Proposed low income housing sites in Ann Arbor generate debate

Downtown affordable housing is becoming a more and more controversial subject in Ann Arbor these days.Excerpt:A month after taking the wraps off a new plan for developing low-income housing just west of North Fourth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor, city and Washtenaw County officials say they’ve gotten some feedback on the three potential sites.A number of county officials like the idea of building next to the county courthouse, said county Administrator Bob Guenzel.The county’s judges aren’t among them. They say the idea is at odds with keeping the courthouse secure.Although that site – on North Fourth Avenue and Ann Street, south of the court building – presents some unusual challenges, it’s the most removed from the neighboring retail area, Guenzel said.”It feels like part of the county campus,” he said.The proposed housing would serve as many as 100 low-income and special-needs tenants. It’s intended to replace the single-room occupancy units once available at Ann Arbor’s former YMCA facility.Read the rest of the story here.