Ann Arbor Construction updates

[sentinel]

^^Fucking NIMBYs at it again..

[DetroitSky]

They should find a site in downtown Detroit instead.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

They should find a site in downtown Detroit instead.

Agree. Plus, Detroit hotels fill up.

But did anyone not see this coming? It’s a city owned parcel. Anytime there’s a land swap or public subsidies, it invites increased public scrutiny. While I hoped it would’ve been improved, the design needed some work

[DetroitMan]

Dozens of townhomes proposed for development in southwest Ann Arbor

A new housing development is proposed in southwest Ann Arbor.

Bloomfield Hills-based Robertson Brothers Homes has unveiled plans to build about 75 townhomes on 6.33 acres of property between Scio Church Road and Ann Arbor-Saline Road.

The developer is inviting residents to learn more about the project during a citizen participation meeting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22, a required step before plans are submitted to the city for approval. The meeting is taking place over Zoom.

The meeting invite includes a site plan drawing and map of the four properties on which the project would take shape.

That includes 255, 315, and 371 Scio Church Road and 2180 Ann Arbor-Saline Road — near the bend where South Main Street turns by the Busch’s shopping complex.

The drawing shows plans for a stormwater pond on the Ann Arbor-Saline Road property, while the townhomes would take shape off Scio Church with an entrance drive there.

While the drawing shows 74 numbered townhomes, the text of the meeting invite describes it as a 75-unit project. It’s still very conceptual at this point, explained Tim Loughrin, director of land acquisition for Robertson Brothers.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...ann-arbor.html

[DetroitMan]

Ann Arbor pushes back on suburban strip mall design for proposed development

Ann Arbor’s planning department is pushing back on another development proposal in the city.

The estimated $55 million Northside Corners project as put forward by Norfolk Homes in 2023 would include about 150 apartments above ground-floor retail space in a four-story building at the intersection of Dhu Varren Road and Pontiac Trail.

There would be 14,000 square feet of commercial space, which could bring neighborhood retail offerings to an area of the city where that’s lacking. But the plans show there would be a large surface parking lot in front of the L-shaped building, plus parking behind it, with a total of 221 parking spaces on the site, including 50 under the building, and the city isn’t supportive of that design.

The city supports additional density and mixed uses on the site, but the proposal is inconsistent with the city’s comprehensive plan recommendations for a community-oriented design, City Planner Matt Kowalski told Scott Betzoldt, the project’s civil engineer, in a Jan. 30 letter.

“While the provision of upper-level housing is consistent with the land-use goals, the current site is designed more like a suburban commercial strip mall and does not address the retail center neighborhood goals for design,” Kowalski wrote, noting the city discourages strip retail centers with large amounts of parking between the sidewalk and storefronts.The size of parking lots should be minimized and unbroken expanses of parking are discouraged, he said, citing the city’s land-use plan, advising parking should be provided at the rear or sides to encourage pedestrian access and a parking lot should not be the dominant feature from the roadway.

Project architect Brad Moore said he didn’t have any comment at this time on possible revisions as no decision has been made. Betzoldt also said he hadn’t had a chance to think about it yet.

The site is at the southeast corner of the Dhu Varren and Pontiac Trail intersection, where a traffic roundabout is expected to be installed as part of the nearby Village of Ann Arbor housing development approved by City Council.

There’s a planned unit development zoning designation for the Northside Corners property. While the mixed-use retail center was designed as an integrated part of a housing development to the south, the proposed plan now mostly turns its back to the existing housing and clearly separates the developments, Kowalski argued, noting the plan requires a separate application for rezoning the PUD area.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...velopment.html

[DetroitSky]

High-rise developer to pay Ann Arbor $262K to remove Library Lane parking spots

ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor officials have finalized a development agreement to allow a new high-rise apartment building next to the downtown library.

City Council unanimously approved the agreement Tuesday night, Feb. 20, stipulating the terms Chicago-based developer Core Spaces must follow for its project to replace the University of Michigan Credit Union at 333 E. William St. with a new 16-story tower with 202 apartments.

Among the terms: The developer must pay the city over $262,000 in parking meter removal fees, as invoiced by the Downtown Development Authority, to remove four on-street parking spaces along Library Lane on the building’s north side.

[deja vu]

^ nice renderings. That's a lot of dough though - $65,500 per parking space? Geez.

Vic(tors) Village South, heading for the finish line -


Source: LinkedIn | Lee Ressler

[DetroitMan]

Great shot of Vic Village South!

Ypsi may be getting a new six story building downtown.

6-story development proposed next to historic Centennial building in downtown Ypsilanti

A historic brick building in downtown Ypsilanti dating back more than century could be getting a new neighbor.

A planning and real estate development company that is also working to restore the Centennial Plaza building at 124 Pearl St. proposes to build a new six-story building in a parking lot immediately to the north, off Washington Street.

For developers with J29:7 Planning and Development Corp., the project got its start as they were looking to launch their headquarters in Ypsilanti, said its CEO Derric Scott. They learned the Centennial building, originally built in 1922 as the Huron Hotel, was up for sale but there weren’t any potential buyers interested in preserving it as office space for more than two-dozen local businesses and community groups, including the Ypsi Alehouse on the ground floor, he said. “Our No. 1 priority was, consistent with our philosophy as a development group, how do we ensure that existing businesses and residents are not being displaced?” Scott said.

As J29:7 looked at the costs of purchasing and restoring Centennial Plaza, which includes a parking lot and an adjacent carriage house home to a jewelry store, it became difficult to justify the investment, Scott said. So the developers turned their attention next door.

“We saw the vacant lot as an opportunity to say, could we increase density on the site because the city’s master plan calls for it and there once was a building there, so could we potentially put something back here and address this affordable housing issue that we continue to hear,” Scott said.

That’s led to the proposal being developed now, for a new building at 136 N. Washington St. that would house 60 studio and one-bedroom apartments in its upper five floors, one level of underground parking and a ground floor with building amenities and retail space, according to plans submitted to the city.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...ypsilanti.html

[DetroitMan]

Ann Arbor weighing 7 developer proposals for downtown lot

Seven development teams are competing to become the Ann Arbor Housing Commission’s co-developer of a prime piece of downtown real estate.

The commission on Friday, Feb. 23, released the names of developers from around the country that responded to a request for proposals by a Feb. 8 deadline.

“We are excited to receive great proposals from leaders of affordable housing in Michigan and nationally,” Housing Commission Executive Director Jennifer Hall said, indicating the commission is in the process of reviewing the proposals with the goal of selecting a co-developer in March. The commission has had plans to build roughly 300 mixed-income housing units, including at least 100 affordable units, on the former YMCA property next to the Blake Transit Center. The site runs along the north side of William Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues.

The seven teams that have submitted co-developer proposals are Gorman and Co., The Habitat Company, Lincoln Avenue Communities, The Michaels Organization, Related Midwest, Renovare Development and a combined team that includes The Roxbury Group and Ethos Development Partners.

In late 2022, the Housing Commission unveiled a conceptual plan showing two connected towers rising 17 and 18 stories with housing above ground-floor commercial space. It’s planned as an all-electric building designed to be “net-zero ready.”

City Council voted in August to sell the property to the commission for $6.2 million after over two decades of discussion and debate about the site’s future.

The city purchased the property in 2003 and in 2008 tore down the old YMCA, including 100 affordable housing units associated with it. The site has been a public parking lot ever since. The city’s attempts to facilitate private redevelopment of the lot over the years left the city embroiled in legal battles with multiple developers. After the last failed attempt, the city settled a lawsuit with developer Dennis Dahlmann and repurchased the property from Dahlmann for $5.2 million in 2018. City officials have spent the last several years forming a new plan for mixed-income housing, while carving out space for a new mid-block bus lane on the north side of the site.

The Downtown Development Authority also is planning a Fourth Avenue streetscape project in 2026 in conjunction with the development, including enhanced transit shelters, a new mid-block crosswalk and other improvements.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...ntown-lot.html

[DetroitMan]

‘It’s going to be a big change.’ 15-story Ann Arbor high-rise proposal advances

Chicago-based developer Core Spaces is planning to build another apartment high-rise in Ann Arbor, this time outside of downtown along Packard Street.

“We’ve developed close to 30,000 beds across the country and this will be our third project in Ann Arbor,” said Andrew Savoy, Core’s vice president of development.

Core is now partnering with Schenk Realty on the joint-venture project dubbed Five Corners at 732 Packard St., where a Wyoming-based developer previously had similar plans. The city’s Planning Commission voted 8-0 Tuesday night, March 5, to advance the mixed-use development proposal to City Council with a recommendation to approve the site plan and special planned unit development zoning. The city’s planning staff also recommended approval.

The project calls for combining 12 properties, including Jack’s Hardware and several surrounding buildings, into a nearly 1.3-acre development site, including five properties from 722-740 Packard St. and seven from 917-933 State St. The developers hope to break ground on the project in December and have it completed in 2027.

Core previously built the 12-story Hub Ann Arbor high-rise geared toward University of Michigan students at 603 E. Huron St. and has plans approved by the city for a 16-story high-rise next to the downtown library along William Street.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...-advances.html

[subterranean]

Oh hey, it’s a shorter version of The Yard in Portland.

[Velvet_Highground]

Every time a Ann Arbor high rise advances an Angel gets its wings.

… It’s actually not that bad Ann Arbor is always changing, but I try not to get attached to any projects I like in Ann Arbor before they break ground. lol.

[DetroitMan]

This new Ann Arbor development may be city’s first ‘TC1 guinea pig’

When Ann Arbor officials established the city’s TC1 high-density zoning for transit corridors nearly three years ago, they envisioned downtown-style developments taking shape in 250-foot-wide square blocks.

But a 250-foot maximum width may be too limiting, some developers contend, and it may be one reason the city hasn’t seen any TC1 developments happen yet.

The 20-acre Arbor South development proposed by Ohio-based developer Crawford Hoying in partnership with Ann Arbor’s Oxford Companies is now testing those limits. The development team appeared before the city’s Planning Commission for an initial review of the proposal Tuesday, March 12. “Thank you so much for bringing this project to us, for being our TC1 guinea pig,” Commissioner Sara Hammerschmidt said, expressing excitement about the proposal for new housing and commercial spaces on the land around Oxford’s 777 E. Eisenhower Parkway office building at the northeast corner of State Street and Eisenhower Parkway. Matt Cherry, a landscape architect with Lord Aeck Sargent, said the site is nearly 1,200 feet wide, so the design team looked at how to break it down into human-scale blocks.

“But we’re not starting from scratch,” he said. “We’re keeping some of the existing streets and we have two office towers.” The team looked at dozens of ways to retrofit a grid and came up with the current plan, which includes a new dynamic public space acting as the heart of a new neighborhood lined with exciting retail spaces, Cherry said. But the blocks formed by the new streets would be bigger than the city’s TC1 zoning envisions and bigger than some downtown blocks.

“Downtown Ann Arbor block sizes are somewhere in the 300 to 320 range — ours as proposed are in the 350 to 380 range,” Cherry said.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...uinea-pig.html

[Velvet_Highground]

Hmm interesting not a restriction I knew about. I doubt that it’s a deal killer but when developers tend to have cities bending over backwards for them Ann Arbor is at a disadvantage and it shows. At least Ann Arbor is showing some flexibility and I do like what I’m seeing. A significant portion of the street grid preserved, one parking garage nearly completely hidden by functional structures fore and af along the parkway. The wetland space is a nice touch as well, these are early renderings so I’ll have to reserve some judgement but I’m liking what I’m seeing so far.

I had no idea about the 250ft restriction I suppose if you’re shooting for the best development possible it’s about finding that sweet spot between what’s ideas and feasible. Anyway considering downtown blocks apparently average between 300-320ft range, 350-380ft range for the project seems reasonable.

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by Velvet_Highground

Hmm interesting not a restriction I knew about. I doubt that it’s a deal killer but when developers tend to have cities bending over backwards for them Ann Arbor is at a disadvantage and it shows. At least Ann Arbor is showing some flexibility and I do like what I’m seeing. A significant portion of the street grid preserved, one parking garage nearly completely hidden by functional structures fore and af along the parkway. The wetland space is a nice touch as well, these are early renderings so I’ll have to reserve some judgement but I’m liking what I’m seeing so far.

I had no idea about the 250ft restriction I suppose if you’re shooting for the best development possible it’s about finding that sweet spot between what’s ideas and feasible. Anyway considering downtown blocks apparently average between 300-320ft range, 350-380ft range for the project seems reasonable.

Well-said. I'm guessing the same, that they will approve the proposed street / block layout with little or no modification. This being the "guinea pig" project, there's going to have to be some compromise and learning along the way, on both sides. If the city has been waiting years for a developer to test out this zoning, they are likely going to be more than willing to play ball to entice development. So what if the blocks are a few feet longer than those downtown. This isn't downtown, and would be a massive step towards denser, transit-oriented urbanization in a major commercial node outside the city center. I'd call that a win.

[DetroitMan]

17-story high-rise outside downtown Ann Arbor gets council’s initial OK

A 17-story apartment high-rise proposed outside downtown Ann Arbor appears headed for approval after an initial 8-0 vote of support Monday night, April 1.

City Council members said they know the project isn’t perfect and the city’s planning staff and Planning Commission both recommended voting it down, but the city has a housing shortage driven by the University of Michigan’s growth and they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add 273 apartments with over 1,000 bedrooms geared toward students near campus. “Especially in the middle of a housing crisis ... we do not have the luxury of taking our foot off the gas,” Mayor Pro Tem Travis Radina said.

The development planned for 711 Church St. is now due for final council approval after a public hearing May 6.

The proposal from Texas-based developer LV Collective LLC involves rezoning residential properties south of the South University Avenue high-rise area to establish special planned unit development zoning.

Having a beneficial effect for the city that could not be achieved under another zoning category is a requirement for PUD approval, along with making 15% of the housing affordable or making a payment to the city’s affordable housing fund.

As initially put forward, the project was to include a $6.4 million payment for affordable housing based on the 15% standard, but planning commissioners convinced the developer in February to up it to 17% for an even bigger payment while eliminating workforce housing from the plans.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...nitial-ok.html

[deja vu]

^ Pretty interesting stuff, especially that comment from the Mayor Pro Tem about not having the luxury of taking their foot off the gas. But the headline seems like a bit of a reach, just to get readers to click on it. I'd hardly consider this site to be "outside downtown". I mean, the 13-story Sterling Arbor Blu development is less than a block away. If anything, this is just a logical extension of that density, despite what some NIMBYs will say.

[DetroitMan]

I agree, A2 needs more density like this. Ann Arbor is extremely popular and will need more housing to accommodate the growth that is occurring there. BTW, another multifamily housing project has been proposed for South Ann Arbor.

5-story housing development proposed next to Ann Arbor Whole Foods

A new housing development rising five stories is proposed behind Whole Foods off Ann Arbor-Saline Road on Ann Arbor’s south side.

The development team behind the project is inviting residents to a meeting Thursday night, April 4, to learn more about the plans before a formal proposal is submitted to the city for approval.

The meeting invitation includes a map of the development site and a preliminary conceptual rendering of a 225-unit complex with a mix of studios and one- and two-bedroom residences. There would be a first-floor enclosed parking garage with two secure entrances, bike storage and electric vehicle charging stations, the postcard states. Additional amenities include a two-story clubhouse, a rooftop terrace and 20,000 square feet of second-floor open courtyards with a modern gym, business center, kitchen, grilling areas, pet wash and coffee and snack bar.

The address for the site is 2525 Ann Arbor-Saline Road. New housing there would allow residents to live and work in Ann Arbor with access to walkable retail amenities at the adjacent Cranbrook Village shopping complex and Woodland Plaza, public transit and jobs, according to the development team, which includes Mountain View Properties Inc. and Krieger Klatt Architects.

Development consultant Luke Bonner said there will be refreshments provided at Thursday’s meeting taking place from 6-7:30 p.m. at Venue by 4M, 1919 South Industrial Highway. It’s a chance for residents to learn about the plans, ask questions and provide feedback before the design is finalized.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...ole-foods.html

[DetroitSky]

New Dunbar housing complex in Ann Arbor breaks ground

Avalon Housing and the Ann Arbor Housing Commission broke ground on Sunday for a new affordable housing project in the Kerrytown neighborhood.

The project will be named Dunbar Tower and will sit at what is now a parking lot at 121 Catherine Street. It will include 63 apartments with 15% fully barrier free.

Housing Commission Executive Director Jennifer Hall says it’s one of several affordable and workforce housing projects they are working on, but this one is special.

[DetroitMan]

Ann Arbor considering $1.2M deal to allow development above city parking deck

Ann Arbor officials are considering making a deal to allow a new development in the South University Avenue area to rise above a city parking deck.

City Administrator Milton Dohoney told City Council on Monday night, April 15, he’s in talks with Chicago-based Core Spaces about selling the air rights to allow the high-rise developer to build above the Forest Avenue parking structure.

Core has offered $1.2 million for the air rights at 616 S. Forest Ave. and the city had an appraisal done that also came up with a $1.2 million value, Dohoney said during a budget presentation, telling council that could fund the next phase of study for a potential city takeover of DTE Energy locally. He also mentioned his desire for funding to establish an emergency operations center for the city and suggested some of the funds could go toward that.Details about the possible Core Spaces development are limited at this point. Dohoney described it as a mixed-use development, but said he couldn’t share more at this time.

“I can’t speak for the development team,” he said. Core has already built one apartment high-rise geared toward University of Michigan students in Ann Arbor — the 12-story Hub tower on Huron Street — and has plans for two more: one on William Street and one on Packard Street.

Representatives for Core did not respond to requests for comment about the possible Forest Avenue project, including how tall it could be or how many apartments or beds it could have. It’s also unclear whether the development would touch down on the Church Street side of the parking structure to the west or the Forest Avenue/South U side to the north.

Older commercial and residential structures standing on either side are some of the last low-rise buildings in the South U area yet to be demolished for new high-rises.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...king-deck.html