Chelsea : Development News

Once the snow melts by next spring, more permanent changes will be blanketing downtown Chelsea.

The building shell of the new $2.5 million police station at the corner of South Main and East Summit streets is essentially done, with exterior finish items now in progress. The station, with a first floor and finished basement of about 8,700 and 6,000 square feet, respectively, should be open and operational by the end of May or early June, on schedule and on budget, says City Manager John Hanifan.

A new use for what will be the former police station hasn't been identified yet, but officials are working with the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority on a plan to revert the building back to the private sector. Says Hanifan, "It's a pretty large space that would be great, we think, for infill business because it's right on Middle Street. It's in the heart of downtown Chelsea."

The downtown has attracted a dozen new businesses over the last 4-6 months, according to Hanifan.

Chelsea will also be getting an unused property at 140 Buchanan St. back into circulation with the city council's approval last month of a $175,000 purchase offer extended by an affiliate of the Chelsea Milling Company, makers of Jiffy brand baking mixes. The offer is currently under review by the city's legal counsel; Hanifan doesn't expect any issues and figures the sale will be closed within the next 30-60 days.

"It moves us away from a building that we ...haven't had much of a use for once we decided not to place any additional municipal facilities there..." he says, and "by selling the building it'll put it back on the tax roll and then also, probably in the long run more importantly, it helps one of the signature businesses of Chelsea continue to expand its operation."

Source: John Hanifan, Chelsea city manager
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

With the completion of a trail segment connecting Warrior Creek Park in downtown Dexter up to the Hudson Mills Metropark just in time for December snows to drift in, the 35-mile Border to Border (B2B) Trail spanning Washtenaw County will be about halfway done.

The asphalt and concrete path and the bridge spanning Mill Creek have been installed and a boardwalk connecting the bridge to the West Ridge subdivision and up to the Hudson Mills Metropark is set to be laid by year-end, says Coy Vaughn, superintendent of park planning for Washtenaw County. In turn, the Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority is finalizing its plans to start construction next spring on a 2.5-mile stretch that picks up where the B2B Trail leaves off. That segment will run up to the park's existing trail system.

"When that's all completed, there'll be about eight miles of trail that is accessible from downtown Dexter going north that will be in place and then eventually there'll be more than that as we finish the Border to Border Trail," says Vaughn.

And on the southeast side of Dexter, the plans for another bridge crossing on the Huron River and 1.4 miles of new trail through Dexter Huron Metropark have been drawn up and just went out to bid, Vaughn says. "Eventually the plan is to connect up to Ann Arbor as we continue to build the Border to Border Trail in that direction."

Also, a separate non-motorized trail network funded by Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission via its Connecting Communities mini-grant program, is spreading. Of the projects funded in 2009, a trail in Northfield Township connecting Whitmore Lake Elementary School to other residential neighborhoods along Barker Road was finished earlier this fall. New in Pittsfield Township is a 2.4-mile trail along Lohr and Textile Roads linking Ann Arbor and Saline.

And in Chelsea, a 1,000-foot, mainly boardwalk, trail along old U.S. 12 that will connect Pierce Lake Golf Course to neighborhoods, schools, and the commercial district has been designed, Vaughn says. A construction contract will be awarded shortly, with work to commence this spring.

Source: Coy Vaughn, superintendent of park planning for Washtenaw County
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The city of Chelsea is now in its third year of the Chelsea Energy Optimization Plan for residential, commercial, and industrial customers, and utilization of the electrical savings incentive program is increasing.

Chelsea, a public power community (meaning that it owns its own electrical utility), is taking part in the program as part of the Michigan's adoption of Public Act 295, which requires all electrical utilities to develop energy optimization and energy efficiency programs.

This year the city is budgeting $60,743 towards the program, which is projected to save electric customers 626,989 kilowatt-hours, according to city documents.

"With any program, particularly on the residential side, I think people don't quite get the fact that 'Wow, there is no catch. They are offering these services up for free,'" says Hanifan. "With the business community and the industrial community here...we've seen the number of applications increase every year of the program. I think the response has been great. We've met our target goals for 2009 and 2010 and we fully expect to meet them for 2011, so by that measure the program's been successful."

In 2012, the city will be putting $100,000 towards the program, Hanifan says, at a projected savings to customers of 919,581 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Commercial and industrial customers receive incentives for a wide variety of projects, such as installing various lamps and equipment. Residential electric customers are eligible to receive a complementary CFL kit, rebates on high-efficiency HVAC equipment and appliances, and $30 rebates for the recyling of old refrigerators and freezers.

Source: John Hanifan, Chelsea City Manager; city of Chelsea
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

With the completion of the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority's comprehensive plan for its core, the city will be starting a streetscape enhancement project along Main Street (M-52), either this fall or next spring, according to Chelsea DDA Chairman Peter Flintoft.

The next step, Flintoft says, is to submit the plans to the Michigan Department of Transportation, as a good portion of the work is in the M-52 right-of-way. "We're also working on the project on Park Street, which would be to put in a barrier-free heated stairway and ramp system from Park Street down to the parking lot," he adds.

The project, designed by architect Lincoln Poley and Deardorff Design Resources, will "tie the library, City Hall, and the other construction that's going on around here together," Flintoft explains.

Included in the cost of the approximately $2 million project phase is the potential purchase of a 1.25-acre park area the city currently leases at Main and Orchard Street, across from City Hall. Plans call for a 1,200-square-foot pavilion with a stage, a concession stand, and public restrooms. Other features along Main Street include planters, bike racks, and outdoor seating on bump-outs in front of The Common Grill and Cleary's Pub.

The streetscape will be the first plan phase to be implemented. Flintoft says the DDA is also directing its attention to new uses for the Longworth Building, the former municipal building, Palmer Lot, and the Federal Screw Building.

Sources: Peter Flintoft, Chelsea DDA chairman; Lincoln Poley, architect
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Schematic provided by Deardorff Design Resources

It's getting to be bus or bust for Washtenaw County residents and workers.

Proof? The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) recently announced hefty increases in ridership statistics for its public bus service, The Ride, over the April through June period of 2011 as compared to the same period last year.

Weekday ridership on fixed routes grew an average of 6.7 percent. Some routes that fared particularly well are: no. 17 Amtrak-Depot St. (a 50 percent increase); no. 2 Plymouth (up 14 percent); no. 4 Washtenaw (up 11 percent), and no. 8 Pauline (up 10 percent).

The no. 2 Plymouth and no. 4 Washtenaw routes added over 20,000 more boardings apiece this year. In addition, usage of the A2 Express service to Canton and Chelsea jumped by 34 percent over last year.

The Night Ride service which operates from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends also saw growth of 25 percent, or 1,022 boardings. This service supplements the regular fixed route schedule which does not run during those times.

In April, its boundaries were expanded outside of the Ann Arbor city limits to encompass the area east to Golfside Road, from Clark Road in the north to Ellsworth in the south. And look for an expansion of the Night Ride to serve more of Ypsilanti starting in the late fall.

"Commuters are increasingly looking to save on gas money and the hassle of driving to and from their jobs," says The Ride CEO Michael Ford in a statement. "We are committed to making TheRide's services as convenient as possible for all commuters so that this trend and the associated savings can continue."

Source: Ann Arbor Transportation Authority
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Population trends in Washtenaw County are moving at crosscurrents with much of the region represented by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). Collectively over the last decade, the seven-county area lost 2.7% of its population, or 128,625 people, while Washtenaw County gained 22,021 residents, for a 6.8% increase, according to the 2010 U.S. Census figures. That growth rate was second only to that seen in Livingston County, which saw a 15.1% jump in residents.

"Washtenaw County has the advantage with the universities, and some of the other businesses...the economy is already more diversified than other parts of the region, and that is probably the biggest reason that Washtenaw County did better than the rest of the region," says Paul Tait, executive director of SEMCOG.

The county's two largest cities posted flat to declining numbers, with headcounts in Ann Arbor dropping .1% and Ypsilanti losing 12.6%. Much of the growth was in the townships and outlying communities, with the village of Dexter's 74% rise as the standout exception. The cities of Milan, Chelsea, and Saline gained 23%, 12.4% and 9.7%, respectively.

"These are good numbers for Washtenaw County," Tait says.

But maintenance and enhancement of the county's core infrastructure is still of concern. Tait points to U.S. 23, slated by the Michigan Department of Transportation for a major rebuild and widening - a project that will probably not be daylighted, for now. "We're driving more fuel efficient cars, and in part because of the economy, we're not driving as much. We're driving alternative fueled vehicles, hybrids and electric vehicles, so we're not getting the gas tax money that we need to again, even maintain what we've got."

Tait still calls the 6.8% rise "fairly sustainable growth". And that figure is lower than the overall U.S. population growth, a remarkable 9.7% over the decade. Much of that, he says, was due to immigration to the south and southwest to fill entry-level jobs not necessarily requiring a college degree. The Census Bureau will be releasing educational demographic data this fall.

By comparison, Tait says, "when you look at immigration in our region, it tends to be much more highly educated people with advanced degrees."

Source: Paul Tait, executive director of SEMCOG
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

In what could mean a lift to tourism and economic development in the city of Chelsea, portions of the city's 19th-century downtown are expected to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places this spring.  The proposed historic district covers Main Street from Orchard to North Street, the 100-blocks of Jackson and West and East Middle Streets, and also the First United Methodist Church and the Rockwell Building, according to Ellen Thackery, Southeast Michigan field representative of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The short explanation of what this means is that the National Park Service has deemed these properties worthy of preservation. The designation is often a boon to downtown revitalization, as commercial property owners in the district can qualify to have up to 20% of their rehabilitation costs refunded in the form of a credit against federal income tax liability.

"It spurs private investment so one building gets rehabilitated and it starts to catch on in the community," Thackery explains. Many Michigan communities have made good use of the federal program, including Royal Oak, Rochester, Detroit, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Holland, Linden, Lowell, Calumet, and Menominee.

Owners often package the federal tax credits with the Michigan Historic Tax Credit, Thackery says, which reduces state income tax liability by up to 25% of expenditures. However, Chelsea may not qualify for Michigan's tax credit, which is limited to communities with a population of 5,000 or less. Chelsea's estimated population is 5,032. If 2010 census estimates are revised downward, that may change; however, Gov. Snyder's recent budget proposal calls for eliminating the Michigan Historic Tax Credit altogether.

One point on which people are often confused, Thackery says, is that being named to the National Register is strictly an honorary designation. "In a national register district you can do whatever kind of work you want to do to your property, and there is no review process. If you choose to participate in that federal tax credit program, then there is a review just to make sure the buildings are treated kindly and with respect," she explains.

Along with encouraging rehabilitation, Thackery adds, a "heritage tourism" opportunity exists. Chelsea will be included on the National Park Service's list of travel destinations and agendas.

"It's a very charming, very attractive downtown so I think being listed on the National Register is going to help draw more people to it and Chelsea commercial property owners in the district can put it in their materials as a little feather in their cap."

Source: Ellen Thackery, Southeast Michigan field representative of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar