From left: Tony Derezinski and Eric Mahler attended their last meeting as planning commissioners on June 18. Mahler has been appointed to the board of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority. Derezinski was not re-appointed to the commission, and is expected to be replaced by Jeremy Peters. Mahler’s replacement is Paras Parekh. (Photos by the writer.)

Commissioners had been asked to recommend approval of a “planned project” site plan, amended development agreement and modifications to the city’s landscaping requirements. This kind of project requires a public benefit, and commissioner Bonnie Bona argued strongly that the benefit should be a site that’s pedestrian- and bicycle-oriented. It’s especially important given Ann Arbor’s standing as one of the top 10 cities in the country for bicycle use, she said, and given that demand for pedestrian amenities will only increase. But as designed, sidewalks are an afterthought and their configuration within the site doesn’t make sense, Bona said. “There has got to be a better way.”

Bona said she couldn’t support this project unless the site plan addressed that design deficit. She proposed postponing it so that modifications could be explored, and other commissioners agreed – despite urging from the design team to recommend approval.

The meeting’s other main agenda item entailed adopting a master plan resolution and list of resource documents used to support the master plan. This is part of an annual evaluation of the master plan that’s required by the commission’s bylaws. Commissioners had held a public hearing on suggestions related to the master plan at their May 21, 2013.

Bona again brought forward a pedestrian-oriented issue, proposing to amend the list of resource documents to include the Allen Creek Greenway task force report from 2007. Commissioners unanimously approved that addition, along with two others: (1) the Downtown Vision and Policy Framework (known as the Calthorpe study), adopted in 2006; and (2) the Huron River Impoundment Management Plan (HRIMP), as adopted in 2009. [.pdf of resource document list]

In other action, commissioners approved a work plan for the fiscal year starting July 1, identifying short-term as well as long-range projects. [.pdf of FY 2013-14 work plan] One high-priority project is the review of A2D2 zoning as directed by the city council, with a deadline of Oct. 1 to deliver recommendations to the council. The primary focus of that directive is the downtown D1-D2 zoning – especially in light of the controversial 413 E. Huron development, which the council recently approved. The plan is to bring in a consultant to manage that zoning review.

June 18 was the last meeting for planning commissioners Tony Derezinski and Eric Mahler. Mahler has been appointed to the board of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, and attended his first board meeting for that group on June 20, 2013. Commissioners praised the two attorneys, citing their combination of practicality and forward thinking. “I feel like our ballast is leaving,” Bona said.

Mahler will be replaced by Paras Parekh, who was confirmed by the city council at its May 20, 2013 meeting. Parekh attended the planning commission’s June 18 meeting as an observer, and will be joining the group after July 1. Jeremy Peters has been nominated to replace Derezinski, and is expected to be confirmed by the council on July 1. Peters works in creative licensing and business affairs with Ghostly Songs.

Hampton Inn Proposal

The June 18 agenda included a proposal for a new Hampton Inn at 2910 Jackson Ave. Commissioners were asked to recommend approval of a “planned project” site plan, amended development agreement and modifications to the city’s landscaping requirements.

Aerial view of the proposed Hampton Inn site (outlined in black) on Jackson Avenue, adjacent to the eastbound I-94 entrance ramp. Weber’s Inn is located nearby, just west of the Jackson Avenue split. To the east is the former Michigan Inn site.

The proposed four-story hotel, located on an 8.8-acre site north of Jackson and south of I-94, would include 100 bedrooms and 51,608 usable square feet. A 163-room Clarion Hotel is locaded on the same site, east of the proposed new hotel. The entire site would include 337 parking spaces for both hotels, as well as 10 new bicycle parking spots for the Hampton Inn and 8 at the Clarion. A driveway into the Hampton Inn would be across Jackson from the entrance to Weber’s Inn, which is located to the west.

A previous site plan for that location had been approved in 2008, and a Super 8 motel there was demolished. The foundation was laid for a new Hampton Inn, but the project was never completed and the building permits and site plan expired in 2011. The site is zoned R5 (hotel district).

The developer is seeking planned project status so that the existing foundation can be used. In 2008, no maximum front setback had been required. Now, however, a maximum front setback of 50 feet is required on at least one of the site’s three front property lines. A planned project status would allow that requirement to be waived. The existing foundation is set back 72.4 feet from the north property line.

A public benefit is required in order to secure the planned project status. The developer cited the benefit as using the existing infrastructure.

According to a staff report, a pedestrian crossing on Jackson Avenue is proposed from the Hampton Inn site to Hilltop Drive, which runs parallel to and south of Jackson and is separated by a landscaping island. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority plans to relocate a bus stop on eastbound Jackson Avenue to be near this crosswalk, which would be just west of Mason Avenue.

Because Jackson Avenue is under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Dept. of Transportation, MDOT must review the plans for this development. The planning staff memo also states that footing drains of 10 homes must be disconnected to offset the project’s increased sanitary sewer flow.

In giving the staff briefing on June 18, city planner Jill Thacher noted that a large berm runs the length of Jackson along the site, creating a steep hill with nine landmark trees and other landscaping. Over 200 trees stand on the site, she said. Stormwater management is handled through a series of three ponds, with a spillway onto the MDOT right-of-way along I-94.

Thacher also noted that the draft development agreement will need to include language related to the new crosswalk and sidewalks, indicating the responsibilities of the Hampton Inn for snow removal and maintenance.

Also requested was a modification to requirements of Chapter 62 – the city’s landscape and screening ordinance. That ordinance requires that at least 50% of the site’s interior landscape area be depressed bioretention and used for stormwater management. This site plan proposes 39% bioretention in one large area in front of the Hampton Inn.

The city’s planning staff recommended approval of the project.

Hampton Inn Proposal: Public Hearing

Andy Wakeland – the project’s civil engineer with Giffels-Webster Engineers of Washington Township, Mich. – introduced himself and others involved with the project, including Jeff Ryntz of Victor Saroki & Associates Architects of Birmington, Mich.

Akram Namou of A&M Hospitality is owner of the Hampton Inn project on Jackson Avenue.

Wakeland reviewed the project’s history, noting that the foundation had been put in place just as the “economy tanked” in 2008, leading to a suspension of construction. The intent was always to continue when the financing became available, “and now is that time,” he said. Wakeland reviewed other aspects of the project, including parking and bioretention.

Ryntz brought a rendering of the hotel and a sample board of masonry and other materials that they plan to use. He described the design and explained how the project goes beyond the standards that are required by the Hampton Inn franchise.

Akram Namou of A&M Hospitality and Executive Hospitality introduced himself as the owner. The project shows his firm commitment to the city of Ann Arbor, he told commissioners. Several years ago because of the recession, there was no financing available. Even so, with his own personal funds and personal loans, he started the project, hoping he would be able to continue it with other financing. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen “and I had to take a break,” Namou said. Now, however, he has secured financing to pursue the project. The Hampton Inn, which is owned by Hilton, is an upscale brand, he said, and it will make a nice addition to the area.

The final speaker was Steve Beisheim, an Ann Arbor resident. It sounds like a good project, he said, but he had some concerns about walkability. He urged commissioners to think about who uses the sidewalk, and about the impact of the parking lot in terms of pedestrians and the quality of life for everyone who lives in that area. He understood that parking needs to be located somewhere, but would it be better to have it out in front or out of the way? It might sound trite, he said, but those kinds of things add up. The planning commission needs to put these things into their rules, he said, because people won’t come up with it themselves unless there’s some kind of guide.

Hampton Inn Proposal: Commission Discussion

Diane Giannola started by raising a concern about the driveway into the Hampton Inn, noting that it was directly across the street from the entrance to Weber’s Inn. She asked if it was considered better planning to align the driveways this way, or to have them offset slightly. Jill Thacher replied that it’s better to align driveways, to create fewer conflict points for freeflowing traffic. Giannola worried that drivers would try to go straight across Jackson Avenue from Hampton Inn to Weber’s, and that the configuration would encourage them to do that. Thacher noted that the Hampton Inn exit onto Jackson would be right-turn only, but she could envision people trying to cross over into Weber’s.

Sabra Briere asked several questions about the sidewalks. She first asked what kind of sidewalk maintenance would be required in the development agreement. Thacher said it would entail keeping the snow shoveled in the winter, and keeping it open to pedestrians year-round. She noted that a section of sidewalk is on the MDOT right-of-way, so the development agreement would need to clarify “who’s responsible for what, and where.”

Thacher also clarified that the sidewalk doesn’t connect to other sidewalks. On the site’s east side it stops at the eastbound I-94 ramp, and on the west side it stops at the property line, adjacent to a vacant parcel. Briere asked whether a sidewalk would be required on the vacant parcel when it’s developed. Yes, Thacher replied, if the property is in the city.

Responding to remarks made during public commentary, Ken Clein noted that the sidewalk is close to the road, between the road and the parking lot. Because of the landscaping there, he didn’t think the parking lot would have a big visual impact on people who used the sidewalk. Clein, an architect, also asked some clarificational questions about the building materials that would be used, as well as the building’s design.

Wendy Woods asked how the two hotels would work together. The owner, Akram Namou, noted that he’s been in this business for many years. Based on his experience, these two hotels will complement each other perfectly. The Clarion is a full-service hotel, with meeting rooms, banquet rooms and a restaurant, he explained, while Hampton Inn is a limited-service hotel for strictly transient and corporate business. There are economies of scale for management, staff and marketing, he said.

Woods also noted that there are bicycle parking spaces planned for the site plan. Would bikes be made available for guests? she asked. Andy Wakeland replied that the bike spaces are required by city code. Normally, he said, there would unlikely be many pedestrians or bicyclists coming to the site. Planning manager Wendy Rampson added that it’s likely those bike parking spaces would be used by the hotel staff.

Ann Arbor planning commissioner Wendy Woods.

Woods also asked about the AATA bus stop that would be located on the south side of Jackson. How would traffic be handled, so that people could cross the street between the bus stop and Hampton Inn? She wondered if MDOT would put in a crosswalk signal there – like the high intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) traffic signal at the intersection of Chapin and Huron. Thacher indicated that MDOT isn’t planning to do anything like that, other than installing pedestrian crossing signs.

Woods said her concern is that this is one of the worst places she could imagine a pedestrian trying to cross, given the entrance ramp to I-94, which she felt would cause people to increase their speed. Other factors include people coming off of I-94 onto eastbound Jackson, and people trying to turn into Weber’s. She indicated that it might be one of the first issues that Eric Mahler will take up as he moves from the planning commission to the AATA board. Wakeland responded, saying the location of the proposed crosswalk was the best possible place for it, because it goes to a center island between westbound and eastbound Jackson – rather than going across all lanes at once. He ventured that people might actually slow down to turn onto the I-94 ramp.

Bonnie Bona clarified with Thacher that only one public benefit is listed in the staff report because that’s the only public benefit claimed for the project. That category of benefit is: “An arrangement of buildings which provides a public benefit, such as transit access, pedestrian orientation, or a reduced need for infrastructure or impervious surface.” Bona wanted to know what the other possible benefits might be, in order to qualify for a planned project.

As outlined in Chapter 55 (Zoning) of the city code, in the section regarding planned projects:

(b) The proposed modifications of zoning requirements must provide one or more of the following:

1. Usable open space in excess of the minimum requirement for the zoning district. Where no minimum usable open space standard is required by the zoning district, a minimum usable open space standard shall be established by the approval of the planned project.

2. Building or parking setback(s) in excess of the minimum requirement for the zoning district. Where no minimum building or parking setback is required by the zoning district, a minimum setback standard shall be established by approval of the planned project.

3. Preservation of natural features that exceeds ordinance requirements, especially for those existing features prioritized in the land development regulations as being of highest and mid-level concern.

4. Preservation of historical or architectural features.

5. Solar orientation or energy conserving design.

6. An arrangement of buildings which provides a public benefit, such as transit access, pedestrian orientation, or a reduced need for infrastructure or impervious surface.

7. Affordable housing for lower income households.

8. A recorded conservation easement or similar binding instrument providing for permanent open space of 20 percent or more of the planned project, in any residential zoning district allowing 3 or fewer dwelling units per acre.

Bona voiced concern about pedestrian and bicycle access to the site. The site plan looks like a lot of emphasis was put on vehicular circulation, “and the sidewalk is an afterthought,” she said. Bona accepted that it makes sense to put the building on the existing footings – it was a benefit to the property owner. But when the list of public benefits provided by a planned project mentions infrastructure, it’s referring to the city’s infrastructure, not the infrastructure of private landowners. “So I’m not going to take this as a benefit. I’m going to try to get something else instead,” she said – transit access and pedestrian orientation. “There has got to be a better way.”

Ann Arbor planning commissioner Bonnie Bona.

Ann Arbor is one of the top 10 cities in the country for bicycle use, as a percentage of the population, Bona noted. So she didn’t want to hear excuses about how no one would use the sidewalk along Jackson. It might take a while for the rest of the sidewalk connection to be built, but there are a lot of cyclists, she said. Ann Arbor also has a growing retiree population too, and the need to use the bus services will only increase. Bona said she was setting the stage for putting more emphasis on the sidewalks. She clarified with the owner that the building is expected to last more than 20 years, and noted that pedestrian and bicycle use will only increase during the hotel’s lifespan.

Bona suggested that the site plan could be designed first by looking at the best ways to incorporate pedestrian walkways, then looking at how to work in parking around that – rather than the reverse. For example, how would a pedestrian get from the Clarion to the Hampton, or from the bus stop to the main entrance of the hotels? She expressed skepticism that pedestrians would actually use the proposed sidewalks, indicating that they’d likely just cut across the parking lot since that’s a more straightforward route to the hotel.

