City Council to decide on Near North, building moratorium
Some big discussions and decisions are on tap for the Ann Arbor City Council once the dust settles from the City Council primary.At the top of the docket of this Thursday’s meeting is the first of what appears to be many appearances of the Near North development. Following will be discussion and a possible decision on a downtown building moratorium.Near North will undergo its first rezoning hearing, basically an announcement to the community that the project is close to becoming a reality. Before the developer can start construction, however, at least one more month must pass. Afterward, it will undergo another public reading before the council can approve the rezoning and then the project itself.The Near North proposal calls for a mixed-use, 4-story, 40-unit apartment building on Main Street, just south of Summit Street. It will stand about as tall as the surrounding housing and come with a small greenspace and a surface parking lot just north of the building. The Summit Party Store at Main and Summit streets would remain, but could be incorporated into the project further down the line.The Three Oaks Group is working with Avalon Housing to create affordable homes in the downtown area with this project. About 65 percent of these apartments would be set aside for entry level workforce and for households earning less than $33,000. Think of the restaurant workers and recent college grads who work or want to live near downtown but are often forced to find housing outside the city or in student rentals because of cost and availability. The other 35 percent will be set aside for permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless or have disabilities.The building would replace five single-family houses lining Main Street and the Summit Party Store. However, it will go for gold level LEED certification with such big-ticket items like geothermal heating and cooling systems and green roofs. It would also incorporate a modern design. The pending building moratorium resolution basically calls for a ban on approval of new construction projects in the downtown area until A2D2 is resolved. City Council could decide this on Thursday.Source: Wendy Rampson, city planner for Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke
Some big discussions and decisions are on tap for the Ann Arbor City Council once the dust settles from the City Council primary.
At the top of the docket of this Thursday’s meeting is the first of what appears to be many appearances of the Near North development. Following will be discussion and a possible decision on a downtown building moratorium.
Near North will undergo its first rezoning hearing, basically an announcement to the community that the project is close to becoming a reality. Before the developer can start construction, however, at least one more month must pass. Afterward, it will undergo another public reading before the council can approve the rezoning and then the project itself.
The Near North proposal calls for a mixed-use, 4-story, 40-unit apartment building on Main Street, just south of Summit Street. It will stand about as tall as the surrounding housing and come with a small greenspace and a surface parking lot just north of the building. The Summit Party Store at Main and Summit streets would remain, but could be incorporated into the project further down the line.
The Three Oaks Group is working with Avalon Housing to create affordable homes in the downtown area with this project. About 65 percent of these apartments would be set aside for entry level workforce and for households earning less than $33,000. Think of the restaurant workers and recent college grads who work or want to live near downtown but are often forced to find housing outside the city or in student rentals because of cost and availability. The other 35 percent will be set aside for permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless or have disabilities.
The building would replace five single-family houses lining Main Street and the Summit Party Store. However, it will go for gold level LEED certification with such big-ticket items like geothermal heating and cooling systems and green roofs. It would also incorporate a modern design.
The pending building moratorium resolution basically calls for a ban on approval of new construction projects in the downtown area until A2D2 is resolved. City Council could decide this on Thursday.
Source: Wendy Rampson, city planner for Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
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