2009 – Page 11 of 98

Forbes calls Ann Arbor an affordable collegetown to buy a home

By Newsroom

●

November 11, 2009

Most people think of buying a home after college, but Ann Arbor is one of those places where you can think of doing it during college.Excerpt:In a new article from Forbes, Stephane Fitch identifies the most and least expensive college towns to own a home in. Those who go to school in the Midwest have the best chance of buying a home while still in college. College towns with cheap real estate include Akron, Ohio (where the average home costs $121,800) and Ann Arbor, Michigan (where the average home costs $148,000). If the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit is extended, some college students could use the credit to make up half of their down payment.Read the rest of the story here.

Double Lives: Josh Weston

By Tanya Muzumdar

●

Arts and Culture

●

November 11, 2009

See that speck on the Lake Michigan horizon? Rolling across choppy waves, skateboard on one foot, surfboard on the other, Josh Weston does double time as a web designer for Ann Arbor's MS&L and as the founder of Einfach Skate. Concentrate chats with the man who's struck a balance between pavement and PC.

NIGHT & DAY: More Information Than You Require

By Jeff Meyers

●

General

●

November 11, 2009

Another week, another FilterD: All the week's events distilled into six attention-worthy offerings. Editor Jeff Meyers reviews the cultural happenings worth happening upon, while following up on last week's musings about the state of creative real estate.

New wing of U-M’s Kelsey Museum opens in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

November 4, 2009

The Kelsey Museum at the University of Michigan is reopening this week, bigger and better than ever before - thanks to a significant expansion.The 1888 building received a new 20,000-square foot wing as part of a $8.5 million gift to the museum. That wing will now make it possibly to house all of the 100,000-plus artifacts and increase the display number to 200-300 artifacts.The building, 434 S. State St., started out as the home to local chapter of what eventually became the YMCA. The university bought it in the mid 1920s and opened it as the Kelsey Museum in 1929. It renovated the museum in the mid 1990s and this is the first expansion of the original building.The Romanesque-style structure is one of the marquee buildings on the State Street corridor, and even in the city. The expansion is made from a local field stone that is similar to the original stone. The idea is to make it blend with the look of the building to be able to distinguish the new wing from the original structure."They did match quite well," says Lauren Talalay, associate director and curator of the Kelsey Museum. "When they weather it will match very well."The interior is much more contemporary. It houses a number of displays, which are still being worked on, and frees up more much-needed open space in the building."It's a totally different look on the inside," Talalay says.Source: Lauren Talalay, associate director and curator of the Kelsey MuseumWriter: Jon Zemke

ICON Creative expands with new studio space in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

November 4, 2009

ICON Creative Technologies Group is getting creative with its new space at 220 Felch, preparing to turn 5,000 square feet into a photography and film studio.The space is an old garage with high ceilings and no interior columns to get in the way. ICON Creative is estimating how much it will cost to create the space and hopes to begin construction in the second quarter of next year."It’s an ideal space for something like photography or even vide because it's such a wide open space," says Ron Cleveland, CEO of ICON Creative Technologies Group.A number of ICON Creative's clients have use for such a space, especially in the automotive industry. It expected to help with the company's continued growth. The 14-year-old firm has added five people since August including David Kiley, a former BusinessWeek senior correspondent and marketing editor.This growth in staff prompted the firm to leave its downtown Ann Arbor digs and buy the property on Felch from the Ann Arbor Art Center earlier this year. The art center consolidated its operations into its newly renovated and expanded facilities in downtown.Source: Ron Cleveland, CEO of ICON Creative TechnologiesWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor considers annexing Dicken Woods green space

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

November 4, 2009

The journey to protect the Dicken Woods natural area is reaching a successful conclusion.The Ann Arbor City Council will consider annexing the 10-acre property on the city's north side. The idea is that by annexing the island of township surrounded by the city will make it part of the city's parkland inventory. City residents recently approved a measure that makes it illegal sell parkland without voter approval.A friends group has been working to preserve the land as a natural area for several years. The parcel had been used as agricultural purposes until about 40 years ago when it was left fallow. Source: Jack Eaton, president of the Friends of Dicken WoodsWriter: Jon Zemke

Downtown Ann Arbor CVS project to go before City Council

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

November 4, 2009

The plans to slip a CVS Pharmacy behind a historic storefront in downtown Ann Arbor are about to go before the City Council Thursday for approval.West Bloomfield-based Velmeir Construction plans to tear down the old Queen Anne house behind the 2-story storefront at 209-11 S. State St. In its place will go a 13,000-square-foot CVS Pharmacy. The building is one of a handful of old houses that have morphed into the storefronts over the 20th Century. Concentrate featured this building as an example of these transformations.The city Historic District has approved the plans. The city Planning Staff has also recommended approval of the plans. Once the City Council approves the plans the developer will basically have the green light to begin the project. Repeated calls to Velmeir Construction for comment were not returned.Source: City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Ypsilanti City Hall begins installation of solar panels

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

November 4, 2009

The solar panels are starting to go up on the back end of Yspilanti's City Hall.The grassroots group of solar-power activists making the project happen (with the help of a $36,000 grant and some local fundraising/volunteer efforts) are putting up the framing and getting ready to install 12 solar panels by the end of the month. The goal is to have the whole thing wired and ready to go in the very near future."We're hoping by the end of the year, hopefully sooner," says Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project. People will be able to track how much energy the panels are generating on a website, as soon as the system is functional. The website already shows how much the solar panels atop the Ypsilanti Food Co-op are producing. Next in line is installing 30 solar panels on top of the bakery at the Ypsilanti Food Co-op. That project is expected to start as soon as the City Hall project is done, which should be sometime early next year.The Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project is still looking for $50 pledges to fund the City Hall and future projects. For information on giving, click here.Source: Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel ProjectWriter: Jon Zemke

Video I Love Ypsi Has A Winner (Three, Actually)

By Concentrate

●

Healthy Communities

●

November 4, 2009

They came with video camcorders, Flip cams, and a dream... to produce a compelling tribute to the city they love: Ypsilanti. And to score an easy hundred bucks. Check out the winners of the I Love Ypsi video contest. Those who are allergic to phallic humor need not attend.

First monthly Energy Technology Forum launches tonight

By Newsroom

●

Innovation News

●

November 4, 2009

Mover and shakers from the energy industry are getting together to create less friction and more of a spark in their corner of the world.The first Energy Technology Forum is set to kick off tonight at Ann Arbor SPARK's Central Business Incubator, 330 E Liberty St. The sold-out event will allow people from all corners of the energy industry mingle, network and possible come up with a solution or two."We're hoping to bring together a number of different segments of the energy sector," says Mike Medvec, chairman of the steering committee for the Energy Technology Forum. "We're trying to create some synergies."The thought is that more people from the old energy crowd rub elbows with the innovators in alternative energy will help the two different ends of the same sector collaborate more often. The forum will be held again next month. For information, call (734) 761-9317 or send an email to Susanna@AnnArborUSA.org.Source: Mike Medvec, chairman of the steering committee for the Energy Technology ForumWriter: Jon Zemke