Wakeland noted that Hampton Inn officials would be reviewing the site plans too, and would want to reduce liability by making the pedestrian walkways as safe as possible. Bona argued that constructing sidewalks along routes that people would actually use is a safer approach. “If [pedestrians] are going to cut across anyhow, you’ve created an unsafe situation, because you have not provided a [sidewalk] where they’re going to walk,” she said.

Bona said she didn’t see a benefit in the site plan, so she wouldn’t be able to vote in favor of the project. She suggested postponing the item, with direction for the project team to design sidewalks “that make more sense” for everyone, including employees.

Bona also wondered why the proposed sidewalk along Jackson Avenue did not run next to the parking lot. When Wakeland indicated that they were trying not to impact landmark trees, Bona replied: “I don’t know when someone decided that you can’t put a sidewalk somewhere because of a landmark tree, but you can take landmark trees down for a building … or parking lot.”

Briere noted that it was a good thing to be talking about sidewalks, because it showed that commissioners were concerned about future access to the site. Sidewalks aren’t decorative, she noted – they’re useful. And if they’re going to be useful, they need to actually lead people somewhere.

Responding to queries from Briere, Namou indicated that the Clarion has about 5,000-6,000 square feet of conference space, and a conference might draw 200-300 people. It’s important to make traveling between the two hotels as attractive as possible, Briere said. She urged Namou to consider making the sidewalks attractive as an amenity – for exercise, or to take a break during a conference. As designed now, the sidewalks don’t lead anywhere, she noted. In order to be an amenity for the city, the sidewalks need to serve a purpose.

Wakeland made a suggestion for changing the sidewalk configuration to include a sidewalk that would lead to the Clarion entrance. He hoped the commission would give approval contingent on working with planning staff to make those changes.

Mahler wondered how the sidewalks would be lit, especially from Jackson Avenue. Wakeland noted that the lighting will be on the hotel site – and the city code prohibits light from spilling off site.

Mahler said Bona had posed an interesting challenge, to make the site pedestrian-oriented rather than car-oriented. He’d support seeing some alternative designs. He joked that he wouldn’t mind postponing, especially since he wouldn’t be here to deal with it later. [It was Mahler's last meeting as a planning commissioner.]

Giannola and Clein also weighed in to support postponement to address pedestrian issues. However, Clein urged commissioners to keep in mind the site’s location – between an MDOT business route [Jackson Avenue] and I-94. Although it might be different in a future world that doesn’t have cars, he said, the site now doesn’t connect well with other things. Most people don’t walk to a hotel, he said. “It’s not a downtown site. It’s a car-oriented site.”

Kirk Westphal, chair of the Ann Arbor planning commission.

Kirk Westphal said he was struck that the proposed sidewalks don’t acknowledge that people might want to walk from the Clarion or Hampton Inn over to Weber’s. People will probably want to do that, he said. Wakeland noted that a sidewalk such as one that Westphal proposed would need MDOT approval, since it would be partly in the MDOT right of way.

Wakeland reported that the site plan design had gone through several iterations, in part to make the sidewalks as amenable as possible. “I’m a walking fan myself, and a biking fan as well,” Wakeland said. “So I get what you’re going for.” He noted that this area is for a hotel use, and again hoped commissioners wouldn’t postpone the project. He offered to work with city staff on alternatives, and hoped that the commission would recommend approval contingent on that.

Responding to a question from Westphal, Rampson reported that the city has no standards for parking lot layout other than the aisle width and parking space size. Nor are there standards for pedestrian configuration within a parking lot. So the planning staff tends to look for the safest pedestrian crossings, with factors like visibility, the least amount of traffic and turns, and logical connections. Regarding sidewalk access to the Weber’s site, Rampson noted that the entrance into Weber’s off Jackson is not a clean turn – it’s a slip ramp. It’s something that the staff can continue to look at, she said, regardless of the commission’s decision on postponement.

Bona said she appreciated Briere’s perspective. Bona stays at hotels often when she travels – driving to the hotel, then going for a walk or a run after she’s there. She could imagine someone going for a run in the residential neighborhood south of Jackson. The idea of making a pleasant pathway through the hotel site was appealing to her, and she suggested that it could be made of asphalt, which would be cheaper than concrete. She stated that if the owner wasn’t interested in changing the site plan, she’d just vote against it.

Woods suggested looping the sidewalk through the landscaped area, so that it could be a kind of nature path – that might count as a public amenity. Wakeland cited issues with the steep grade and landmark trees.

When no commissioners put forward a motion to vote on the project, Wakeland said if the project was postponed, he hoped it could be put on the agenda for the commission’s next meeting, which falls on July 2. When Woods expressed concern that the project still needs MDOT approval, Bona pointed out that the only thing requiring MDOT approval related to the crossing on Jackson. Clein added that anything in the MDOT right of way – including landscaping or sidewalks – would also need approval.

Wakeland reported that MDOT has already reviewed the plan and has indicated that the plan is “approvable,” although the agency won’t officially sign off until it sees the final civil engineering plans.

Bona made a motion to postpone.

Outcome: Commissioners voted unanimously to postpone action on this proposal.

Master Plan Review

Planning commissioners were asked to adopt a master plan resolution and list of resource documents used to support the master plan. This is part of an annual evaluation of the master plan that’s required by the commission’s bylaws.

Commissioners had held a public hearing on suggestions related to the master plan at their May 21, 2013. That hearing drew six speakers on a range of topics, including development in Lowertown, a park in downtown Ann Arbor, and adequate sidewalks, cleared of vegetation, so that kids can walk to school safely. On May 21 commissioners also had discussed possible revisions, primarily related to supporting documents. However, on the advice of planning staff, commissioners postponed action until their June 18 meeting.

From left: Ann Arbor planning manager Wendy Rampson and planning commissioner Diane Giannola.

Seven documents constitute the city’s master plan: (1) sustainability framework, adopted in 2013; (2) parks and recreation open space (PROS) plan, as adopted in 2011; (3) land use element, as adopted in 2013 to add the South State corridor plan; (4) downtown plan, as adopted in 2009; (5) transportation plan update, as adopted in 2009; (6) non-motorized transportation plan, adopted in 2007; and (7) natural features master plan, adopted in 2004.

In briefing commissioners on June 18, planning manager Wendy Rampson noted that changes to the master plan include updating the date for the land use element from 2009 to 2013, to reflect this year’s addition of the South State corridor plan.

In addition, the June 18 resolution stated that in the coming fiscal year, the planning commission will: (1) complete the non-motorized transportation plan update; (2) continue to develop a corridor plan for Washtenaw Avenue and begin to develop a corridor plan for North Main Street to address land use, transportation and economic development in these areas; and (3) assist in developing a sustainability action plan, in coordination with the energy commission, the environmental commission, the park advisory commission, the housing commission, and the housing and human services advisory board.

There is also a list of resource documents that are used to support the master plan. [.pdf of resource document list]

The June 18 recommendation from staff, based on feedback from the May 21 meeting, was to adopt a revised list of resource documents, with two new additions: (1) the Downtown Vision and Policy Framework (known as the Calthorpe study), adopted in 2006; and (2) the Huron River Impoundment Management Plan (HRIMP), as adopted in 2009.

Earlier this year, on March 5, 2013, the planning commission had voted to add the Connecting William Street study to the list of resource documents – a move that generated some controversy.

Master Plan Review: Commission Discussion

Bonnie Bona noted that at the May 21 meeting, she had indicated interest in adding the 2007 Allen Creek Greenway task force report to the list of resource documents. She proposed to amend the resolution updating the list of resource documents. Her rationale was that work is being done that affects the greenway, including proposals for the city-owned site at 721 N. Main, which will have a pathway through it.

Planning manager Wendy Rampson explained that the greenway task force report covered three city-owned properties, including 721 N. Main. Bona noted that the other two sites – 415 W. Washington and property at First & William – are still undeveloped. “The major piece is the concept of connectivity along that path,” she said. That concept is also incorporated into the city’s parks and recreation open space (PROS) plan, Bona noted.

Bona thought the greenway report would be useful for discussions about how property that’s adjacent to the greenway gets developed – especially related to the floodway. The report included a lot of public input, she noted.

Wendy Woods and Sabra Briere both indicated support for adding the greenway report. Briere cited the usefulness of the report, primarily to inform zoning and planning of the areas adjacent to the greenway as it begins to form. Right now, much of that area is zoned for a certain type of residential development, she noted. But some people are looking at the area of a future greenway for commercial or higher-density housing, she said. It would be valuable to incorporate the greenway report along with the Calthorpe report, which also touched on the idea of a greenway. “How the city interacts with a proposed greenway will be a very valuable thing for us to think about as we keep our master plans refreshed,” Briere concluded.

Responding to a query from Kirk Westphal, Rampson described the greenway report’s recommendations as a starting point for discussions about modifying the master plan. She noted that the master plan is the official planning document, which can be informed by these supporting resource documents.

Outcome on amendment: Commissioner unanimously approved the amendment adding the Allen Creek greenway task force report as a resource document.

The remainder of the discussion was brief. Woods asked whether the resource documents were available online. Rampson replied that the documents can be downloaded from the master plan’s website, and that she would update that site with the added documents.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously approved the master plan resolution and master plan resource document list, as amended.

Planning Commission Work Plan

At their June 4, 2013 working session, planning commissioners had discussed a work plan for both staff and the commission in the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1. Commissioners had identified projects and issues to tackle, as well as longer-range goals. [.pdf of FY 2013-14 work plan]

The most pressing of those short-term projects is the review of A2D2 zoning as directed by the city council, with a deadline of Oct. 1 to deliver recommendations to council. The primary focus of that is the downtown D1-D2 zoning, especially in light of the controversial 413 E. Huron development, which the council recently approved. The plan is to bring in a consultant to manage that zoning review, because the planning staff right now doesn’t have the capacity to take it on.

In addition to the A2D2 zoning review, other short-term efforts in the work plan related to master planning and ordinance revisions are:

• An action plan for the city’s sustainability framework. Completion target: September 2013.
• Implementation of sustainability action plan. Completion target: To be determined.
• Evaluation of the citizen participation ordinance. Completion target: October 2013.
• The non-motorized plan update. Completion target: October 2013.
• Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance Reorganization (ZORO). Completion target: December 2013.
• Capital improvements plan (CIP) – second year update. Completion target: December 2013.
• Amendments to R4C/R2A zoning. Completion target: March 2014.
• Floodplain ordinance/flood insurance impacts. Completion target: March 2014.
• “Redevelopment Ready Communities” certification. Completion target: March 2014.
• Amendments to the land use element of the city’s master plan for two corridors plans – Washtenaw Avenue and North Main/Huron River. Completion target: June 2014.
• ZORO Phase 2. Completion target: June 2014.
• Sign ordinance amendments. Completion target: June 2014.

Several longer-term efforts are on the commission’s work plan too, including amendments to the city’s accessory dwelling unit ordinance and neighborhood outreach.

Bonnie Bona asked if the planning staff could support this schedule, and wondered what the challenges might be. Planning manager Wendy Rampson said the major challenge is the unknown of development reviews and permit reviews – it’s difficult to know what projects might be coming forward. For example, a project on a 54-acre parcel on Nixon Road will be coming in August, she said. That will be a fairly substantial review. And the staff has already started a Traverwood Apartments review, which is another substantial project.

“If we only have one of those a month, that’s fine,” Rampson said. But if three or four major projects are submitted each month like in “the old days,” she said, then that will limit the staff’s time that can be spent on items in the work plan. It’s possible to use consultants when appropriate, she said, although someone on staff would still have to manage the project. For example, the city staff doesn’t have the expertise to handle the sign ordinance amendments, so that’s probably a project that will require a consultant.

Rampson noted that when city planner Alexis DiLeo goes on maternity leave, the city will hire a temporary planner during that period. Even though there will be a learning curve for that person, she said, at least the staff will have the same number of people.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously approved the FY 2013-14 work plan.

Appointments, Farewells

June 18 was the last meeting for planning commissioners Tony Derezinski and Eric Mahler. Mahler has been appointed to the board of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, and attended his first board meeting for that group on June 20, 2013.

Planning commissioner Diane Giannola talks with Paras Parekh, who has been appointed to the commission to replace Eric Mahler. Parekh attended the June 18 meeting as an observer, and will join the group after July 1.

He’ll be replaced by Paras Parekh, who was confirmed by the city council at its May 20, 2013 meeting. Parekh attended the planning commission’s June 18 meeting as an observer, and will be joining the group after July 1. He is director of marketing and membership for the University of Michigan alumni association, and received his undergrad degree in economics from UM. He has worked in marketing for about a decade, and spent two years as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives working for Congresswoman Lynn Rivers.

Derezinski, a former city councilmember, had been expected to be reappointed. His name had appeared on the list distributed to the council at its June 3 meeting as a nomination to the planning commission, but mayor John Hieftje did not read Derezinski’s name aloud that evening as a nomination. Instead, at the June 17, 2013 council meeting, Hieftje nominated Jeremy Peters to replace Derezinski, whose term ends June 30. Peters works in creative licensing and business affairs with Ghostly Songs. A council vote to confirm his appointment will take place on July 1.

On June 17, the council did vote to reappoint planning commissioner Bonnie Bona. Also reappointed was councilmember Sabra Briere, who serves as the council’s representative on the commission, for a term through Nov. 7, 2013. At that point the membership on the new, post-election city council will be settled. Briere is running for re-election and is unopposed in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary, but might face opposition in November from independent candidate Jaclyn Vresics. Vresics has taken out petitions for the Ward 1 seat but has not yet filed them with the city clerk’s office. The deadline for independent candidates to submit petitions is Aug. 7.

Near the start of the June 18 meeting, planning commissioners and staff said farewell to Mahler and Derezinski. Kirk Westphal, the commission’s chair, said the commission was honored by their service and saddened by their departure.

“I feel like our ballast is leaving,” Bonnie Bona said.

There are a lot of idealists on the commission trying to get things done, Bona noted, and the two attorneys have provided a lot of common sense practicality that’s useful – especially when some commissioners “wander off into areas that are more of our personal desire than something we can actually do,” Bona said. She’d miss that quality, and said their absence would likely make her become more practical.

Diane Giannola appreciated their “forward thinking,” especially regarding the Washtenaw Avenue and South State Street corridor studies. They’ve been more future-driven, she said, rather than “trying to just have the city stay the same. Even though sometimes that’s unpopular, I for one as a resident have always appreciated that.” She also said their legal orientation will be missed.

Wendy Woods agreed that the commission would miss the “wise comments that you gave to us, even if we didn’t always agree with you.” She thanked them for their service, and looked forward to seeing them in their future endeavors.

Sabra Briere acknowledged that she never really got to know Mahler, although she got to observe him across the table. She hoped to get to know him better as he continues his service to the city on the AATA board. However, she did get to know Derezinski, she said, because she sat next to him for four years on city council. The fact that there are different voices and viewpoints at the table, all trying to do the best for the community, “is what makes this board so rich, this community so wealthy,” she said.

Westphal highlighted Derezinski’s emphasis on collaboration. It seems to be getting more difficult to do these days, he said, but Derezinski has always “stayed the course.” Westphal appreciated Derezinski’s “quiet work” outside of the commission, citing the Reimagine Washtenaw project and issues related to aging. Those efforts bear great fruit in the long run, Westphal noted, but it takes a lot of work to get there. He cited Mahler’s service as planning commission chair as helping Westphal’s current tenure in that position. Westphal also appreciated Mahler’s ability to keep the commission on task and ensure that projects moved forward, as well as his legal expertise.

Sabra Briere, an Ann Arbor city councilmember who also serves on the city’s planning commission.

Westphal said commissioners would miss both Mahler and Derezinski, “both faithful co-pilots of the Blue Tractor as well” – a reference to the fact that some commissioners go to that local bar after meetings adjourn.

Planning manager Wendy Rampson told Mahler and Derezinski that she had valued their leadership on the commission. It’s a citizen body that demands a lot of its members, she noted, meeting almost weekly. She knew that sometimes Mahler wanted things to move forward more quickly, “but you are eminently patient.” It will be great to see his service continue on the AATA as that agency grows and becomes more important to the region, she said.

Rampson noted that Derezinski is “always good for a new idea.” Sometimes, that would cause her to brace herself when she saw him approaching, Rampson joked, but he brought enthusiasm and commitment to all his work. His emphasis on regional planning was a great vision. Both of them will be “sorely missed,” she said.

Derezinski told commissioners that he had to leave the meeting early for a family responsibility, “so I’m leaving not with a bang but with a whimper.” He thanked commissioners for the pleasure of their company. The commission is unique, he said, in that it works on tough decisions and respects each other. Strong feelings never escalate to personal, ad hominem attacks – it’s always been collegial and civil, he said, which is important. He recalled the ritual that he and Briere had on council, when they would bring each other coffee. Little things like that helped bridge the gap when they disagreed on issues, he said. It’s the kind of thing that makes government work well.

Derezinski also praised the city’s planning staff, saying that they were incredibly smart and hard-working. That’s not an accident, he said – it’s the result of leadership, goodwill and friendship. He thanked everyone for the wonderful time he’s had on the commission over the last four and a half years.

Regarding their gatherings at the Blue Tractor, Derezinski said they should remember the words of a poet whose name he couldn’t recall [A. E. Housman]: “And malt does more than Milton can. To justify God’s ways to man.”

Mahler thanked everyone, saying he enjoyed every minute on the commission. It’s mind blowing how much has been accomplished over the last six years, he said. He’s proud of that work, which was done respectfully and collegially. His work takes him around southeast Michigan and the state, and people envy Ann Arbor, he said. That envy in large part reflects the results of work by the planning staff and commission, he said.

Other commissioners gave the two outgoing members a round of applause.

Communications & Commentary

During the meeting there were several opportunities for communications from staff and commissioners, as well as two general public commentary times. Here are some highlights.

Communications & Commentary: Public Commentary

Steve Beisheim spoke during the first opportunity for public commentary. He’d been reading a book called “Suburban Nation,” and watching a lot of videos by the authors. It’s mind-blowing, he said. The way that cities have been built out, the tax base doesn’t cover cost of the infrastructure. Even if federal funding is available to build infrastructure, local governments can’t afford to maintain it. From what he’s read, all the cities are doing things the same way, with regard to zoning, he said. That’s why every gas station is the same across the country, he said. There are other options, even though people tend to go against their best interests. He told commissioners that he’s trying to educate himself and see how they work, and hopefully he can be a positive influence in the future.

Present: Bonnie Bona, Sabra Briere, Ken Clein (arrived at 8 p.m.), Tony Derezinski, Diane Giannola, Eric Mahler, Kirk Westphal, Wendy Woods.

Absent: Eleanore Adenekan.

Next regular meeting: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 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]

The Chronicle survives in part through regular voluntary subscriptions to support our coverage of publicly-funded entities like the city’s planning commission. If you’re already supporting The Chronicle, please encourage your friends, neighbors and coworkers to do the same. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle.

The view from Division Street to the Library Lot work site, where the Christman Company is managing the construction of the underground parking garage. The drilling is part of the earth retention work. (Photos by the writer.)

The second resolution amended the DDA bylaws. The change eliminates the ability of the executive committee to act on behalf of the board between regular board meetings, and clarifies the role of the executive director in relationship with the board. Efforts to change the bylaws have accumulated over two years worth of history, and still need the approval of the Ann Arbor city council to take effect.

Another main theme of Wednesday’s meeting was finances – from parking revenues to tax increment finance (TIF) capture, to the housing fund.

And in a nod to the Bill Murray film “Groundhog Day,” we note that The Chronicle’s report of the DDA board’s February meeting from last year also featured a big drill as lead art. Both drills are related to the construction of the underground parking garage along Fifth Avenue. The board received updates on that and other construction projects, as well as on planning and development downtown.

DDA Bylaws

The DDA board considered and passed a resolution revising its bylaws, which will now need to be forwarded to Ann Arbor city council and approved by that body in order to take effect. This is the second time in two years that the DDA board has attempted to change its bylaws.

Recent History of Attempt to Change DDA Bylaws

DDA board minutes from October 2007 show a report out from a subcommittee about bylaws changes to come before the full board in the future. The following month, the board discussed but postponed the bylaws changes. The next month, on Dec. 5, 2007, the board approved a set of bylaws changes and forwarded them to the Ann Arbor city council.

However, at its Jan. 7, 2008 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council postponed indefinitely the DDA board’s bylaws changes. [From a parliamentary point of view, the move to "postpone indefinitely" is a way to kill a measure, without actually voting it down.]

In the summer of 2009, as she was finishing her service on the DDA board, Rene Greff sent an email sent to the city council that put the blame for the council’s failure to approve the bylaws changes on then-councilmember Leigh Greden. [The Ward 3 councilmember was defeated in the 2009 August primary by Stephen Kunselman and no longer serves on the city council.] From Greff’s email:

We spent months in committee drafting language that accomplished these goals and this language was passed by our full board and sent to council for approval. Then for purely political reasons Leigh Greden managed to get council to table the resolution by convincing people that it was somehow a power grab by [DDA executive director] Susan Pollay, when in fact, it was in response to a power grab by one of our board members who made an unreasonable and bad judgment call based on his personal agenda, declared that there was no time to inform the executive committee of his request, made a statement to the press in his role as chair committing the DDA to this course of action, and then assured the director that failure to comply immediately with his request would be considered another example of obstructionist behavior.

Following the city council’s refusal to approve the bylaws changes in January 2008, the DDA minutes from March 5, 2008  show that it was Greden who followed up with the DDA board with proposed language changes: “Mr. Collins stated that Council Member Greden has provided proposed language changes to the DDA ByLaws and the revision will be reviewed at the next meeting.”

Impetus Behind the Bylaws Changes

Greff’s email actually alludes to two occasions – without specifying details – when she contends that a board member overstepped their authority in providing direction to the DDA’s executive director:

We were prompted to make this clarification after the second incident of a DDA chair taking it upon himself to instruct the executive director to undertake an expensive project without the consent of the board …

One of those occasions is traceable to a 2007 discussion of the possible installation of security cameras in Ann Arbor’s downtown parking structures. Roger Hewitt was chair of the DDA board at the time. The disagreement between Hewitt and Greff over procedure and board member authority was reported this way in an article by reporter Tom Gantert, published in the July 25, 2007 edition of The Ann Arbor News:

Those decisions were made Wednesday during a sometimes heated DDA meeting, in which Chairman Roger Hewitt and board member Rene Greff argued over Hewitt’s July 13 directive for 24-hour surveillance at the structures. Following a stabbing on the third floor of the Maynard Street parking structure, Hewitt told Republic Parking – which manages the structures – to prepare for around-the-clock surveillance.

Greff accused Hewitt of overstepping his authority by not seeking feedback from other DDA members before directing the change. Hewitt said he conferred with DDA Executive Director Susan Pollay, who told him he didn’t need a vote to make that decision.

In a phone interview this week with The Chronicle, Greff said that the other occasion came a few years earlier, when then-DDA board member Ed Shaffran undertook action to get snow removed from the downtown area – a move Greff said she thought was the right step to take, but which had not been consistent with the right process. [The snow removal is described by Shaffran in a 2006 interview.]

Language Proposed to Address Concerns

In the 2008 draft of the bylaws amendments, the change that was intended to clarify the roles of board members and officers in their relationship with the executive director was the addition of the following section:

Section 7 – Officer Authority. The statements of officer authority in this section represent the full authority of the officers. Except as set forth in this section, officers have no additional authority to act on behalf of the Authority. No officer has the authority to act unilaterally or direct the staff on behalf of the Authority.

That section did not survive in the version of the bylaws approved by the board last Wednesday. Instead, the issue is addressed from the angle of the executive director’s authority. A new section on executive director authorities, which had been added to the 2008 draft, survives in the version approved last week, and also includes the following sentence, which has been added to the current draft:

The Executive Director acts on the authority of the Board of  Directors as set forward in this document.

Also addressed in the 2008 version are the appointment of committee chairs – it’s clarified that if more than one board member volunteers to serve as the chair of a subcommittee, then it’s settled through election, not by decision by the board chair. That, too, survived in the version approved by the board last week.

DDA board member Gary Boren talks with Susan Pollay, DDA executive director, before the start of the Feb. 3 meeting. In the background: Russ Collins.

Also at last week’s meeting, a suggestion was made by board member Gary Boren to clarify the powers of the executive committee. The bylaws had historically been interpreted to mean that the board’s executive committee could act on behalf of the entire board between meetings.

That power has only been used one time in the history of the Ann Arbor DDA. In December 2003, the DDA executive committee voted to approve the city of Ann Arbor’s request for a loan for the purpose of buying the former YMCA property at 350 S. Fifth Ave.

[The city made the move in part to prevent the parcel's acquisition and development by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority].

Gary Boren said that in discussion with other board members, he’d reached the conclusion that it had never been the intent to give the executive committee that kind of power, and suggested that the language in the bylaws providing that power be struck as follows:

Article V – Executive Committee: The officers of the Board, including Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Recording Secretary shall constitute the executive committee. The last former Chair shall be a non-voting member and the Executive Director shall be a non-voting ex officio member of this committee. The executive committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Board of Directors of the Authority between its business meetings, fix the hours and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Board, and shall perform such other duties as specified in these By-Laws or as may be specified by the Board.

Outcome: Boren’s suggestion was accepted as a friendly amendment and the board voted unanimously to adopt the bylaws and to send them to the city council for approval. In response to a request from board member Jennifer Hall to Sandi Smith and Mayor Hieftje for their assistance in getting the item placed on the council’s agenda, Smith indicated she would help.

Republic Parking Administration Fee

The DDA board considered a resolution to award a “bonus” for Republic Parking for administration of the parking system – the “bonus” is a contractual mechanism.

Under contract with the DDA, the system is managed at cost by Republic with an additional $200,000 management fee. The management fee is paid in two parts – $150,000 that is fixed, and $50,000 based on performance criteria. The operations committee brought forward a recommendation to the board that $45,000 be specified as the amount that Republic had earned under the criteria. Roger Hewitt, who chairs the operations committee, pointed to customer surveys that showed improvement.

Describing the performance of Mark Lyons, general manager of Republic Parking, Hewitt said that he was the best operator the DDA had had since Hewitt had been on the board. Within the first year, Lyons had overseen the installation of the new electronic parking meters and that had been implemented “without a hitch,” Hewitt said. He said he would have awarded the entire $50,000 but that staff was recommending $45,000.

John Hieftje, Ann Arbor’s mayor, said that he had described often before why he did not support the awarding of the management fee, and voted against the measure. From last year’s Feb. 4, 2009 DDA board meeting when the annual issue arose:

After hearing praise from around the table for Republic Parking, Hieftje reiterated that he wasn’t saying anything negative about Republic Parking. But he said that this is a bonus to management, and it doesn’t filter down. He pointed out that city employees are also asked to do more and more as a part of their jobs and that in the current economic climate, he didn’t think bonuses were appropriate.

Outcome: The board approved the $45,000 administration fee, with dissent from Hieftje.

DDA Finances

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Public Comment on DDA Finances

Brad Mikus introduced himself as a local accountant, and noted that he had been attending various public meetings in the last few months. [Editor's note: Based on The Chronicle's observations, these include, at least, meetings of the Ann Arbor city council, the DDA operations committee, the city's planning commission and the public art commission.] He thanked the board for videotaping their meetings and having them broadcast on CTN.

He asked the board to focus their attention on some specific aspects of the operations committee report on the DDA’s finances. The first was the apparent disconnect between an increase in revenues compared to the percentage increase in hourly patrons reflected in the parking report. The second point of concern was the large variance between projected parking revenues in the budget compared with the actual revenues collected so far this year. And finally, Mikus told the board that the calculation for the return on capital investment would be useful to include in the report.

Board Deliberations on DDA Finances: TIF and Parking

Roger Hewitt began the discussion of the finance figures by noting that this year had been particularly unusual because bonds have been sold in order to finance the underground parking garage on Fifth Avenue. However, they are using cash reserves to pay for some items in order for the bond money to accrue interest from investments.

The reason that parking revenues had not met budget estimates so far this year, Hewitt said, had to do with the fact that the budgeted numbers reflected a rate increase scenario that had not actually materialized. The DDA board had originally put forward a plan that would have seen somewhat higher and sooner rate increases than the one that was eventually proved by Ann Arbor’s city council.

Mayor John Hieftje suggested that the budget estimates be revised to reflect the parking rate increase that had actually been implemented, not the one that had originally been proposed.

In board discussion, Jennifer Hall drew out the fact that the parking reports don’t indicate the number of monthly permits associated with a particular structure. [This explains, at least in part, the mismatch noted by Mikus between percentage increases in hourly patrons at a structure and percentage increases in revenues at the structures. Percentage revenue increases are not as high as hourly patron increases.]

Board member Newcombe Clark was interested in seeing a breakdown of the tax increment financing (TIF) income from the largest contributors in the district – the larger buildings. Clark was concerned that reassessment, which he felt that many property owners would seek, would result in declines of TIF revenue of greater than the 5% that had already been seen.

In looking at parking and TIF revenue, Hewitt and board chair John Splitt both stressed that the 10-year budget was a more accurate gauge of how things looked.

Board Deliberations on DDA Finances: Housing Fund

During the operations committee report, Leah Gunn commented on the housing fund, noting that the board had had a chance to spend some money and that they had taken it – there was still $1 million in the fund balance. Joan Lowenstein added that it is money that is meant to be spent.

Following up during her report out from the partnerships committee, Sandi Smith, who co-chairs that committee, reported that the award of $400,000 with a possible additional $100,000 for the Near North housing project at the board’s last meeting had generated quite a bit of subsequent discussion in the community. It had prompted her to request a compilation of some statistics about the DDA board’s housing grant activity over the last 10 years.

The fund had been created in 1997, Smith reported, to support the city’s housing goal – to enhance the diversity of the population and housing stock in the downtown area. Really, Smith said, it’s not affordable housing, it’s just housing. Historically, though, it’s been interpreted always as affordable housing, she said.

Smith reported that in the last 10 years, 23 grants had been awarded and that the average amount of those grants had been around $80,000. Of the 23 grants, 11 had gone to one nonprofit – Avalon Housing. A total of $1.1 million from the housing fund had been obligated, Smith said. The breakdown of those dollars: (i) $400,000 for Village Green’s City Apartments project at First & Washington, contingent on issuance of a certificate of occupancy; (ii) $207,000 for the third year of a grant to Avalon; and (iii) $400,000 to $500,000 for Near North.

The annual contribution to the housing fund that the DDA has made historically has been $200,000.

Board member John Mouat wanted to know how much of the DDA’s housing fund had gone to the Ann Arbor Housing Commission. At the board table, Smith looked up the number and reported that Baker Commons, an Ann Arbor Housing Commission property, had received $93,445.

DDA Deliberations on DDA Finances: Delinquent Accounts

Discussing some of the information provided in connection with the Republic Parking performance review – but not among the actual criteria used for evaluation – Jennifer Hall noted that two parking accounts had been late, and that they accounted for 45% of revenues.

Joe Morehouse, deputy executive director of the DDA, told Hall that those accounts now had been paid – it took a couple of personal phone calls, he said. Asked by Hall who the delinquent accounts belonged to, Roger Hewitt said one is a private entity that he would rather not disclose and that the other was a public entity that he would rather not disclose. It emerged in discussion that the public entity was the city of Ann Arbor.

Newcombe Clark expressed his assumption that the DDA assessed late fees for late payments such as these – but the DDA apparently does not assess such fees.

Transportation and Trees

Reporting out for the transportation committee, John Mouatt covered the discussion the committee was starting to have about the Fourth Avenue corridor. [Chronicle coverage: "DDA Floats Idea for Fourth Avenue"]

He also reported that city forester Kerry Gray had attended the last committee meeting to provide information about trees in the downtown area. There were 1,400 trees, 46% of which were small and recently planted. The city’s goal was to broaden the diversity of species in the downtown. Mouatt described the ongoing efforts of the committee to achieve a more pedestrian friendly downtown.

Those efforts included looking at a proposed sandwich sign ordinance – the city council approved that ordinance on its first reading at its Feb. 1, 2010 meeting. At the transportation committee meeting, Keith Orr had noted that such sandwich signs were generally regarded as a positive thing, but also posed a potential hazard.

Commenting on the issue of trees in the downtown, Russ Collins encouraged the transportation committee to think about trees in the context of the downtown area. In Ann Arbor, which is essentially a suburban community, Collins said, it’s easy to think about amenities from the point of view of a suburban community. Instead, he suggested that a downtown reflected a fundamentally different lifestyle than a neighborhood – which had to do with street vitality and extended hours. Residents of Ann Arbor in general, Collins said, had a hard time visualizing how downtown could be and should be different from the neighborhoods.

Something that trees did in the context of an urban center, Collins said, was to cover architectural details that helped make an urban center different, interactive and vital, someplace you can go … “when you’re alone” … and then Collins trailed off. [Editor's note: Despite the resemblance, The Chronicle is confident that Collins is not the tuxedo-ed young gentleman to Petula Clark's left in this BBC video of the "Downtown" song, to which Collins was alluding.]

Gary Boren said he agreed with Collins, except for the idea that it was necessarily the transportation committee’s responsibility to achieve the effective communication of what an urban center could be. Boren noted that the reason the transportation committee wound up dealing with the issue was that walking is transportation, and that street trees are related to the pedestrian experience.

But conveying the distinction between a suburban environment as contrasted with an urban environment, Boren said, was a marketing challenge and that would most naturally fall to the partnerships committee – Collins is one of the two co-chairs of the partnerships committee. Collins responded to Boren’s observation by saying: “Point taken.”

In his remarks, John Hieftje commented that it was a huge challenge to grow trees downtown, and in the neighborhoods some of the street trees now block streetlights, so that it was a complicated business to grow trees. He reminded DDA board members that the city had a plan to plant about 1,000 trees a year and that so far this year they had planted 700.

Jennifer Hall responded by saying that she would like to refocus the discussion on what the transportation committee had been talking about. Trees had come up, she said, because of the role in defining the pedestrian experience which included shade, aesthetics, and visual diversity. Besides trees, the transportation committee had looked at elements like awnings, sandwich boards, vertical plantings and a variety of other elements, she said.

Newcombe Clark commented that the idea of “ripping out parking” on the first floor of the Fourth and William parking deck would have seemed like sacrilege a few years ago. He called it progressive to think about limiting parking and suggested that the move could be “game changing” – independent of what happened to future development of the YMCA lot or at the Library Lot. Those city-owned parcels were not under the DDA’s control, he noted, but the parking structure was more in the DDA’s hands.

Leah Gunn reiterated the point that she’d made before about the possibility of establishing retail incubator space on the ground floor of the Fourth and William parking structure, saying that the board needed to be respectful of merchants who had already made a commitment to the downtown area. At the transportation committee meeting, Gunn had expressed her concern that the DDA might wind up subsidizing commercial enterprises that would be in competition with already established businesses.

Library Lot Update

In his report from the downtown citizens advisory commission, Ray Detter had discussed the development of the Library Lot and the area surrounding it. Sandi Smith picked up on that thread, saying she felt the partnerships committee should look at higher level planning of a four- to five-block area around the Library Lot, and she wanted it put on the agenda.

In his report, Detter also mentioned that they had been visited by Alan Haber and Alice Ralph – the two Ann Arbor residents who had submitted a proposal on behalf of the Committee for the Commons, in response to the city of Ann Arbor’s request for proposals for development of the Library Lot. Detter said the downtown citizens advisory commission did not support the idea of a community commons, but that they also did not necessarily support a hotel/conference center. What they did support was some kind of mixed-used development that integrated with the surrounding area.

When he reported out from the Library Lot RFP advisory committee, John Splitt described the two days of interviews that had been conducted with five of the proposers in January. He reported that two of them, both for hotel/conference centers, would be given further consideration by the committee. [See Chronicle coverage: "Hotel/Conference Center Ideas Go Forward"]

The Library Lot was also part of the update on construction projects from the capital improvements committee, also given by John Splitt. Two holes had been drilled so far for the underground parking garage project, he said. A greater number of large and small rocks than anticipated been encountered in the two holes and the construction team was putting together a “bigger and more powerful drilling rig.”

The Jan. 17 switchover of DTE utilities had gone smoothly, Splitt reported. One of the largest bid packages associated with the project – for concrete – will go out next week, he said. Those bids would be opened in early March.

In the same geographic vicinity as the Library Lot, the Fifth and Division street improvements project will restart in April, with a plan to complete work on Division Street before starting on Fifth Avenue, Splitt said.

415 W. Washington

Also as part of his report out from the downtown citizens advisory commission, Ray Detter reported that Marsha Chamberlain, who is head of the Ann Arbor Art Center, and Ray Fullerton, who serves on the Allen Creek Greenway Conservancy board, had expressed surprise that the topic of the 415 W. Washington parcel was being opened up again.  [Chronicle coverage: "City Restarts 415 W. Washington Process"] Even though they felt it was in some ways a diversion from the Library Lot development, they still supported it. Detter referred to the previous RFP process connected with the 415 W. Washington parcel as a “murky mess.”

John Hieftje reported to the DDA board on the city council’s deliberations on the 415 W. Washington resolution that council had passed on Monday.

Regarding the 415 W. Washington lot and city council’s Monday decision to restart a committee process to explore a vision involving an arts center and greenway park at the location, board member Jennifer Hall noted that it was currently a temporary parking lot – which generated revenues to the city budget. She suggested that the city consider the possibility of putting that money into a specific fund where it would accumulate until such time as it was ready for use.

A2D2 Rezoning

In reporting out from the A2D2 oversight committee on which he serves, Roger Hewitt stated that the last meeting had been canceled and so he had nothing to report.

Later in the meeting, John Hieftje told Hewitt that the A2D2 oversight committee had actually been dissolved. This seemed to come as news to Hewitt, who said simply, “Oh!”

[The A2D2 process was a major rezoning initiative for downtown Ann Arbor, which recently received final approval from city council. Remaining work on the project involves establishing design guidelines. See Chronicle coverage of the Jan. 31, 2010 city council caucus. At its Feb. 1 meeting, the city council established a task force to complete the design guidelines part of the project. The council, at its Jan. 19 meeting, had dissolved the A2D2 oversight committee.]

Courthouse Square

Ray Detter, in his report on the meeting of the downtown citizens advisory commission, said they had focused some conversation on the situation at Courthouse Square –  a senior housing development located at the southwest corner of Huron and Fourth Avenue. Detter said that they had heard from a new tenant at Courthouse Square, who had just moved in – the new tenant said that something needed to be done about the management. [At the February DDA board meeting a year ago, conditions at Courthouse Square were also included in Detter's report.]

Regarding the situation at Courthouse Square, John Hieftje commented that he had spoken with Sandi Smith and Sabra Briere [city councilmembers representing Ward 1] and that they, along with county commissioner and DDA board member Leah Gunn, had met and were well aware of the situation. He said that several inspections had been done of the facility, beyond what would normally be required, and that as far as they understood, the building was up to code.

Thanks

During public commentary at the beginning of the meeting, Deanne Relyea spoke on behalf of the Kerrytown District Association. She thanked the board for grants that they had awarded to the KDA for various activities and projects. She noted that the Kerrytown District Association is the smallest of the merchant associations in downtown Ann Arbor, but that it was a good one. She said that it offered something different from the others, citing the Nash Bash in August and KindleFest in December as examples.

Present: Gary Boren, Newcombe Clark, Jennifer S. Hall, Roger Hewitt, John Hieftje, John Splitt, Sandi Smith, Leah Gunn, Russ Collins, Joan Lowenstein, John Mouat, Keith Orr.

Absent: Keith Orr.

Next board meeting: Noon on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at the DDA offices, 150 S. Fifth Ave., Suite 301. [confirm date]