Ann Arbor sends 415 W Washington proposals back to drawing board

Development proposals for 415 W Washington, take two!That’s basically what the Ann Arbor City Council said Monday night when it asked the three organizations vying to develop the city-owned property just north of downtown. The Ann Arbor Art Center, Chicago-based developer Morningside Group (the Liberty Lofts people) and the Old West Square LLC (a partnership that includes Peter Allen of Kingsley Lane and Lower Town fame) all want to redevelop the 2.5 acre site.The parcel, located at 415 W Washington next to the railroad tracks, served as the city’s old Department of Public Works. The city no longer has use for it and issued a request for proposals early last year.The Old West Square’s plans call for a mixed-use development that will focus on the cultural and arts community while strengthening a connection to a greenway and public space. The Ann Arbor Art Center wants to make the site its future home. Morningside wants to create a mixed-use development there.City officials were impressed with the plans, but want to see them reworked before making a decision. Among the issues are creating a publicly-owned greenway along the existing floodway, renovating existing office building for an arts and/or civic use, removing the garages behind the office building, building a new multi-family or live-work residential building at the southwest corner of the site and creating pedestrian and vehicle connections to both Liberty and Washington Streets.The city originally requested redevelopment proposals that respect the surrounding residential neighborhood, utilize green building practices, mitigate floodplain issues and preserve the historical two-story industrial building built in 1907.Source: Wendy Rampson, systems planner for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke