2010 – Page 75 of 78

ISSYS makes room for 10-20 new hires in Ypsilanti

By Newsroom

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January 20, 2010

ISSYS isn't just making plans to add to its staff of nearly 30 people. It's actually building out more space so that it can accommodate between 10-20 new people by the end of the year.ISSYS is adding 5,400 square feet to its Ypsilanti offices in the industrial area by Willow Run. That new space would include a new clean room laboratory, bringing the company up to 16,000 square feet. Work is expected to be done by February."We got the clean room walls up," says Doug Sparks, vice president of ISSYS. "We're putting the piping in now."ISSYS (short for Integrated Sensing Systems) spun-off from the University of Michigan in 1995 and uses micro fluids and sensors for research in products like fuel cells. It recently formed a partnership with Switzerland-based Endress + Hauser to license some of its microchip technology.Source: Doug Sparks, vice president of ISSYSWriter: Jon Zemke

Know Y: PSA For The D

By Kate Rose

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Community Development

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January 20, 2010

Some say Ann Arbor has it all. Kate Rose, Concentrate's generational correspondent, says it's time locals swam across the cultural moat and learned to take pride in what's great about Detroit.

MASTERMIND: Neel Hajra

By Constance Crump

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Community Development

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January 20, 2010

It took a bit of bouncing around but Ann Arbor native Neel Hajra finally found a home at NEW Center, where he's the CEO of the nonprofit that lends a hand to other nonprofits. Combining entrepreneurship, organizational guidance, and technological support, NEW has proven to be an invaluable asset for local boards and organizations.

Greenbelt begins to take shape around Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 20, 2010

Ann Arbor's fledgling Greenbelt is starting to hit its stride as attractive land prices for agricultural land are meeting a growing pot of money focused on keeping them there.Excerpt:Members of the Webster United Church of Christ - the oldest continuously used church in Washtenaw County - say they thought long and hard before agreeing to relinquish the development rights to 94.4 acres behind their aging building.The fact that the land was historically used for agricultural purposes was a major consideration when the congregation decided to accept the $613,000 offer by the city of Ann Arbor's Greenbelt Program. That will ensure the property can't be developed and will remain forever preserved as open space.Now entering its seventh year, the Ann Arbor taxpayer-funded Greenbelt Program is making strides. Administrators of the program are reporting 2009 was one of the most successful years to date. After the purchases of multiple properties in Webster Township, an actual greenbelt is starting to form around Ann Arbor. The congregation of the Webster United Church of Christ recently decided to relinquish the development rights to 94.4 acres of property to the city of Ann Arbor's Greenbelt Program."The congregation overall felt that it was important to maintain the property," said Jim Kulp, chairman of the church committee that evaluated putting the land into the preservation program. "We felt that it would be best to utilize it as a green space area, and when we learned of the Greenbelt Program, we looked into it and it appeared to be an excellent program that would serve that purpose."Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor plays major role in choosing words of decade

By Newsroom

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In The News

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January 20, 2010

Is anyone surprised a town in love with books as Ann Arbor is playing a major part in choosing the words of the decade? (Check the end of the story to see the Ann Arborites contributions)Excerpt:BALTIMORE -- "Anyone for 'sexting'?" asks the 69-year-old man in the navy blazer and brown loafers. "Well if you give me your number," comes a voice from the crowd, which erupts in laughter. Bunch of comedians, these linguists and lexicographers. They've crammed themselves in a dim, beige, boxy meeting room at the Hilton to vote on a word of the year and a word of the decade, a solemn task that falls to just about everyone these daysRead the rest of the story here.

Putting bicycles in their place in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 20, 2010

Dogs and bicycles could soon end up in the same bind with Ann Arbor city officials telling them where they are and are not allowed. Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje is pushing for a public conversation about whether or not to allow bicycles on downtown sidewalks. The City Council is currently reviewing the measure. The idea behind the new ordinance is that relegating bike travel to the streets (where bikes are legally on equal footing with automobiles) creates more room for pedestrians and makes room for sidewalk cafes. On the other hand, there are concerns that limiting the scope of where bikes can travel would stunt the growth of bicycle commuters the city has tried so hard to foster.One downtown denizen has a unique viewpoint on this issue – Rene Greff. The Ypsilanti resident is an avid bicyclist and promoter of alternative transportation, pushing for a number of non-auto solutions like replacing some car parking spots with more bike racks. She is also a longtime downtown stakeholder as co-owner of the Arbor Brewing Co. restaurant. Greff is for the proposed ordinance."In a highly pedestrian area having bicycles on the sidewalks is dangerous for both the pedestrians and the bicyclists," Greff says.She adds that most full-time bicyclists (think bicycle commuters and sport riders) already ride almost exclusively on the streets alongside automobiles. Greff would make an exception for children on bikes who are accompanied by a walking parent. However, downtown streets are slow enough that bicyclists that they can safely accommodate riders of all ages, shapes, sizes and levels of experience.Source: Rene Greff, co-owner of Arbor Brewing Co.Writer: Jon Zemke

Downtown Ann Arbor projects stack up on shelf

By Newsroom

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Development News

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January 20, 2010

The shelf for downtown Ann Arbor projects is started to get a little crowded. You might have noticed a little bit of controversy surrounding a number of projects slated for downtown in recent years. However, most of those have yet to materialize.X projects have been approved but have yet to break ground in downtown Ann Arbor. Another X are going through the approval process and the city has issued request for proposals for two of its downtown-area parcels. Common sense would seem to dictate that there might be a flood of projects as soon as the economy recovers. However, don't expect to start seeing shovels go into the ground all at once (or any time soon) as banks and the rest of the financial industry continue to lick their wounds from the housing and mortgage meltdowns."The banks were all very burned by real estate," says Stewart Beal, an Ypsilanti-based developer and owner of Beal Properties. "They will be looking for other projects to finance before real estate."Beal is currently trying to get several projects off the ground in Ypsilanti, ranging from small apartment building rehabs to the controversial Thompson Block. He recently put together a list of about 400 banks and financial institutions in the Midwest, sending out an application for a $175,000 loan to rehab a small apartment building near Eastern Michigan University. He got favorable responses from just three and was able to eliminate the rest from consideration within two weeks.He characterizes half of them as out of business or close to it. Another 100 are forbidden from making new construction loans. The rest won't do any sort of construction loan unless the customer is occupying the building. He even points out that the owner of Village Green (a large, well-established company with thousands of assets) is publicly complaining about the lack of credit. That means the projects on downtown's plate could be as far as 10-15 years out instead of the average 2-3 year time span."The strongest owner that has the best product will go first," Beal says. "The second-best owner with the second-best product will go next and so on. Some of these projects will never happen."So then why do developers keep going through the publicly arduous task of navigating NIMBYs and local bureaucracies in the face of such staggering odds? Beal sums it up as simple as a developer needs to develop just like a fish needs to swim. Plus banks won't even talk to a developer without local approval and if they spend this down time laying the ground work, they will be ready to build when the economy recovers."Developers are by nature very optimistic," Beal says.Source: Stewart Beal, owner of Beal PropertiesWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor swims in new microbreweries

By Newsroom

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Development News

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January 20, 2010

If you think the selection of local micro-brews is starting to become bigger than that for macro brews, you're not too far from the truth, especially in Ann Arbor.The college town is welcoming its sixth craft brewing establishment with the Wolverine State Brewing Co, making it the municipality with the most microbrews or brewpubs in Michigan. Add in the local craft breweries in the surrounding area and the Ann Arbor area runs away with the title. "Certainly the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area is a great place for Michigan craft beer," says Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild. "I think there is a lot of room for more growth still."The four people behind Wolverine Brewing are looking to capitalize on it. They are turning the warehouse for Big George's old store on Stadium Boulevard (behind Great Lakes Cycling & Fitness) into their microbrew. They'll be turning the old "Scratch and Ding" sale room for Big George into a tap room. There the 3-year-old company, founded by a couple of local students-turned-townies, will focus on trying to create the best microbrew lager in Michigan. "We feel like we can complement all of the great ales you can get at Jolly Pumpkin, Ann Arbor Brewing Co and all of the great brewpubs," says E.T. Crowe, a co-owner of Wolverine Brewing.That sentiment is one of the keys to Ann Arbor's success at foster craft brewing, according to Rene Greff. The co-owner of Ann Arbor's first microbrew, Arbor Brewing Co., says clustering businesses like this allows them to grow off each other. Plus, it helps that Ann Arbor's populace has many of the attributes common with microbrewery consumers, such as high levels of education, lots of disposable income and being well-traveled."Ann Arbor has the perfect demographics for microbreweries," Greff says.Source: Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild; says E.T. Crowe, a co-owner of Wolverine State Brewing Co and Rene Greff, co-owner of Arbor Brewing Co.Writer: Jon Zemke

U-M regents set to approve Crisler Arena renovations

By Newsroom

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Development News

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January 20, 2010

University of Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin has overseen a number of major athletic building improvements in Ann Arbor, the centerpiece being the almost-complete renovation of Michigan Stadium.He's about to put another huge undertaking into motion before he steps aside. The university's Board of Regents will consider approving the renovation plans for Crisler Arena Thursday. The $20 million project is the first significant improvement to the facility since it was built 40 years ago.The first phase will repair Crisler's roof, electrical, plumbing and air handling systems. It will also replace the seats in the lower bowl. That will also for more seating for people with disabilities and add hand rails, among other related improvements. The university's Athletic Dept. is paying for the renovations.The project is designed by TMP Architecture, assisted by Sink Combs Dethlefs, and is set to begin next year. Those firms also designed the new $23.2 million Basketball Player Development Center, which is set to be completed in 2011. Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Greenhills School renovation to complete 1st phase in spring

By Newsroom

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Development News

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January 20, 2010

Work on the first phase of Ann Arbor's Greenhills School expansion continues to moves along slowly but steadily, with a new finish date set for this spring.The private school is going for LEED Gold Certification, the second highest ranking in the system, as it renovates and expands it school on the city's east side by Geddes Road and U.S. 23. Among the big ticket items is a geothermal heating-and-cooling system.The first phase of the Greenhills School project is creating two new biology labs, a greenhouse, a college counseling center and three new classrooms. The price tag clocks in at about $3 million. The second and third phases, another $3 million in work, include new space for the school's chemistry, physics and middle school science programs, along with other renovations and additions.All phases will equal 10,000 square feet of new classroom and lab space to the rear of the main building. It will also renovate about 40 percent of the existing school of 500-plus students. A webcam of the work can be seen here.Source: Margarite Fourcroy, spokeswoman for Greenhills SchoolWriter: Jon Zemke