.)

A diverse range of land uses can be found between those two points, including small commercial enterprises, a large apartment complex, University of Michigan sports facilities, an auto dealership, high-rise office buildings, Briarwood Mall, the snarled I-94 exchange, sprawling research and industrial parks, and the soon-to-open Costco at the southern end, in Pittsfield Township.

The city held a forum recently to update the public about plans for improving South State and to seek input for possible changes. And the Ann Arbor planning commission’s retreat last week focused on the corridor, and included a van tour of the area.

This report covers both of those meetings.

Observations made by planning commissioners about the South State Street corridor at their retreat included: a lack of cohesion; a negative environment for pedestrians and bicyclists; and a sense that the corridor doesn’t reflect the character of Ann Arbor. Several commissioners noted that the stretch is just plain ugly – not an area that evokes the street as a major gateway into Ann Arbor. Suggestions ranged from improved landscaping and wayfinding signs to updating the city’s master plan, reflecting land use goals more in line with the city’s current priorities and sustainability efforts.

This isn’t the only corridor that’s getting attention – efforts to take a strategic look at North Main and Washtenaw Avenue are also underway.

For the South State study, the planning staff expects to develop draft recommendations by the end of this year, with additional public meetings, review by the planning commission, and consideration by the city council. If approved by the council, city staff would begin implementing recommendations.

Background: Corridor Studies

An interest in looking more closely at the South State corridor – from Stimson to the north, down to Ellsworth – has been on the city’s To Do list for several years. It was discussed by planning commissioners two years ago at their April 2010 retreat, in the context of setting priorities for projects that the commission hoped to tackle. It’s viewed as part of a broader effort to look at all of the city’s major gateway corridors, including Washtenaw Avenue to the east, Plymouth Road to the northeast, and North Main Street.

The Ann Arbor city council appointed members to a new North Main/Huron River corridor task force just this week, at its June 4 meeting. And the Washtenaw Avenue corridor project is well underway. Called Reimagine Washtenaw, the effort is more complex because the corridor crosses four jurisdictions: the city of Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township, Ypsilanti Township, and the city of Ypsilanti.

A State Street corridor study has gotten off to a slower start. About a year ago – at an April 2011 work session – planning commissioners and staff talked about issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for a consultant to take on the work. The draft RFP reviewed by commissioners laid out specific tasks for the project [.pdf file of 2011 draft State Street corridor study RFP]:

1. Data Inventory and Analysis: A large amount of preliminary data on the corridor has been collected by staff, and includes information on related planning efforts, existing conditions for land use, transportation, natural features, and infrastructure, and issues and opportunities related to these conditions. A database of building parcel information, and a large number of GIS maps specific to existing conditions have also been collected. The consultant will utilize existing data and identify additional data requirements, and collect that data.

2. Market Analysis: A market analysis to identify market demand and redevelopment potential will be undertaken by the consultant. The analysis may include, but is not limited to, examination of existing conditions, identification of trends affecting demand for various land uses, identification of market and non-market based forces affecting the corridor, future market demand, and/or other relevant market information.

3. Identification of Goals, Issues, and Opportunities: Upon completion of market analyses and data collection, the selected consultant should analyze the data and work closely with the public, as well as business and institutional stakeholders, to complete a full SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for the corridor. This analysis will be used to craft a preferred vision of future land use in the corridor.

4. Identification of Alternatives and Priorities: The consultant will work closely with staff and the Planning Commission, considering public input, to identify alternative scenarios that could be implemented over time as the corridor develops/redevelops.

5. Preparation of Plan Concepts and Selection of Preferred Scenario(s):Using the alternatives and priorities identified via the ongoing public process, corridor plan concepts will be developed that address the priorities and needs identified. The consultant will work with staff and the Planning Commission to recommend and select the preferred future land use scenario(s).

6. Identification of Action Strategies, Plans, Policies, and Best Practices: The consultant will work with staff and the Planning Commission to identify action steps and strategies needed for successful implementation of the preferred future land use scenario(s). This could include outlining methods to work with City leaders, local, regional, and state planning agencies, business groups, and members of the community at large to best implement the corridor plans, preserve the desired current aspects of the corridor, and to embrace future anticipated growth.

7. Development of Final Corridor Plan Report: Deliverables expected from the selected firm will include a final corridor plan report, in a format suitable for publication, including intermediate studies which were used in the planning process, such as future development scenarios, alternative scenarios, and market analyses.

About $150,000 had been set aside for that a consultant’s study. However, when the project moved to the city council for approval, a majority of councilmembers were reluctant to make the expenditure, and the funding was not approved.

City planning staff later took up the effort themselves, with Jill Thacher initially taking the lead. Planning commissioners were briefed again at an October 2011 work session, when they were told that Thacher and an intern would be interviewing stakeholders along the corridor, including business and property owners, residents of Hidden Valley Club Apartments and other residential properties, the Ann Arbor airport, Ann Arbor Public Schools (its administration building is located on South State), and the University of Michigan, which has a large athletic complex on South State. Pittsfield Township, the adjacent jurisdiction to the south, is another major stakeholder in that area.

Sign for Biercamp Artisan Sausage & Jerky on South State. A rezoning request for the property, adjacent to Produce Station, was denied by the city council earlier this year.

Thacher subsequently took family leave, so the point person’s role on the project has been taken up by Kristin Baja of the city’s systems planning staff.

Zoning is one of the drivers for studying the South State corridor. The need for a comprehensive study was raised in the context of two rezoning requests that were both denied within the past year: (1) a request to rezone property at 1712 S. State – now used by Treecity Health Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary – from O (office) to C1 (local business); and (2) a request to rezone the parcel where Biercamp Artisan Sausage & Jerky is located from TWP (township district) to C3 (fringe commercial district). That property is at 1643 and 1645 S. State St., south of Stimson and next to the Produce Station.

The State Street corridor project was part of the discussion during the Biercamp rezoning request, at the city council’s Feb. 21, 2012 meeting. From The Chronicle’s report of that discussion:

At mayor John Hieftje’s request, [planning manager Wendy] Rampson explained the next steps for the Biercamp owners if they wanted to expand. Rampson said that if the council did not approve the rezoning, she’d ask council to direct the planning staff to initiate the process of putting appropriate zoning in place. If two years pass after the annexation from the township and no zoning is applied by the city, the parcel becomes “unzoned” and anything could happen, Rampson said.

So the staff would want to put an M1 placeholder zoning on the parcel. In the meantime, the State Street corridor discussion would be going on, Rampson said, and clearly Biercamp is a stakeholder in the corridor now and would be able to advocate for itself in the context of that discussion. At the conclusion of the corridor study, the staff would likely come up with a “package” that Rampson felt would probably include a rezoning of that parcel, among other recommendations.

Sandi Smith (Ward 1) noted that immediately to the north is a property zoned C3, where the Produce Station is located. Rampson explained that the property was originally zoned M1 – it was a warehouse. The entire area was developed on an industrial-type footprint, she said. Smith ventured that context might eliminate the possibility that rezoning the Biercamp parcel would constitute a “spot zoning.”

Rampson indicated that the objection to the rezoning is not that it would amount to spot zoning. Instead, the objection is based on the fact that the city’s master plan talks about putting a boundary on the commercial district. The Produce Station is the edge, she said. Without having a further understanding of how retail would work beyond that boundary, the planning staff weren’t comfortable letting it go farther south.

The intent of the South State corridor study is to develop that further understanding, extending all along the stretch from Stimson to Ellsworth. Issues being explored include zoning alternatives, transportation options and infrastructure improvements, specifically as they relate to current and future land uses. Ultimately, a plan for the corridor would be used to guide future development. [.pdf of current zoning along South State]

South State Public Forum

On the evening of May 23, 2012, the city’s planning staff held a public forum to give an update on the corridor project and get input from residents, business owners and others with an interest in that area. The event, held at the Malletts Creek library branch, drew about two dozen people.

The people who attended had varying stakes in the corridor. One of the most unique perspectives came from Carol and Dave Diephuis, who own the residential property where Carol was raised. Located on about three acres north of the Wintermeyer office complex, it’s the family home she moved to in the early 1960s. It would be an understatement to say a lot has changed since then, she said.

Architect Brad Moore, left, and Tracy Wintermeyer, owner of the Wintermeyer office complex on South State, look at a large map of the South State corridor. They were among about two dozen people who attended a May 23 public forum on the city's corridor project, held at the Malletts Creek library branch.

The meeting began with project director Kristin Baja giving an overview of the work to date, noting that recommendations for the 2.5-mile corridor had most recently been incorporated into the city’s master plan in 1990. Land use patterns have changed over the past two decades, which has prompted the need to revisit this area.

Starting in the 1950s, the city has focused on developing office, research and light industrial businesses along State Street, Baja said. The University of Michigan also owns a considerable amount of land there: Its south athletic campus – on the west side of South State, south of the UM golf course – includes tennis, wrestling and soccer facilities. UM also owns property along the corridor that remains undeveloped.

The corridor has about 900,000 square feet of office space and 580,000 square feet of industrial and light manufacturing facilities – more than any other section of the city, Baja said.

She went on to describe how the study so far has divided the corridor into three distinct sections. Area 1 runs from Stimson at the north end of the corridor to Eisenhower, and contains a mix of commercial, office and industrial properties, including a large Edwards Brothers book manufacturing plant. The UM facilities are also in this area. Zoning is primarily for office and light industrial.

Area 2 starts at Eisenhower and runs south to I-94. It’s dominated by Briarwood Mall to the west, and hotels and offices to the east. Although there aren’t any industrial uses here, much of the area is zoned for light industrial use.

Area 3 is the stretch between the I-94 interchange and Ellsworth. Only the land on the east side of State is in the city, and it primarily includes the Ann Arbor Research Park and Ann Arbor Industrial Park. Zoning is primarily for research, office and light industrial uses. The west side of State, south of I-94, is under the jurisdiction of Pittsfield Township, and includes the Airport Plaza area where several Zingerman’s businesses – including the bakehouse, creamery and coffee company – are located.

Baja described how city staff had conducted interviews with people from nearly 30 organizations or stakeholder groups, including local residents, UM, businesses, other local governments, the Ann Arbor Public Schools and others. From those interviews, a set of priorities emerged, she said:

High priority: Improve aesthetics, pedestrian and bicycling access, signs and lighting; create an attractive entrance to the city; focus on sustainability and efficiency.

Medium priority: Install crosswalks and improve sidewalks; improve traffic flow from I-94 to Eisenhower; brand the corridor and give it an “Ann Arbor feel”; improve building facades and landscaping; add mixed-use residential to the corridor.

Lower priority: Improve stormwater management; increase sanitary capacity throughout the corridor; develop trails and natural areas; get more local amenities; improve access to and from Briarwood Mall.

The priorities reflect the comments and concerns of stakeholders who were interviewed, Baja said, but doesn’t yet mean that those will be the changes implemented by the city.

Baja also noted that the city’s sustainability goals – assuming those are approved by the city council, to be incorporated into the city’s master plan – could also inform any changes to the South State corridor. [.pdf of sustainability goals] [The planning commission subsequently recommended approval of those goals, at its June 5 meeting.]

South State Public Forum: Questions, Comments

A portion of the May 23 forum was spent discussing the South State corridor in small groups. Before that, Baja and other city staff fielded questions from people attending the event. Most of the questions related to transportation issues.

From left: Eli Cooper, the city of Ann Arbor's transportation program manager, talks with Larry Deck of the Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition.

Brad Moore, a local architect, asked whether there’s any intent to convert South State from four lanes of traffic to three – a “road diet” that’s already scheduled for the Jackson/Huron corridor on the city’s west side. Eli Cooper, the city’s transportation program manager, replied that such changes are considered based on traffic volumes or turning patterns. But the South State corridor is not a candidate for conversion to three lanes, he said.

Larry Deck, a board member of the Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition, noted that plans are in the works to expand South State to four lanes in Pittsfield Township, south of Ellsworth. Is that process being coordinated with the city? Baja reported that city planning staff have met with township representatives about the corridor project, and they’ll touch base again. Planning manager Wendy Rampson noted that the most recent city-township collaboration has related to construction of a roundabout at the State and Ellsworth intersection. That’s driven in part by a traffic impact statement done for the new Costco store being built in the township, north of Ellsworth and west of State.

Cooper added that the city coordinates with Pittsfield through WATS (the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study), as well as through the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority’s efforts to create a countywide transit system. There’s also been some interest in extending a public transit corridor into Pittsfield, he said – the current focus of that transit project has been on a stretch from the city’s north side, down Plymouth Road, through the downtown area to South State.

Moore also asked if there’s any potential for another east-west road to connect South State to South Main, north of Eisenhower. Planning manager Wendy Rampson noted that Oakbrook serves that purpose between South State and Boardwalk, on the east side of South State. The city’s master plan calls for extending Oakbrook from South State to South Main. But after that extension was put into the master plan, the University of Michigan bought the property that would be needed for the cut-through. UM has no interest in putting a road there, she said, ”but that is still on the books as a master planning item.”

Deck ventured that at least a bicycling and pedestrian cut-through could be built between South Main and South State. It’s possible, Rampson replied, but only if UM agrees.

Tony Derezinski, a Ward 2 city councilmember who also serves on the planning commission, asked if there are plans to resurface South State. Rampson indicated she wasn’t aware of any major capital improvements for the road, aside from interest by the Michigan Dept. of Transportation in improving the I-94 interchange.

Possible branding logos for the South State corridor. Participants at a May 23 public forum were asked to vote on their favorites.

Responding to a question about the corridor study’s timeframe, Baja said they hope to have draft recommendations by late fall. After draft recommendations are developed, the city’s planning commission will give feedback. A second community meeting also will be held, and a final draft of the corridor plan will be made. That plan will be reviewed again by the planning commission, which will hold a public hearing on it. The plan, along with the planning commission’s recommendation, will be forwarded to the city council for another public hearing and vote. If approved, city staff would work to implement the plan’s recommendations.

More materials related to the South State corridor study are also available on the city’s website.

Planning Commission Retreat

A few days after the public forum, the Ann Arbor planning commission and staff held a five-hour retreat that focused in part on the South State corridor. The May 29 session – which The Chronicle attended – convened at the Kensington Court hotel near Briarwood Mall, then launched into a van tour of the corridor, with several stops along the way. After the tour, the remainder of the retreat included a discussion of the State Street area, and a review of the planning staff’s work plan and activities.

Planning Commission Retreat: Tour

The intent of the tour was to get an up-close view of South State Street and provide a context for discussing the corridor study. Here are highlights of some stops along the way.

Stimson and State on the northern end of the corridor. The Produce Station and Salvation Army store are anchors for that end on the east side of State, leading south to the adjacent Biercamp Artisan Sausage & Jerky and other small businesses. A rezoning request from owners of the Biercamp property had been rejected by the city council earlier this year, on a recommendation by the planning commissioners, as had a rezoning request from a medical marijuana dispensary across the street. At the time, several commissioners had cited the need to hold off on rezoning until the city took a broader review of the corridor’s zoning. During the van tour, some commissioners joked that they weren’t sure how they’d be received if they dropped by the Biercamp store on their tour – it was a moot point, as the shop was closed that day.

University of Michigan south athletic campus. Though tucked mostly out of site from traffic on South State, this complex just north of the Edwards Brothers book manufacturing plant and south of the UM golf course includes large facilities for soccer, tennis and wrestling. The university also owns a considerable amount of undeveloped land in this area, which it intends for future expansion. Rampson said one of UM’s major concerns for the corridor is the need for more sanitary sewer capacity to accommodate its development. A private road runs from the complex behind Edwards Brothers, exiting into a large park-and-ride lot that’s south of the site, with an entrance/exit onto South State.

South State and Eisenhower intersection. This major intersection includes a complex of offices, shops and restaurants anchored by the Michigan Commerce Bank building on the northwest corner, across the street from the high-rise Eisenhower Plaza (known as the 777 Building) on the northeast corner. Another large office building, UM’s Wolverine Tower, is on the southeast corner. Briarwood Mall and surrounding restaurants and offices are southwest of that intersection.

Ann Arbor planning commissioners board a canoe livery van on their tour of the South State Street corridor. From left: Erica Briggs, Diane Giannola, Eleanore Adenekan, and Evan Pratt.

Airport Plaza development.  This complex of warehouses and industrial buildings in Pittsfield Township is home to an eclectic mix of businesses. Several of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses are located there, including the bakehouse, creamery, candy “manufactory,” and coffee company. In addition to production facilities, these businesses also have small retail shops. Though outside of the city of Ann Arbor’s jurisdiction, planning manager Wendy Rampson included this complex in the tour in part because of its proximity to the new Costco store that’s expected to open later this summer, north of Ellsworth and west of State.

South State and Ellsworth. This is another major intersection on the corridor, and is expected to see an increase in traffic after Costco opens. Plans to build a roundabout here are underway, in coordination with the Washtenaw County road commission. The roundabout was discussed by planning commissioners at their March 6, 2012 meeting in conjunction with a Tim Horton’s site plan near the northeast corner of that intersection. A Jimmy John’s shop is expected to submit plans to build near the Tim Horton’s site.

Ann Arbor Research Park. The 33-acre Ann Arbor Research Park was originally conceived to be the city’s answer to Silicon Valley – a place for technology and research businesses – but it remains largely underdeveloped. A wide boulevard runs through the complex, though there’s little traffic. Several automotive research operations and a charter school are located in the complex. An adjacent industrial/office park to the east, with an entrance off of Ellsworth, includes the massive, vacant headquarters of the now-defunct Borders Group, near a large warehouse for the Zingerman’s mail order business.

Planning Commission Retreat: Discussion

After the van tour, planning commissioners and staff returned to a conference room in the Kensington Court hotel and began their discussion by giving impressions of the South State corridor, based on what they’d seen. The meeting later included a discussion of commission/staff work priorities for the coming year. This report focuses on the South State corridor portion of the retreat, and organizes the discussion thematically.

Planning Commission Retreat: Discussion – Traffic, Transportation

Traffic congestion was a major concern, both in volume and flow. Several people cited the danger of vehicles exiting eastbound I-94 onto South State, where drivers must merge with traffic heading northbound on State that’s not required to stop. You need to have eyes in the back of your head to negotiate that turn, Eric Mahler said. “That’s a problem.”

State Street runs north-south. Ellsworth, which runs east-west, is at the bottom of the frame. The large paved area northwest of the I-94/State Street interchange is Briarwood Mall. The area of study extends farther north to Stimson. (Image links to Bing Map.)

The traffic situation is expected to worsen when Costco opens later this summer. There are also spikes in traffic – on Saturdays for University of Michigan football games, for example, or on weekends at Briarwood Mall.

Bonnie Bona wondered whether there are opportunities for more park-and-ride lots south of the I-94 interchange. Planning manager Wendy Rampson reported that according to AATA staff, it’s counterintuitive for people to use park-and-ride lots that are located in the opposite direction of their destination. Diane Giannola also questioned whether there was adequate bus service south of I-94, to serve people going into town.

Several commissioners mentioned the unfriendly climate for pedestrians and bicyclists. There are few crosswalks across State, and making turns or navigating the stretch across I-94 on a bicycle is difficult, Erica Briggs said. On the upside, Mahler noted, there are tremendous opportunities for improvements in alternative transportation there.

Kirk Westphal recalled the walk that some of the commissioners had taken back to the hotel, walking south on State from the intersection of State and Eisenhower. Although there was a sidewalk, there was no buffer between the sidewalk and the street and its fast-moving, heavy traffic. Part of the sidewalk was overgrown with bushes and weeds. It’s worse than he had imagined, Westphal said, and not an environment meant for pedestrians.

Eleanore Adenekan contrasted that experience with the situation on Eisenhower, where she said it’s actually pleasant to walk between State and Main. The sidewalks are wide, there are trees and landscaping, and a buffer between the sidewalk and the street. She used to walk along that stretch during lunch hours with a few colleagues, “and some of us even lost weight!” she joked.

Planning Commission Retreat: Discussion – Aesthetics

While there are some areas that commissioners pointed to as examples of well-kept, aesthetically pleasing properties – the stretch of hotels along Boardwalk, for example, and for some the fountain at the northwest corner of State and Eisenhower – generally, the corridor’s aesthetics weren’t seen as a positive. Tony Derezinski described it as a “less-than-adequate welcome to the city.”

Evan Pratt said the corridor definitely needs a gateway. Bonnie Bona noted that the fountain and retaining wall at the northwest corner of State and Eisenhower – in front of the Michigan Commerce Bank building – was intended to serve that purpose, but “it’s just the completely wrong solution.” And the right-of-way does nothing to build cohesiveness along the corridor, she noted.

The corridor doesn’t really become welcoming until near Stimson, around the Produce Station, said Erica Briggs.

Commissioners pointed to overgrown or non-existent landscaping, barren stretches with concrete medians near I-94, and a general lack of cohesiveness along the entire corridor. Briggs said it seems like the vision for State Street “just didn’t work.” That prompted planning manager Wendy Rampson to quip, “You assume there is a vision!”

It’s time to try a different idea, Briggs said. It would be great to have an off-road connection from the State Street area to downtown Ann Arbor, she suggested – perhaps along the railroad track. It’s a long-term vision, she noted, but something to work toward.

Pratt observed that suggestions for a greenway in Ann Arbor typically end at Stadium Boulevard, but a greenway could really come much further south.

Things change very slowly, Bona said, whether it’s the Reimagine Washtenaw corridor project or efforts to bring more density to downtown. She hoped the city could figure out a way to make some incremental change that would have the biggest impact. One idea is to look at changing the right-of-way, she said. Someone once told her that you couldn’t tell why Ann Arbor is known as Tree City, Bona noted. To change that, she suggested, “let’s plant a million trees!” Rampson quipped that some business owners might just cut down any trees that blocked their signs – a reference to unapproved tree-cutting that occurred at the Red Robin restaurant site on South State.

Matt Kowalski, a city planner, observed that the South State corridor has a much more suburban feel than any of the other major entryways into the city. It’s truly generic, he said – there’s no real sense of the character of Ann Arbor until you get to the Produce Station near Stimson.

Pratt agreed, referring to it as “Anywhere USA.” Landscaping might help, he said. Even if it remains generic, it would at least look better.

Diane Giannola suggested starting with aesthetic improvements – lightpoles, banners, landscaping. Pratt noted that because the corridor is located within the city, it would be easier to create a corridor improvement authority (CIA) to help fund improvements. That’s in contrast with Washtenaw Avenue, which crosses four governmental jurisdictions. [For background on corridor improvement authorities, see Chronicle coverage: "What Does Washtenaw Corridor Need?"]

Kirk Westphal asked whether there seemed to be interest on the part of property owners for a CIA or perhaps a business improvement zone, like one created in downtown Ann Arbor. Kristin Baja reported that Ann Arbor SPARK and the Oxford Company, which manages several properties in that area, have expressed interest in somehow coordinating with the city for improvements like landscaping. She said a meeting is scheduled for later in June to talk about options.

Planning Commission Retreat: Discussion – Zoning

There was some discussion about the possibility of “upzoning” parts of the corridor, to allow for greater density or commercial use. Evan Pratt felt that zoning changes might motivate some property owners, like First Martin Corp., to redevelop sites along the corridor.

Tony Derezinski wondered how many requests have been made that reflect that the zoning is inadequate or out of date. Planning manager Wendy Rampson pointed to the C3 zoning at the corner of State and Ellsworth as an example. That zoning allowed for Tim Horton’s to be located there – the planning commission approved that fast food chain’s site plan in March of 2012. Is that what the city wants to see anchoring that location? she asked.

By way of background, rezoning requests discussed earlier in this article for 1712 S. State – now used by Treecity Health Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary – and for 1643 and 1645 S. State St., where Biercamp Artisan Sausage & Jerky is located, have been part of the commission’s ongoing conversation about the need to make a comprehensive review of zoning along the corridor. Several other areas along the corridor – such as the Ann Arbor Research Park – have been discussed as places where the city’s master plan might need to be updated, with respect to land use. [.pdf of current zoning along South State]

Planning Commission Retreat: Discussion – A Few Positives

During the retreat, commissioners pointed to a few positive attributes of the South State corridor. Some commissioners cited sections that were more aesthetically pleasing, like the stretch of Boardwalk where several hotels are located. Evan Pratt liked the fact that the hotels and some fast food restaurants were tucked back off of South State, but planning manager Wendy Rampson noted that the hotel representatives in particular aren’t thrilled about that. They’re concerned because it’s difficult for people to find  the hotels, she said. Several commissioners indicated that there’s a need for wayfinding signs all along the corridor.

Related to signs, city planner Alexis DiLeo noted that there aren’t many “horrendous” signs on the South State corridor, in contrast to Washtenaw Avenue or Jackson Road. It’s somewhat subdued, she said. There also aren’t as many overhead utility lines along the State corridor, which she said was a positive.

The Produce Station on the north end of the corridor, near Stimson, was seen as a vibrant location. Pratt wondered how the city could encourage more businesses like that.

Erica Briggs noted that she can bike from downtown to the area south of Eisenhower, and it’s fairly easy and comfortable.

Planning Commission Retreat: Discussion – What to Include?

Wendy Rampson told commissioners that the planning staff hasn’t included Briarwood Mall in its study at this point, and she asked for feedback about whether that was the right approach. She noted that the mall owners don’t own the outlying lots that encircle the shopping complex. Those are owned by other businesses and the university, which operates several medical offices on the north side of the road encircling the mall.

Planning commissioners and staff at the intersection of South State and Eisenhower. The woman on the bicycle was just passing through.

Tony Derezinski observed that it’s a huge development with a major impact on South State. Evan Pratt felt that it should be included, though he said he’d hate to end up in an adversarial position if the overall corridor plan conflicts with the mall’s interests.

Kristin Baja reported that representatives of Briarwood are hoping to close one of the exits onto South State, across from Victors Way. They’d also like to put up larger signs indicating the mall’s location, as well as better landscaping along State, she said. Rampson noted that one of the mall representatives hopes to see more development along the mall’s “ring road” – the idea is that if more businesses are located there, that will draw more customers to the mall area in general, she said. The Twelve Oaks mall in Novi is an example of that.

Rampson noted that it seemed like commissioners were interested in including Briarwood in the study. What about the industrial park that’s located east of the Ann Arbor Research Park, she asked – where the former Borders headquarters is located? Derezinski said it would be hard to ignore, in part because of how it affects traffic patterns leading into the Ellsworth/State corridor.

Industrial parks tend to provide more flexibility and cheaper space for businesses, Rampson said. She pointed to the diversity of businesses in the Airport Plaza complex in Pittsfield Township, where businesses range from Zingerman’s to Maker Works and other quirky enterprises.

Erica Briggs observed that there’s an opportunity to engage the arts community, which might be interested in the cheaper, more flexible space that these areas provide. Derezinski offered to raise the issue with the Ann Arbor public art commission. In addition to his positions on city council and the planning commission, Derezinski also serves on AAPAC.

Rampson said the staff could explore what types of zoning would allow for things like theaters or other arts ventures.

Next Steps

The city’s planning staff will continue to work on draft recommendations, which they hope to complete by the fall. After draft recommendations are developed, the city’s planning commission will give feedback, and a second community meeting will be held.

A final draft of the corridor plan will be made at that point, to be reviewed again by the planning commission, which will hold a public hearing on it. The plan, along with the planning commission’s recommendation, will be forwarded to the city council for another public hearing and vote. If approved, city staff would work to implement the plan’s recommendations.

Commissioners present: Eleanore Adenekan, Bonnie Bona, Erica Briggs, Tony Derezinski, Diane Giannola, Eric Mahler, Evan Pratt, Kirk Westphal, Wendy Woods. Also planning manager Wendy Rampson, Kristen Baja of the systems planning unit, and city planners Chris Cheng, Alexis DiLeo, Jeff Kahan, and Matt Kowalski.

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A previous proposal called for an outside consultant to conduct the study, and about $150,000 had been set aside for that purpose. However, some city councilmembers were reluctant to make the expenditure, and the project was put on hold until now.

Rather than use a consultant, city planner Jill Thacher is taking the lead on the study, which has been the topic of recent discussion in light of two rezoning requests on the street. As recently as the council’s Oct. 3 meeting, a request to rezone property at 1712 S. State – now used by Treecity Health Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary – had prompted calls by Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) to resurrect the corridor study. Derezinski also serves on the planning commission.

Rezoning of another site along that stretch of South State – where Biercamp Artisan Sausage & Jerky is located – had recently been requested to allow for expansion of the business. That request has not yet been acted on by the city council, but the planning commission recommended denial at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Thacher and a new planning intern – Maria Ryen, an urban planning graduate student at the University of Michigan – will be starting a series of interviews with stakeholders along South State. At Tuesday’s meeting, planning commissioners brainstormed a broad list of possible people and entities to talk with in the coming months. Stakeholders would include business and property owners, residents of Hidden Valley Club Apartments and other residential properties, the Ann Arbor airport, Pittsfield Township, Ann Arbor Public Schools, and the University of Michigan, which owns several properties on South State, including a large park-and-ride lot.

An analysis and draft plan will be developed by August 2012, followed by review by the planning commissioner, public hearings, and a vote by city council.

For additional background, see previous Chronicle coverage: “State Street Corridor Study Planned.”

Jennifer Lawson, Ann Arbor's new water quality manager, gave a presentation to planning commissioners about the city's stormwater management issues. (Photos by the writer.)

Lawson described the city’s efforts to reduce or eliminate pollutants from entering the Huron River because of stormwater runoff, and fielded a range of questions from commissioners. Her presentation was likely the only time that the term “poo water” and a quote by the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle have occurred during the same public meeting.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners approved minor revisions to the city’s master plan, as part of a process that occurs each May. No one spoke during a public hearing on the revisions.

Wendy Rampson, the city’s planning manager, told commissioners that efforts to seek a consultant for a South State Street corridor study have been put on hold, following concerns raised by some city councilmembers over the project’s cost.

In other business, a public hearing was announced for the commission’s May 17 meeting regarding a request by Summers-Knoll School for a special exception use. If granted, the special exception would allow an office building at 2203 Platt Road to be converted into a private school.

Stormwater Management in Ann Arbor

Jennifer Lawson, the city’s water quality manager, was hired earlier this year to replace Molly Wade, who was promoted last year to manager of water treatment services. Lawson began her presentation by giving some personal background, noting that she’s the daughter of a civil engineer who took her to construction sites when she was a girl. She majored in environmental studies at Michigan State University, and later got a master’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of Michigan. Before taking the job in Ann Arbor, Lawson worked for a civil engineering firm and as an environmental specialist with the city of Troy.

Lawson works in the city’s systems planning unit, and noted that the department deal with several stormwater issues, including flooding and quality concerns – stormwater picks up pollutants when it flows toward the Huron River. The city handles the public stormwater system, but tries to help private property owners when possible, she said. After last week’s heavy rains, her office received several calls from residents who had flooding on their property, she noted, but the city is limited in what it can do. City staff try to coordinate with Washtenaw County’s office of the water resources commissioner, and support efforts encouraging residents to use rain barrels and rain gardens on their property.

The city is also working with several neighborhoods that have chronic flooding and stormwater problems, including the Bryant neighborhood/Arbor Oaks, Summit Street, Chaucer Court, and neighborhoods along Allen Creek.

The city has adopted the standards set by the county water resources commissioner (WRC) to address stormwater management, Lawson said. To manage both the quantity and quality of runoff, stormwater basins must be designed to capture and treat three different storm events: (1) the 100-year storm event; (2) the “bankfull” flood –  a 1.5 year/24-hour storm event; and (3) “first flush” volume – runoff from the first 0.5 inches of rain coming from the entire contributing watershed.

The county is currently updating its standards, Lawson reported, and will likely release those in June.

Lawson also described another program related to stormwater management: The MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) stormwater permit. Municipalities are required by federal law to obtain this permit, and to address stormwater runoff in several specific ways:

• public education
• public involvement/participation
• an illicit discharge elimination plan – developing ways to prevent substances other than stormwater from entering the stormwater system
• post-construction stormwater control – requiring new developments to manage stormwater runoff through detention ponds and other means
• construction stormwater control – having a regulatory mechanism to prevent or reduce pollutant runoff at construction sites
• pollution prevention and “good housekeeping” to prevent pollutant runoff from municipal operations – everything from the city’s vehicle fleet to golf course design.

Lawson also discussed management of total maximum daily loads, or TMDLs [pronounced \TIM-duhls\]. This is a term in the U.S. Clean Water Act that refers to the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive while still meeting federal water quality standards. Locally, there are plans to address water quality issues in several areas: for e.coli in the Huron River and Honey Creek; for biotas in Malletts Creek and Swift Run; and for phosphorus in Ford Lake. Lawson referred commissioners to the Huron River Watershed website for more details. [.pdf file of stormwater plan to address TMDLs]

The city has undertaken several initiatives to deal with water quality as it relates to stormwater runoff, Lawson said. Ann Arbor is collaborating with partners like the county’s water resources commissioner and the Huron River Watershed Council. Another approach is the city’s phosphorus ordinance, which took effect in 2007. Staff is also actively looking to eliminate any cross-connections between the sanitary sewer and the stormwater system. Street sweeping and urban wildlife management are among the other measures designed to improve water quality of stormwater runoff, she said.

Stormwater management is a big issue, Lawson said. “Last week, it was a headache,” she said, “but I’d like it to be more of an amenity.”

Lawson concluded with a quote by the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle: “The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.”

Stormwater Management: Commissioner Questions, Comments

Wendy Woods wanted to know whether the University of Michigan followed the same water quality regulations, and who had oversight of UM’s compliance. Lawson said that although the university had the option of nesting within the city’s jurisdiction, they chose to operate under their own permit and have their own processes and procedures. She said the university does coordinate with the city, however.

Wendy Rampson, the city’s planning manager, noted that the university tends to handle its stormwater management on a regional basis, looking at sections of the campus as it plans. In contrast, the city handles stormwater management on a parcel-by-parcel basis.

Jean Carlberg asked whether the city has ways of dealing with developers who inadequately address stormwater issues, like those that occur in the Arbor Oaks neighborhood. Lawson replied that there are different city regulations in place for developments that didn’t exist when Arbor Oaks was built.

Tony Derezinski said that the deer population is a big problem in the city, and he wondered if Lawson was doing anything directly related to that. Lawson observed that deer tend to travel along river corridors, but she hasn’t yet had any questions arise about the city’s deer population. If she did, she said she’d likely coordinate with the city’s parks and recreation staff about it.

Noting that she’d recently been reading about the Pall-Gelman 1,4 dioxane plume that’s contaminated aquifers underneath the city, Woods asked whether Lawson was working with Matt Naud, the city’s environmental coordinator, on that situation. Lawson reported that Naud was helping get her up to speed, and that she had attended a public meeting on the issue several weeks ago. [See Chronicle coverage: "Residents Frustrated by Dioxane Decision"]

It’s a tough situation for the city, Lawson said, because it doesn’t have control over what the state decides to do to monitor and manage the dioxane plume. Woods suggested that the city staff put together a memo that can be distributed to residents, giving them an update. She said she read The Chronicle’s coverage, but that the city should provide information too.

Erica Briggs asked why stormwater wasn’t treated like wastewater, and put through a cleaning process. Lawson said that when the city was first built, there weren’t concerns about stormwater – so the system in the older sections of town drains into pipes that flow directly into the Huron River. Outside the urban core, over time, developments were built that treated runoff in different ways – for example, through detention ponds, bioswales, or more recently with devices like swirl concentrators. There was a paradigm shift in the 1980s and ’90s when the city began to look more seriously at treating stormwater, she said.

Rampson asked Lawson to explain the difference between the city’s separate sewer and stormwater systems, and the combined system that some other cities use. Lawson described how her own home in Wayne County is connected to the Detroit sanitary wastewater system. Instead of having two pipes – one for “poo water” and one for stormwater – in the Detroit system, both wastewater and stormwater use the same pipe. So when there are storms that flood the system, it can cause sewage discharge – it’s a capacity issue, she said.

In Ann Arbor, there are two systems. Wastewater flows to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, and stormwater is either treated on-site through bioswales or other means, or flows into the stormwater drainage system and into the Huron River.

Carlberg asked what the most pressing issue is regarding stormwater management. Lawson cited the city’s impervious surfaces – that’s directly related to the quantity of runoff, she said. Any water they can keep out of the stormwater system or treat before it goes in is a step in the right direction, she said.

Carlberg wondered whether Lawson would be returning to the commission with suggestions about how to deal with that issue. Yes, Lawson said, as it relates to city capital improvement projects, which is what she’ll be working on as part of the systems planning staff.

Kirk Westphal asked whether Lawson foresees collaboration on ordinances dealing with private developments. She replied that the city needs to partner with the county water resources commissioner on these issues. Regarding developers, Lawson said she finds that education and encouragement often get better results.

Rampson asked whether Lawson had any opinion about which strategies were more effective at managing stormwater – mechanized systems, like swirl concentrators, or natural processes of infiltration.

Lawson noted that Mother Nature has been managing stormwater runoff forever, while mechanized means are relatively new – she has questions about the long-term functionality of these systems. However, on certain sites the mechanized systems might be a better option, she added, if the soil doesn’t allow for infiltration and there’s not enough space for a detention pond, for example.

Evan Pratt noted that the county’s water resources commissioner is collecting data on the rainwater collection and treatment system that’s installed in the north lawn of the Pioneer High School property. They’re doing downstream sampling of Allen Creek to see if the system is doing what the manufacturer said it will – in a year or so, they’ll have some data to measure its effectiveness.

Master Plan Revisions

The planning commission’s bylaws require that each May, the commission review the city’s master plan and hold a public hearing before adopting any revisions.

City planning staff proposed two revisions: (1) adding the recently updated Parks & Recreation Open Space (PROS) plan; and (2) adding references in the master plan’s resource information list to two studies related to the Washtenaw Avenue corridor – the Washtenaw County Access Management Plan, and the Washtenaw Avenue Corridor Redevelopment Strategy. [.pdf file of master plan resolution at start of the May 3 meeting]

No one spoke during the public hearing on the master plan revisions.

The master plan and supporting documents can be downloaded from the city’s website.

Master Plan Revisions: Commissioner Discussion

Evan Pratt asked whether the recently approved downtown design guidelines – part of the broader A2D2 (Ann Arbor Discovering Downtown) overhaul – should be included as a resource document. [The city council approved the design guidelines at their Feb. 7, 2011 meeting, and the planning commission approved a companion design review process at their April 5, 2011 meeting.]

Kirk Westphal chaired the planning commission's May 3 meeting in the absence of chair Eric Mahler.

After a brief discussion, commissioners voted unanimously to include the downtown design guidelines as a resource document.

Pratt also asked how easily the public could find information on the master plan. Rampson noted that on the city’s planning website, the left sidebar includes a link to the master plan page.

Jean Carlberg suggested adding dates to the list of documents used as resources for the master plan. Indicating the year for each document will eliminate some potential confusion, she said – for example, there are several versions of the downtown plan circulating in the community, she noted.

Bonnie Bona asked whether the State Street corridor work and whatever comes out of the Washtenaw Avenue corridor efforts will be incorporated into the master plan itself, or whether they’d be included as resource documents. Rampson said that staff envisioned those efforts as either being separate chapters or incorporated in some other way into the master plan’s section on land use elements.

Wendy Woods asked whether other city commissions, like the park advisory commission, should be included in one of the resolved clauses in the resolution for the master plan revisions:

Resolved, The City Planning Commission will assist in the development of a Sustainability Framework, in coordination with the Energy Commission and Environmental Commission;

Bona noted that they’d like to be as inclusive as possible, and suggested adding “and other commissions” to the clause. The energy and environmental commissions were likely cited because, like the planning commission, those groups had passed resolutions on sustainability following a joint session last year of all three commissions. Commissioners voted unanimously to amend the clause as suggested.

Outcome: Planning commissioners unanimously approved revisions to the city of Ann Arbor’s master plan, as amended.

Public Hearing Set for Summers-Knoll

A public hearing has been set for May 17 regarding a request by Summers-Knoll School for a special exception use. If granted, the special exception would allow the school to convert an office building at 2203 Platt Road into a private school, for a maximum of 144 students in grades K-8.

There was no discussion on this item.

Communications from Commissioners, Staff

There were several opportunities for commissioners and staff to share information during the meeting. Here are some highlights.

Communications: Report from City Council

Tony Derezinski, a planning commissioner who also serves on city council, briefed commissioners on planning-related items from the council’s Monday meeting. He noted that the meeting was a long one, lasting until nearly midnight. The new CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK, Paul Krutko, had been introduced, and Derezinski said Krutko was interested in the commission’s recent “community crawl” – a reference to last week’s planning commission retreat that included a bus tour along Washtenaw Avenue. An effort to revitalize that stretch crosses four jurisdictions – Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township, Ypsilanti Township and Ypsilanti – and represents the kind of regional approach that SPARK embraces, Derezinski said.

Tony Derezinski gave fellow planning commissioners a report from Monday night's city council meeting. He also represents Ward 2 on city council.

The city council had approved the Packard Square site plan, Derezinski said, noting that several neighbors spoke during public commentary in support of the proposal. The planning commission had recommended approval of the project at its March 15, 2011 meeting.

But much of Monday’s council meeting was spent discussing medical marijuana ordinances, Derezinski noted. One of the points that was “aggressively debated” was a proposal to remove cultivation facilities from a requirement to file for a license with the city – he said he was on the losing side of that decision. Ultimately, council voted to postpone the two local laws on medical marijuana – one on zoning and another on licensing – and to take them up again at their June 6 meeting.

Derezinski indicated that the council has spent too much of their time on this issue – they’ve discussed it at various meetings for about a year – and that more of the details should have been worked out before the proposed ordinances were brought to them by the city attorney’s staff.

Wendy Woods asked Derezinski whether the council might be accused of delaying major legislation until after the university students leave town. Yes, they probably would be accused of that, he replied.

Wendy Rampson, head of the city’s planning staff, noted that an article in the Michigan Daily – the University of Michigan student newspaper – had incorrectly reported that the medical marijuana ordinances were passed. [That article was subsequently picked up by the Associated Press wire service and widely distributed to media across the country.]

“That’s the old ‘Triumph of hope over experience,’” Derezinski quipped.

Communications: Planning Manager

In response to a question from commissioner Kirk Westphal, planning manager Wendy Rampson reported that the request for proposals (RFP) for a consultant to conduct a study of the South State Street corridor had been put on hold. The commission had discussed this project at their April 12, 2011 working session.

Some councilmembers have raised concerns about making any expenditure, she said, even one that had been previously budgeted. [About $150,000 was available for the project, though it was not expected that the entire amount would be used. Those funds are in the budget for the current fiscal year, but would require city council approval to be carried over into FY2012, which begins July 1, 2011. The council voted on Oct. 18, 2010 to move the appropriated funds out of the general fund reserve and into the FY 2011 budget, because the money had been unspent in FY 2010, but not carried forward in the FY 2011 budget.]

Wendy Rampson, the city of Ann Arbor's planning manager.

Rampson said that if the city council doesn’t want to pay for an outside consultant, she’ll come back to the commission with a Plan B, which would likely allocate internal staff resources to the project.

Derezinski said he’d been defending the expenditure to his fellow councilmembers, but noted that the city is facing a budget deficit and everyone is being asked to give up something.

Present: Bonnie Bona, Erica Briggs, Jean Carlberg, Tony Derezinski, Diane Giannola, Evan Pratt, Kirk Westphal, Wendy Woods.

Absent: Eric Mahler.

Next regular meeting: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 7 p.m. in the city hall second-floor council chambers, 301 N. Huron St., Ann Arbor. The commission will hold a working session on Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. on the fourth floor conference room of city hall. [confirm date]

State Street runs north-south. Ellsworth, which runs east-west, is at the bottom of the frame. The large paved area northwest of the I-94/State Street interchange is Briarwood Mall. The proposed area of study extends farther north to Stimson. (Image links to Bing Map.)

The RFP, which will likely be issued next week, will solicit a consultant to develop a comprehensive plan for the 2.15-mile section between Stimson Street to the north – near a railroad crossing and the Produce Station – and Ellsworth to the south.

The corridor is the city’s main gateway from the south – the stretch includes an I-94 interchange, entrances to Briarwood Mall, and other retail, commercial and office complexes. Although there is one large apartment complex along that road, it is not a densely residential area.

Also at Tuesday’s working session, commissioners and staff discussed plans for an April 26 retreat that will focus on another major corridor: Washtenaw Avenue.

State Street Study RFP

A comprehensive study of the South State Street corridor had been scheduled for the current fiscal year – it was an item discussed at the planning commission’s annual retreat held in April 2010. But the city’s planning staff didn’t have the resources to do the work, according to Wendy Rampson, head of the planning unit.

So rather than having planning staff tackle the project, the city plans to hire a consultant for this project. About $150,000 is available for the project, though it’s unlikely that entire amount will be used. Those funds, which are in the budget for the current fiscal year, would require city council approval if they need to be carried over into FY2012, which begins July 1, 2011.

Jill Thacher, the city planner who’s leading this project, plans to issue the RFP next week, and on Tuesday evening asked planning commissioners for feedback on the draft she’d crafted. [.pdf file of draft State Street Corridor study RFP]

The RFP includes a proposed process for developing the corridor plan – a process that’s expected to take 12 months, beginning in July 2011:

1. Data Inventory and Analysis: A large amount of preliminary data on the corridor has been collected by staff, and includes information on related planning efforts, existing conditions for land use, transportation, natural features, and infrastructure, and issues and opportunities related to these conditions. A database of building parcel information, and a large number of GIS maps specific to existing conditions have also been collected. The consultant will utilize existing data and identify additional data requirements, and collect that data.

2. Market Analysis: A market analysis to identify market demand and redevelopment potential will be undertaken by the consultant. The analysis may include, but is not limited to, examination of existing conditions, identification of trends affecting demand for various land uses, identification of market and non-market based forces affecting the corridor, future market demand, and/or other relevant market information.

3. Identification of Goals, Issues, and Opportunities: Upon completion of market analyses and data collection, the selected consultant should analyze the data and work closely with the public, as well as business and institutional stakeholders, to complete a full SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for the corridor. This analysis will be used to craft a preferred vision of future land use in the corridor.

4. Identification of Alternatives and Priorities: The consultant will work closely with staff and the Planning Commission, considering public input, to identify alternative scenarios that could be implemented over time as the corridor develops/redevelops.

5. Preparation of Plan Concepts and Selection of Preferred Scenario(s): Using the alternatives and priorities identified via the ongoing public process, corridor plan concepts will be developed that address the priorities and needs identified. The consultant will work with staff and the Planning Commission to recommend and select the preferred future land use scenario(s).

6. Identification of Action Strategies, Plans, Policies, and Best Practices: The consultant will work with staff and the Planning Commission to identify action steps and strategies needed for successful implementation of the preferred future land use scenario(s). This could include outlining methods to work with City leaders, local, regional, and state planning agencies, business groups, and members of the community at large to best implement the corridor plans, preserve the desired current aspects of the corridor, and to embrace future anticipated growth.

7. Development of Final Corridor Plan Report: Deliverables expected from the selected firm will include a final corridor plan report, in a format suitable for publication, including intermediate studies which were used in the planning process, such as future development scenarios, alternative scenarios, and market analyses.

Thacher told commissioners that the RFP will likely have a mid-May deadline for submitting proposals, with selection of a consultant taking place later that month. The planning commission’s master plan review committee – consisting of Wendy Woods, Diane Giannola, Evan Pratt and Erica Briggs – will help select the consultant. The goal is for work to begin in July 2011. Because the study is expected to cost more than $25,000, it would first require city council approval.

In a follow-up email to The Chronicle, Rampson said that the Ann Arbor city council had approved $70,000 to develop corridor design standards in FY2010 and $90,000 in FY2011 for consulting work on corridors. Of that, about $10,000 has been spent so far on inventory work, leaving $150,000 available. She said they do not intend to spend the entire $150,000 on this contract.

In addition, the council had allocated $85,000 for master plan revisions in FY2010 and $95,000 in FY2011. Following direction given by the planning commission, the city’s planning staff has not embarked on a full master plan revision effort, Rampson said, and they don’t intend to use the remainder of those funds.

[It was at its Oct. 18, 2010 meeting that the city council revised its FY 2011 budget by moving funds out of the general fund reserve and allocating them for corridor and master planning. The money had reverted to the general fund – after being previously allocated in the FY 2010 budget, but not spent. Because the unspent funds were not carried forward for FY 2011 when that year's budget was approved in May of 2010, the council needed to authorize the transfer back from the general fund reserve. That authorization came with dissent from Marcia Higgins, who represents Ward 4]

State Street Study RFP: Commissioner Feedback

Eric Mahler, the commission’s chair, began the working session discussion by looking at the eight deliverables listed in the RFP – items that the city will want the consultant to produce as part of the project. They include:

1. Data Inventory & Analysis: Interview and meeting summaries; analysis maps; narrative.

2. Market Analysis: Findings and summary report.

3. Issues/Opportunities/Goals: Overview of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis; preliminary goals summary.

4. Choices/Trade-offs/Priorities: Summary of criteria and methodologies used; summary of choices

5. Recommended Plans/Policies/Practices: Draft plans and policies.

6. Action Strategies: Policy implementation and action strategies reports.

7. Draft/Final Corridor Plan: Draft and final plan text, illustrations, executive summary.

8. Two to four public meetings plus up to 25 targeted individual or small group interviews of key stakeholders.

Mahler said those are fine, but he noted that commissioners had also talked about incorporating sustainability goals into this project.

[By way of background, commissioners discussed sustainability and the State Street project at their April 2010 retreat, and more generally at a three-way joint working session of the environmental, energy and planning commissions that took place that same month. This year, the city was awarded a $95,000 grant from the Home Depot Foundation to: (1) create a sustainability framework; and (2) develop an action plan based on the sustainability framework. The funds are paying for a temporary employee, Jamie Kidwell, who's keeping a blog about the project on the Sustainable Cities Institute website. The goal is to develop a framework of goals, objectives and indicators, and a State of Our Sustainability Report.]

Mahler told other commissioners that this project is ideal for making the city’s sustainability goals concrete, though they need to settle on what specific goals they’d want to achieve. It might vary from one end of the corridor to the other, he said. There might not be a better opportunity to do this for a long time, Mahler added, saying that at the very least, the outcome would be something they could critique.

Rampson noted that Kidwell is just beginning her year-long project to build a sustainability framework, but she might be far enough along by the time the State Street consultant starts that they could work together.

Bonnie Bona added that it would help even if they simply developed questions to ask themselves relative to sustainability goals, and to identify where potential conflicts arise between the different goals of economic, environmental and social justice sustainability. The goals don’t always work together, she said.

Moving off the topic of sustainability, Evan Pratt suggested asking for the consultant to come up with alternative scenarios for the corridor. What would it look like in the future if the city did nothing? What might happen if there were different types of zoning changes?

Bona pointed to the city’s transportation plan – it would be nice to coordinate the State Street study with that plan, she said. Pratt added that an overview of traffic management issues should be part of the study.

Rampson later noted that the city will be able to provide the consultant with previously collected traffic data. City staff have also taken soil borings from the medians along State Street near Briarwood Mall, she said. The aesthetics of those medians has been an issue, and soil samples provide information about what can be done there – possibilities such as bioswales or native vegetation.

Kirk Westphal asked whether the consultant should explore funding possibilities, like a corridor improvement authority (CIA) that’s being considered for Washtenaw Avenue. Rampson felt it was more appropriate to ask the general question: What tools are available to implement the plan? She said they’ve already encountered the “realities” of possibly implementing tax increment financing (TIF) in the Washtenaw Avenue project, and she was reluctant to suggest that as a specific option for the consultant to explore.

Erica Briggs suggested that the study include information about where commuters who use the State Street corridor are coming from and going to. Westphal said the proposed Costco site on Ellsworth west of State – which will likely have a large surface parking lot – presents a huge park-and-ride opportunity.

Related to alternative transportation, Briggs noted that riding a bicycle along State Street is a problem.

Jean Carlberg described the diversity of development along the corridor, from “dilapidated” student housing on the north end, to the huge impact that Costco could have if it builds a store near State and Ellsworth, in Pittsfield Township. She also noted that the topography of the area isn’t mentioned in the RFP, but should be – stormwater issues are a concern.

Thacher reported that she had attended a meeting in Pittsfield Township where the draft of the township’s master plan was presented. For the area near South State and Ellsworth, Costco would serve as an anchor retail store, but the plan also calls for offices, live/work units that are characterized as artist lofts, and a centralized parking structure.

Rampson said that when Pittsfield officials complete the master planning process, they’ll send out copies to adjacent municipalities – including Ann Arbor – for review. That will likely occur soon, she said. [At its April 13 meeting, the Pittsfield Township board of trustees approved release of the master plan for a 63-day public review period, beginning April 18.]

Diane Giannola clarified that land south of I-94 and to the west of State Street is in Pittsfield Township, while land south of I-94 to the east of State is in Ann Arbor. Rampson added that the road itself is in Ann Arbor’s jurisdiction.

Thacher asked for feedback about the public participation component – her draft suggested two to four general public meetings, plus smaller focus groups with stakeholders, including local businesses, residents at the apartment complex, and the University of Michigan, which has offices in Wolverine Tower near State and Eisenhower.

Pratt said they’ll probably need to knock on doors – getting meaningful feedback in that area will be difficult, he said. Mahler suggested that two public meetings would be sufficient.

Briggs noted that city staff had successfully used an online survey to get public input for the recent update of the Park and Recreation Open Space (PROS) plan. The city could contact businesses along State Street, and have employers ask their workers to complete the survey, she said.

Westphal said he assumed that overlays would be a potential option for tweaking zoning in this corridor, as would a possible premium for building affordable housing. Rampson replied that it would depend on the commission’s goals. If they want more density, they could recommend changing the zoning to allow for that, she said. Westphal clarified that the corridor study would include a discussion of goals.

Briggs pointed out that the community hasn’t yet clearly articulated its overarching goals, whether those goals include density, affordable housing, transportation or other things. As the city’s resources become more limited, she said, it’s important to know the community’s goals and direct resources into those areas.

Maher suggested adding to the RFP an indication of what kind of modeling they’d like to see. Words on paper are dry, he said – the consultant should develop some sort of visual representation, either a computer model or physical 3-D rendering.

Thacher noted that the draft RFP asks for a market analysis. She asked for feedback – the analysis could be tailored, or quite broad. Mahler weighed in on the side of keeping it basic, saying he was reluctant to get into a protracted discussion about the underlying assumptions needed to do trending forecasts. “The simpler we keep it, the better.”

Pratt agreed, noting that if you ask for a 20-year forecast, you get what the Library Lot proposal entailed – a lot of caveats. Carlberg suggested looking at what a five-year build-out might mean, then identifying possible opportunities beyond that.

Rampson said these types of projects have rarely included market analyses in the past, but that in this case, because State Street is an employment corridor, it would be useful to see what’s on the horizon. They don’t need to do a fine-grain analysis, she said, but to get a sense of where the market is heading in this region, so that the corridor can identify a niche.

When Briggs said that one thing they can predict with certainty is rising gas prices, Mahler replied that there might be a viable alternative fuel that’s developed, to offset that factor.

Westphal observed that even if they aren’t hiring an economic development consultant, it would still be useful to ask for comparisons to corridors in other communities that were anchored by a large retailer and near an interstate. What other areas have made those assets into an opportunity? He also suggested looking at other corridors in Ann Arbor – making sure that their vision for State Street doesn’t detract from other areas, like Westgate, Arborland and the Plymouth/Green corridor.

They’d talked about the North Main corridor previously as well, Derezinski said. But there’s no question that in terms of priority, State Street was second in importance only after Washtenaw Avenue, he said. Pratt added that State Street stood out as an opportunity because changes there were likely to raise fewer objections from residents – there are few residential areas there now.

Derezinski noted that it was remarkable to see the businesses that have sprung up around the Birch Run outlet mall north of Flint, or around the Cabela’s store in Dundee, south of Ann Arbor. Briggs commented that she hoped that kind of development wasn’t in Ann Arbor’s future.

Some of that development could happen in Pittsfield Township, Rampson noted – and the city will need to work with the township about it, in a respectful way.

Planning Commission Annual Retreat

Part of Tuesday’s working session was spent talking about the group’s April 26 retreat, which will focus on the Washtenaw Avenue corridor.

Tony Derezinski, a planning commissioner who also serves on city council, along with commission chair Eric Mahler have been planning the retreat with Wendy Rampson and Jeff Kahan of the city’s planning staff. It’s set to begin at 3 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority headquarters, 2700 S. Industrial, where they’ll get an update on the county’s transit master plan from Michael Ford, AATA’s CEO.

At least two hours are devoted to a bus tour with stops along Washtenaw Avenue, between the split at East Stadium in Ann Arbor, and as far east as Hewitt Road in Ypsilanti. Stops are likely to include the crossing at Arbor Hills; the Arborland shopping mall; Glencoe Hills, an apartment complex owned by McKinley Inc.; and the Washtenaw intersections with Golfside and Hewitt.

The group will return to the AATA headquarters for dinner and a discussion of the Washtenaw Avenue corridor improvement authority (CIA), a project that involves the four jursidictions that Washtenaw Avenue crosses through: Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township, Ypsilanti Township and Ypsilanti. [For background, see Chronicle coverage: "What Does Washtenaw Corridor Need?"]

In describing the agenda at Tuesday’s working session, Derezinski said they planned to invite other community members to participate. Albert Berriz, McKinley’s CEO, will be joining them for part of the retreat, he said, as will Anya Dale, a Washtenaw County planner and AATA board member. The broad theme of the retreat will be regional planning – looking at how communities can work together, Derezinski said, noting that it’s an effort the current administration in Lansing is stressing.

Erica Briggs said she hoped they’d have time to get off the bus and walk along some of the sections of Washtenaw, to experience it as a pedestrian. It’s difficult for pedestrians, especially along the US-23 interchange – and biking is even worse, she indicated.

Rampson said they purposefully picked rush hour to take the bus tour, so that they could see the corridor at its most congested.

Also during the retreat, the commission plans to discuss its work program priorities for the coming year. The retreat, which is open to the public, will run until 8:30 p.m. However, it’s not yet clear how the commission plans to make the bus tour portion of the retreat accessible to the public.

Planning commissioners present: Bonnie Bona, Erica Briggs, Jean Carlberg, Tony Derezinski, Diane Giannola, Eric Mahler, Evan Pratt, Kirk Westphal.

Absent: Wendy Woods.