Ann Arbor debates height restrictions at public meetings

How high is too high? It is a long-fought argument that has been brought up in Ann Arbor in more ways than one over and over again. And it will be broached widely in public this summer as part of a series of public meetings on proposed building height restrictions.Building heights have become a heated topic in Ann Arbor these days as developers push for taller and taller buildings in the downtown area while groups of local NIMBY residents have fought to at least shrink if not destroy these plans. The arguments range from developers saying they are responding to increased demand for downtown (only 2% of the city’s population resides downtown) and student housing while locals argue they are trying to preserve Ann Arbor’s unique sense of place.A height restriction of 180 feet (about 15-16 stories) has been floated this year while these battles continue and city planners get ready to update the city’s downtown zoning master plan. Different version of this plan, called A2D2, have been floated since 200X when the process began. The downtown master plan hasn’t been revamped since 1992.The meetings will be held tonight at the CTN Studios, 2805 S Industrial;  June 4 and 17 in the Traverwood Library Branch, 3333 Traverwood Dr.; July 1 and 23 at Cobblestone Farm, 2781 Packard Road; and on July 30 at Forsythe Middle School, 1655 Newport Road. All of the meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m.For information, contact Jeff Kahan at (734) 794-6265 ext. 42614 or at jkahan@a2gov.org.Source: City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke