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AATA earns $2.3M in stimulus cash for transit center
Source: Concentrate, 3/10/2010
More mass transit funding is making its way into Ann Arbor courtesy of the feds.

The U.S. Dept of Transportation has awarded the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority $2.3 million as part of the $34.6 million Michigan received in federal transportation fund last week. The money ($700,000) is primarily geared toward rebuilding U-M's Central Campus Transit Center and improving AATA's bus storage facilities.

Earlier this year, U-M decided to redevelop its transit center along North University Street by the university's Chemistry building. The new bigger and better transit center will have more space for bus loading, storage and be more accessible and user friendly to the primarily student patrons. It will service both U-M and AATA buses.

"It's a key transfer location," says Mary Stasiak, a spokeswoman for AATA.

The $4.5 million project was designed by the U-M Dept of Architecture and Hubbell, Roth & Clark. Construction will begin shortly and finish by this fall.

Another $1 million will go toward improving AATA's bus storage facilities. More money ($220,000) will help improve bus stops and pedestrian safety around them. Some of the money will also be used to help maintain service to the Ypsilanti.

Source: U.S. Dept of Transportation and
Mary Stasiak, a spokeswoman for Ann Arbor Transportation Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
North Quad construction heads into home stretch
Source: Concentrate, 3/10/2010
In case you haven't noticed the big, brick building taking shape on the north side of the University of Michigan's Central Campus, North Quad is heading into the final stages of construction.

"We're really in the finishing mode," says Sue Gott, planner for the University of Michigan. "All of the interior walls and structures are in place."

Construction workers are also putting together the courtyard as a way of completing the exterior of the building. Work is expected to wrap up in May so the university's housing division can begin installing things like furniture in time for student move-in this fall.

The University of Michigan began construction on North Quad in 2007 by demolishing the old Frieze Building, which was originally built as Ann Arbor High School in 1907 (corner of State and Huron streets in downtown). The University of Michigan bought the building in the 1950s for use as space for college classes.

North Quad is U-M's first new dorm in 40 years. The complex features an academic tower facing Washington and State streets, which will house U-M's Department of Screen Arts and Cultures, the Department of Communication Studies, the Language Resource Center and the Sweetland Writing Center (all components of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts) along with the School of Information.

The residence hall will face East Huron Street and offer two configurations. The first includes suites containing two double rooms, a living room and a bathroom. The second features arrangements of four single rooms sharing a bathroom. Each residence hall floor houses lounges. The building also will offer a community learning center with additional small group study areas.

Source: Sue Gott, planner for the University of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke
Ypsilanti's What is That? building preps for new facade
Source: Concentrate, 3/10/2010
The Maurer family has a some noticeable plans for the building that houses the Mix and What is That? art gallery in downtown Ypsilanti.

The Ypsilanti-based developers bought the structure at 128-130 W Michigan Ave. in 2007. Then it was a vacant foreclosure with a lot of problems, ranging from a leaky roof to condemned apartments.

"There were a few challenges," says Eric Maurer, who co-owns and develops a number of rental properties in Ypsilanti with his wife Karen.

They rehabbed the 2-story building into six lofts and some ground floor retail space that filled up relatively quickly. However, the rusted and weather-worn steel paneling and other façade improvements of yore remained unaddressed, until this year.

The Maurers plan to spend $123,500 to repair the brick façade of the early 20th Century building and add some fresh paint. They also plan to replacing the windows with Low-E glass. The end result should be a refreshed Art Deco look that will look completely different.

"I really want to make it a show stopper," Maurer says. "It's a pretty important corner to downtown."

The Maurers are applying for matching façade-improvement funds from state of Michigan. Construction is expected to begin this spring or summer and wrap up before next winter sets in.

Source: Eric Maurer, co-owner of 128-130 W Michigan Ave
Writer: Jon Zemke
Ann Arbor prepares for more roundabouts at Geddes/U.S. 23
Source: Concentrate, 3/10/2010
Work is about to begin in earnest on the roundabouts for the Geddes Road exit for U.S. 23 on the east side of Ann Arbor.

Construction crews should begin building the three roundabouts in April and wrap up work in October. This project will bring the number of roundabouts in or being considered for Washtenaw County to 10, including seven in the city. The city is also looking at adding another one to the intersection of Fuller Road and Maiden Lane next to the University of Michigan Hospital.

"Certainly the city is considering adding more to its jurisdiction," says David Dykman, project manager for the city of Ann Arbor.

The Geddes Road exit plans call for three roundabouts that will replace traffic lights at the on/off-ramps for the exit and the intersection of Geddes and Earhart Road.

Roundabouts, a.k.a. traffic circles, are seen as the most cost-effective way to improve flow and relieve congestion at the intersection without expanding it. The project is also looking at improving the intersection by providing places for pedestrian and bicyclists, while also improving drainage, lighting, utilities and landscaping in the area.

Roundabouts have been popping up like dandelions around Ann Arbor in recent years. A pair of them were installed at the Maple Road exit for M-14 to accommodate increased traffic from nearby Skyline High School. Another is at the intersection of Nixon Road and Huron Parkway.

Modern roundabouts include a central island to guide the vehicular traffic and splitter islands at each leg of an intersection. One-way traffic moves around the central island where entering traffic must yield to the traffic already in the roundabout.

Traffic circles slow and calm traffic, resulting in fewer accidents. They also decrease delays and cut down on the number of idling vehicles, reducing air pollution.

They are common throughout Europe and have been appearing more frequently in North America in recent years. More common on the coasts, roundabouts and traffic circles have been popping up in southeast Michigan's suburbs in recent years.

Source: David Dykman, project manager for the city of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
Ypsilanti's Clean Energy Coalition wins $50K energy grant
Source: Concentrate, 3/10/2010
The Clean Energy Coalition continues to rake in the government grant money, taking in another six figures to help spread the gospel of energy efficiency.

The Ypsilanti-based non-profit received $58,300 from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, & Economic Growth to help communities become more energy efficient and utilize more clean energy outlets. The Clean Energy Coalition's money will allow it to do this in 37 small communities (35,000 people or less) in south and south-central Michigan.

"We'll be doing things like helping them with energy audits of their facilities and setting up monitoring systems of their energy systems," says Sean Reed, founder and executive director of the
Clean Energy Coalition.

The Clean Energy Coalition has received millions of dollars in state and federal grants over the last year. Most of that money is geared toward pushing for more energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in transportation.

The Michigan Municipal League Foundation, also received a $58,396 state grant. The Ann Arbor-based organization will use it to do the same thing in the southwest, western and northern portion of the state.

The grants are part of a $195,996 grant from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, & Economic Growth. The funds originally came from the federal stimulus package. That money will help 125 municipalities receive technical assistance on becoming more sustainable from four non-profits. That basically means it will help these communities make their facilities more energy efficient through things like energy audits and harness renewable energy sources.

The other two non-profits to receive funding are the WARM Training Center in Detroit, which will cover southeast Michigan, and the Michigan Energy Options in East Lansing for communities in the state's Upper Peninsula.

Source: Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, & Economic Growth and
Sean Reed, founder and executive director of the Clean Energy Coalition
Writer: Jon Zemke
U-M PhD study focuses on local energy efficient habits
Source: Concentrate, 3/10/2010
Some of the easiest sustainability gains can come from developing good habits in everyday life. At least that's the idea that's starting to emerge from a University of Michigan's PhD student's recent study.

Kim Wolske, a doctoral candidate at the university's School of Natural Resources & Environment, conducted a study last fall of a few dozen Ann Arbor households. The idea was to determine how much energy a household could save by establishing some simple habits, like turning down the thermostat.

Wolske sent out 3,000 letters to a random sample of Ann Arbor residents to see if they would be interested in reducing their carbon footprint during the month of October. Of those 195 households signed up and 85 completed the challenge.

Participants did everything from unplugging unnecessary electronics to excluding meat from at least one meal a week. They could log onto a website and see how much energy their actions saved. The goal was to reduce their carbon footprint by 2 percent.

"In general households saved 6 percent of their energy consumption," says Wolske, who is still analyzing the data. She expects to release the study by the end of the year.

"I didn't expect people to be too willing to give up meat or be willing to change their diet as much as they did," Wolske says. "It was a heart-warming experience to see how many households were willing to give it a shot."

She has been working with city of Ann Arbor's Energy Dept., which plans to use the statistics to help it meet its Energy Challenge goal.

"This could be really valuable information for us to create behavioral changes," says Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor.

Source: Kim Wolske, a doctoral candidate at the university's School of Natural Resources & Environment and Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
U-M opens new tower of Kellogg Eye Center
Source: Concentrate, 3/3/2010
A new research center at the University of Michigan is opening now that the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center Complex has completed the Brehm Tower.

The $132 million facility provides 230,000 square feet that will expand U-M's capacity for eye-care research and education. Researchers will also be working on how eye sight relates to diabetes and other diseases.

That research is becoming more in demand because it primarily affects older segments of the population. The U.S. population, as well as Michigan's, continues to get older as Baby Boomers reach retirement age.

"This population will be growing significantly over the next 15-20 years," says Dr. Paul R. Lichter, professor and chair of the University of Michigan Dept of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and director of the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center. "That population is the one that has glaucoma and other ailments we specialize in."

The Brehm Tower stands at eight stories and overlooks Wall Street next to U-M's medical campus on the near north side of the city. The new building houses seven eye care clinics with new suites for refractive surgery and cosmetic surgery. The upper floors will serve as the home to the Brehm Center for Diabetes Research and laboratories for vision scientists. They will perform research on both ophthalmology and diabetes.

TSA of Massachusetts, the building's architect, incorporated a modern design complete with either large windows or full walls of glass panels on the building's façade. The idea is to introduce more natural light into the building, which is often seen as a sustainable characteristic because the building usually requires less electricity for lighting.

Source: Dr. Paul R. Lichter, professor and chair of the University of Michigan Dept of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and director of the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center
Writer: Jon Zemke
Fed Stimulus funds expansion of U-M research facilities
Source: Concentrate, 3/3/2010
As a new University of Michigan research building opens another has received funding to begin construction.

The federal stimulus is sending $14.8 million toward the U-M Institute for Social Research to build a significant new addition to the institute's home on Thompson Street. The 50,000 square foot addition will expand the reach of the world's largest academic social science research and survey organization.

It will also create a variety of jobs... estimates suggest as many as 200 more jobs. They will include short-term construction positions as well as long-term research employment.

"In the long term we estimate about 90 new research and research support staff," James S. Jackson, research professor and director at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, wrote in an email. "All of them may not be in the new space, existing staff may be moved into this space but the new hires may occupy space vacated by other staff."

The addition will mostly house the university's Health and Retirement Research group and Survey Methodology. The project will apply for LEED certification. Construction is expected to begin in the next 14-20 months.

This is just the latest multi-million grant U-M's Institute for Social Research has received from the federal stimulus. So far the institute has raked in $48.3 million.

Source: James S. Jackson, research professor and director at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research
Writer: Jon Zemke
Germantown historic district moves forward in Ann Arbor
Source: Concentrate, 3/3/2010
The political football that is the proposed Germantown Historic District is about to be hiked again now that a report advocating for the creation of the historic district has been released.

The 28-page report says a public meeting about the creation of the historic district on the south side of downtown is expected to be held in May. The committee charged with exploring its creation must also finish its work by September. Right now it's moving toward creating the historic district.

"Through its older homes, grid like layout and street alley … it reflects the period during which early settlement of Ann Arbor by Yankees as well as Germans immigrant families took place," the report states. "It contains the homes of a number of early city leaders."

The proposed Germantown Historic District encompasses three blocks that include both sides of Fourth and Fifth avenues between William Street and Packard Road, along with both sides of Packard between Fourth and Fifth.

It is also the area where the City Place development (now called Heritage Row) is proposed and near the proposed Moravian project. Both developments call for building dense housing geared toward people who want to live close to downtown Ann Arbor. The historic district has been used as a political tool by some local preservationists who are or have opposed either or both developments.

Politics aside, the report contains interesting information about the neighborhood. It includes 46 homes and one church that were built between 1838 and 1925. Most were built in the late 19th Century. Those homes represent a wide variety of architectural styles, including Greek Revival, Italianate, Arts and Crafts, Colonial Revival, Dutch Colonial Revival and Queen Anne homes. The Queen Anne was popular because of the easy access to lumber from Michigan's plentiful lumber mills.

The church, Bethlehem Evangelical, was built in 1895 in a Romaneque Revival style with Gothic influences. Its stone work serves as the biggest architectural statement. It also is the church that spawned Zion Lutheran Church on the city's west side.

"It's one of the city's oldest neighborhoods," says Patrick McCauley, chair of the
historic district creation committee. "Its part of the original plat of 1824. There are a few houses there that date from this period."

The neighborhood was originally settled in the early 19th Century by American Yankees. German immigrant families began moving into the neighborhood in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. By 1880 one out of nine of every Ann Arbor residents was German born. The population was served by a German newspaper, shooting club, cornet club, a large park and athletic society. The common denominator was the word German in the title.

University of Michigan faculty and students began to move into the building as the 20th Century began to take shape. First it was through German families taking on boarders.

"There was a significant period of time everyone had a boarder in their house," says
Rebecca Lopez-Kriss, who serves on the historic district creation committee. "It was normal."

The neighborhood converted to university off-campus housing by World War II when U-M underwent a rapid expansion. Today the neighborhood is a mix of a few local families and mostly university student renters.

"Keep in mind," Lopez-Kriss adds, "the sole charge of the committee is to weigh whether the neighborhood has historic value. All other considerations like affordable housing, density, sustainability have to be weighed by city council. It's also not our job to evaluate the economic benefits or even whether someone would ever spend the money to restore these homes."

Source: City of Ann Arbor and Rebecca Lopez-Kriss, member of the Germantown Historic District Committee and
Patrick McCauley, chair of the Germantown Historic District Committee
Writer: Jon Zemke
New bike rules in Ann Arbor no longer require registration
Source: Concentrate, 3/3/2010
One would think a town as obsessed with alternative transportation and bike lanes as Ann Arbor would be expanding its bike registry. However, City Council is moving to eliminate what has become a cumbersome program.

For decades, city has charged $8 for people to register their bike, primarily to help fight bicycle theft. About 650-700 bicycles are registered each year. That has meant that list has grown to thousands upon thousands dating back to the 1970s. Many of those registrations were logged by local students.

"The ones that were U-M students in 1986 and are no longer anywhere near the city anymore, we don't need those," says Eli Cooper, transportation program manager for the city of Ann Arbor.

City staff had proposed reforming the system so any bike registration that reaches five years old would be automatically culled from the lists unless it is renewed. Cooper estimates that could help push bike registration up to 1,000 bikes per year.

However, there is the argument that a bicycle registration isn't necessary at all. Modern bicycles come with a serial number stamped into their frame. Those numbers can be logged onto an online database, National Bike Registry, which is also accessible to local law enforcement. Cooper argues that while the registry is useful it, a local bike registry makes it easier for local law enforcement to navigate a shorter list.

Source: Eli Cooper, transportation program manager for the city of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
3 Ypsilanti businesses win façade improvement grants
Source: Concentrate, 3/3/2010
Three downtown Ypsilanti buildings have been selected to apply for the matching façade improvement grants from the state of Michigan.

These three developers are asking for $92,817 in matching funds from the $400,000 the state sets aside each year to help jump start façade-improvement programs. The program matches up to 50 percent of a project's cost. These projects revolve around improving building exteriors, such as creating bigger windows and restoring brick facades.

The candidates include the Mix and What is That? art gallery at 128-130 W Michigan Ave. in downtown. That $123,500 project calls for replacing the windows with Low-E glass, repairing the brick façade and some fresh paint. A rental property on 601 W Cross St. hopes to replace its front porch and door, replant some trees and add some fresh paint.

The third project includes freshening up the former Silent Cat building at 12-16 N Huron. That project would repair and clean its brick façade, replace its awnings and install some custom lighting fixtures.

The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority expects to hear from the state by April. Each selected city can take in between $25,000-$100,000 of the $400,000 in state funds.

"I'm pretty sure its all or nothing," says Tracy Lewis, interim director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority.

Source: Tracy Lewis, interim director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
Michigan Islamic school project begins approval process
Source: Concentrate, 3/3/2010
The expansion of the Michigan Islamic Academy is moving forward now that the project is before the Ann Arbor Planning Commission. If approved this spring construction should start this summer.

"We are hoping that everything remains on schedule," says Tarek Nahlawi, the program manager for the Michigan Islamic Academy.

The Pre-K through 12 school on Plymouth Road plans to double its space within the next year. The 10,000-square-foot complex has been on the city's northeast side since 1987. It now serves 204 students.

The $1.5 million project calls for building an additional 10,000-square-feet standing three stories tall. It will have space for eight classrooms and a cafeteria. The current school, which only has eight classrooms, doesn't have a cafeteria and must use a temporary trailer to accommodate its growth.

Construction is expected to take nine months to complete.

Source: Tarek Nahlawi, the program manager for the Michigan Islamic Academy
Writer: Jon Zemke
It's almost spring, and transit centers are sprouting in Ann Arbor
Source: Concentrate, 2/24/2010
Transit centers are now development du jour in Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan recently unveiled plans to develop its own student-transit center. This plan joins others in the works for the Blake Transit Center, Fuller Road Station and the new stop for the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line.

"Having these stations really transforms our community," says Nancy Shore, executive director of the getDowntown program. "It's really changing the environment so people can be more comfortable when they use these other forms of transportation."

The Central Campus Transit Center plan consists of rebuilding the bus shelters and widening North University between Fletcher and Church streets (next to the U-M Chemistry building). The wider street will accommodate an extra lane of traffic for bus-drop-offs, bikes and pedestrians. It will be utilized by both the university bus system and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority.

The $4.5 million project was designed by the U-M Dept of Architecture and Hubbell, Roth & Clark. Construction will begin shortly and finish by this fall.

Other anticipated projects include a recreation of the city's Depot Street Amtrak train station on the city's near north side to accommodate traffic from the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line; a multi-modal transit center on Fuller Road next to U-M Hospital to serve trains, buses, cars, bikes and pedestrians; and a redevelopment of AATA's downtown Blake Transit Center.

Source: University of Michigan and Nancy Shore, executive director of the getDowntown program
Writer: Jon Zemke
Zingerman's expansion, Library Lot become talk of Ann Arbor
Source: Concentrate, 2/24/2010
Two of Ann Arbor's biggest project proposals are about to become the talk of the town – the Library Lot and the Zingerman's expansion.

The people behind Zingerman's are making another push toward expanding their deli and coffee shop facilities in Kerrytown. They will be holding a public meeting about their plans at 5 p.m. on March 8 at the deli, 422 Detroit St. Zingerman's has grown into a family of businesses with facilities all over the city, but its headquarters remains in the storefront in downtown Ann Arbor.

"We've been doing business there for 28 years in March," says Paul Saginaw, co-founder of Zingerman's. "We'd like to keep doing business here for another 28 years. The original building isn't built for the type of intensity it currently hosts."

About 200 people work in the small 2-story commercial building and a couple of adjacent houses. The plans call for renovating most of those buildings and building a denser structure behind it. That would replace a couple of smaller houses (including one that was burned), a plan which the local historic district found objectionable.

Zingerman's plans to request a "notice to proceed" from the city, which would allow the company to go forward with a project that benefits the Ann Arbor community. To do that, Zingerman's must have all of its ducks in a row, including city approval and financing arranged.

Saginaw argues the new building will not only fit into the existing aesthetic of the neighborhood, but will provide significant benefits for the city as a whole. For instance, the new facilities will increase Zingerman's tax bill by a factor of four or five. It will hire more people, increase its contributions to local non-profits, maintain the vibrancy of its corner of the city, and continue to generate positive publicity for Ann Arbor.

Also on the docket is a meeting on the proposals for downtown Ann Arbor's Library Lot hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area. The non-partisan group will host a public meeting about the development's proposals tonight at the Ann Arbor City Club, 1850 Washtenaw Ave. The idea is to keep the conversation going in the community so local leaders can make the most informed decision possible.

"At least the city council will understand what the people want," says Zoe Behnke, president of the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area.

To do that people behind the five proposals will give five minute presentations on their developments. Another hour will be will be set aside for public questions and comments, which will be limited to two minutes per person.

The meeting will be held between 7-9 p.m. For information, call 734-665-5808.

Source: Paul Saginaw, co-founder of Zingerman's, and Zoe Behnke, president of the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area
Writer: Jon Zemke
Georgetown Mall heads to foreclosure, new life?
Source: Concentrate, 2/24/2010
The Georgetown Mall is facing a historically uncommon fate for commercial property in Washtenaw County.

The county is about to foreclose on the strip mall and former home to a Kroger supermarket on Packard Road for non-payment of taxes. This process is the first step in a possible redevelopment of the now vacant, distressed property.

The owner has until March 31 to redeem the property from foreclosure by paying at least one year's worth of taxes. In the event of non-payment, the county takes control of the property and puts it up for auction. Bidding starts at the total amount of back taxes, fees, penalties, interest and costs owed. In this case, think at least $500,000, and probably more.

"My goal in all of this is to get the taxes back instead of foreclose," says Catherine McClary, the treasurer for Washtenaw County.

To put this in perspective, the county has had 92,266 properties face tax foreclosure since 1999. Of those, only 164 have been auctioned; most have been residential. However, auction numbers are expected to rise significantly this year.

"It's getting tougher," McClary says. "This year is catching up with us. We're seeing a lot of commercial property, and we used to rarely see commercial property. Georgetown Mall is just an example of what we're starting to see."

Source: Catherine McClary, the treasurer for Washtenaw County
Writer: Jon Zemke
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