Sustainability

Ann Arbor zoning changes promote density, green building

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November 19, 2008

The proposed zoning changes for downtown Ann Arbor are in the middle of their own campaign season as sponsors get ready to go before City Council early next year.The city's Planning Department is holding pubic briefings on the proposed changes this week now that they have been recommended for approval by the city's Planning Commission. Think of the Planning Commission's blessing as winning the primary and the getting City Council approval the general election. It's why city planners are making the rounds with local residents about the proposed changes in both scheduled formal meetings and informal ones."If someone wants to meet, I can do that," says Wendy Rampson, a city planner with the city of Ann Arbor.The proposed changes call for creating more density and a traditional urban environment in the city's core, downtown area. That basically means developers can build structures that are as much as 400 percent bigger than the lot size. Those numbers can go up if the developer meets certain criteria, such as making the building LEED certified or including affordable housing. For instance, a developer can build 650 percent bigger than the lot size if it’s a platinum LEED building. That number can bump up as high as 900 percent with onsite affordable housing.The city plans to hold meetings at 9 a.m. today in the City Council chambers of City Hall and again at 6:30 p.m. in the Washtenaw County building, 200 N Main St. Another will be held at 3:30 p.m. Thursday again in the county building. For information, call (734) 994-2802.Source: Wendy Rampson, a city planner with the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Latest in Sustainability

Ypsilanti works on DDA recycling, approves tax abatement policy

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Development News

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November 19, 2008

Businesses in Depot Town and downtown Ypsilanti produce a lot of recyclable material, however, most of that is thrown away.Things could change relatively soon, however. City officials are working on a pilot recycling program for downtown businesses that could be introduced as early as December. That program could include providing 96-gallon rolling garbage cans for paper, plastic and metal recyclables.The idea is to reduce the waste stream from these businesses. Doing that means fewer garbage pickups, which will "save (Ypsilanti's) Downtown Development Authority money," according to Ypsilanti DDA Director Brian Vosburg.The city already has a residential curbside recycling program. However, that isn't big enough for local businesses."Most restaurants have volumes of trash that are way bigger than what these tubs can handle," Vosburg says.Source: Brian Vosburg, director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke

J.S. Vig Construction opens sustainability think tank in Ann Arbor

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Economic Development

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November 12, 2008

People don't usually associate phrases like "construction company" and "think tank," but they might start now that J.S. Vig Construction Company is opening a green building think tank in Ann Arbor later this month.The Taylor-based firm is dubbing it Project Green and will use the think tank to expand its sustainable construction practice. For now that will mean five new jobs in Ann Arbor and some more occupied office space at 157 E. Hoover.The office will build a resource library devoted to sustainable construction and provide a meeting place for company officials to expand their ideas on green building. It will also serve as a launching pad for them to take on more business farther from their Taylor home."We do a lot of work in the Ann Arbor area and out-of-state," says Valerie Vig, chief operating officer with J.S. Vig Construction Company.The site will also advocate for more LEED certified buildings and showcase sustainable construction techniques and products to local customers and architects. The company plans to have all of its project managers LEED accredited by the spring.J.S. Vig has more than a couple green stripes on its resume, including the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s state-of-the-art Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and the new Foley Mansfield building in Ferndale. Source: Valerie Vig, chief operating officer with J.S. Vig Construction CompanyWriter: Jon Zemke

Downtown Ann Arbor City Apartments project up for approval

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Community Development

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November 5, 2008

More tall buildings are lining up to be built in downtown Ann Arbor. A handful have already been approved and ready to rise with the latest green light going to the controversial 601 Forest. Next in line is Ann Arbor City Apartments, which will go for City Council approval Thursday night.That project has grown a little bit since it was first proposed. The 9-story building has gone from 146 units to 156. It's even added a few more parking spots, raising that number to 244. The idea is that adding the spaces and units made the building more efficient and profitable."It's a great opportunity for us because there are no projects in Ann Arbor like the one we are proposing," says Andrea Roebker, director of public relations for Village Green Companies.The Farmington Hills-based hopes to break ground on the development next spring and finish it within 18 months."It's a tough economy but we're still moving forward," Roebker says.The project would replace a 1940s era parking garage on First and Washington streets across from the Blind Pig and Cavern Club. That parking structure was removed three years ago. Gone will be a crumbling concrete structure, proposed to replace it is a modern-looking building. The bottom four levels of the building (two are underground) are set to be a parking garage decked out with ornamental metal grills. The upper stories are set to be rental apartments which will be marketed toward professionals.That's something new for a downtown where new construction has either been reserved for student rentals or for-sale condos. The one- and two-bedroom apartments will average about 700 square feet. Ten percent of those apartments will be dedicated to affordable housing. The units will not have individual balconies or terraces, but there will be a community rooftop deck for all of the units. The apartments have access to as many as 73 spaces during the day and 146 spaces during the night. The rest of the spots will be open to the public. The parking garage will be run by the city. Village Green also plans to use extensive green building techniques and technologies in the Ann Arbor City Apartments building. Among those are using recyclable materials, installing a green roof and making the building energy efficient. The company also plans to keep the building as rental apartments for the foreseeable future. The company owns similar downtown apartment buildings in Minneapolis and Chicago. Source: Andrea Roebker, director of public relations for Village Green CompaniesWriter: Jon Zemke

Saline readies to turn on LED holiday lights in downtown

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Community Development

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November 5, 2008

The trees in downtown Saline are about to be lit up with holiday cheer, only for much less money this year.The city removed the traditional holiday lights on downtown's foliage after they reached the end of their life cycle earlier this year. Since then, local officials have raised more several thousand dollars to replace them with energy-efficient LED lights.The project cost about $36,000. The city promised to chip in $10,000 if downtown officials could raise the rest. That didn't turn out to be a problem, and the lights are set to start glowing within the next few days."We had a couple of large contributions," says Art Trapp, the downtown development director for the city of Saline.The 50,000 lights usually cost $10.40 per day to light. The LED lights only cost $2.40 a day.LED lights are much more efficient than normal incandescent bulbs because they only produce light visible to the human eye. That requires far less energy. LED also have a significantly longer lifespan.Ann Arbor made a similar move with its downtown trees last year. It's also replacing its downtown streetlights with LED bulbs and plans to extend that to streetlights throughout the city.Source: Art Trapp, the downtown development director for the city of SalineWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s Greenbelt looks to add another 51 acres of farmland

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Development News

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November 5, 2008

The Gould Farm could prove to be quite the green space nugget for Ann Arbor's Greenbelt Program. The City Council will decide whether to approve purchasing the development rights to the farm Thursday night.The 51-acre farm is located near the corner of Whitmore Lake and Joy roads in Ann Arbor Township. If the purchase is made, the land will remain in its current state for the foreseeable future."It's all farmland," says Ginny Trocchio, program manager for Ann Arbor's Greenbelt.Earlier this year, the Ann Arbor Greenbelt targeted the Gould and the nearby 286-acre Braun farms in Ann Arbor Township. Both are considered a high priority for preservation by the township and the city. The City Council could agree to pay half of the purchase price of $269,000. The rest of the money will come from Ann Arbor Township and Federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program grant. The Greenbelt program has utilized such federal grant programs in the past to the tune of $750,000. The city's Greenbelt Program provides funding to preserve and protect open space, natural habitats and farms in the Ann Arbor area by purchasing development rights. The city acquires these rights from willing sellers who apply to participate in the program. Ann Arbor voters approved a 0.5-mill millage over 30 years to establish the Greenbelt Program in 2003. Since then the program has acquired the rights to XXX acres.Source: Ginny Trocchio, program manager for Ann Arbor's GreenbeltWriter: Jon Zemke

University of Michigan student leader promotes energy conservation

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Education

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October 22, 2008

Ann Arbor's townies aren’t the only ones trying to save the planet. The city's students are also making some big headway in that effort. Excerpt: Leaning forward at a table in a coffee shop near the University of Michigan Central Campus, Leslie Zaikis gazed at the screen of her laptop. Zaikis sat among a throng of other young people, some of whom seemed so engrossed in what they were doing they appeared oblivious to the sunshine outdoors, too busy in their work to notice. Zaikis admits she often feels as if she is always using her computer. She uses it a lot as president of the U-M College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Among her duties, she helps coordinate some of the college's projects, including collaboration with the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. To connect with students and university administration as well as promote energy awareness, the LSA student government helped plan the current energy-themed semester at the college. Read the rest of the story here.

Plug-in Hybrids and Smart Grid Topics of Upcoming TechKnow Forum

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Economic Development

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October 22, 2008

Themed “Recharging Michigan,” the 2008 TechKnow Forum will bring auto and energy stakeholders together to talk about the Plug-in Electric Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) and the Smart Grid.“The goal for this forum is to explore two timely topics—the PHEVs and also the Smart Grid—that are also interdependent,” says Stephen Nose, with S-Y-N Associates, a strategy and sustainability consulting firm. “And rather than taking purely technical perspectives, we decided to take a multidisciplinary— more of a 360 degree—view.”The event is Thursday, Oct. 23 at the University of Michigan Power Center in Ann Arbor.PHEVs save money, reduce pollution and decrease dependence on imported oil. Forum guests will discuss these vehicles and the Smart Grid, which will power them.The PHEV panel includes industry representatives from Ford, Toyota and GM. Richard Curtin, with the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan, will also join the discussion. Curtin is conducting surveys to determine how much consumers will pay for this new technology.The Smart Grid discussion will include representatives from the University of Michigan, DTE Energy, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), Next Energy and the State of Michigan. You can click here for more information on the session.Source: Stephen Y Nose, S-Y-N Associates Writer: Ivy Hughes, Capital Gains

FlexSys uses flexibility to triple employment in Ann Arbor

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Education

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October 15, 2008

Flexibility is something will all strive for, but it's Ann Arbor-based FlexSys' bread and butter.University of Michigan Engineering Professor Sridhar Kota started the form in 2001 after being inspired by nature. He noticed how many man-made objects are strong and rigid, but how most things in nature are strong and flexible.His company, now seven employees and three independent contractors strong, is taking that natural approach to heart. It designs products that are strong, have few parts and are incredibly flexibility."We can design things to have a minimal number of parts that can still perform a number of sophisticated functions," Kota says.The products range from blades for windshield wipers to helicopters. It is also worked to make the wings for airplanes more flexible (an idea the feds have been unsuccessfully trying to develop for years), thus reducing drag and making them more efficient.The company went from starting with a $100,000 grant to $5 million budget. It’s now trying create flexible blades for the blades of wind turbines. Kota expects that such flexibility could make them 15 percent more efficient, a huge step forward in developing that sector of sustainable energy.Flexsys expects to build and test a full-scale wind turbine employing their technology by the end of next year. If it pans out, it will mean at least 10 more research positions in the company and many more manufacturing jobs."We would add a significant number of people," says Sridhar Kota, president and CEO of FlexSysSource: Sridhar Kota, president and CEO of FlexSysWriter: Jon Zemke

Local activists get approval to install solar panels on Ypsilanti City Hall

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Development News

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October 15, 2008

A group of local environmental activists are gearing up to put a modern twist on Ypsilanti's historic City Hall. The final approval for the project is in now that the city’s Historic District Commission gave the green light last night. The group plans to start putting the solar panels on the backside of the City Hall next year. "Our next step is to request bids," says Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project. The best part is that this will cost the city exactly nothing. The volunteers landed a $36,000 grant and brought in a few thousand dollars in local donations to complete the funding. The Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project is also the group that put solar panels on top of the Ypsilanti Food Co-op. The City Hall solar panel won't satisfy all of the facility's electric needs, but it will serve as a demonstration of how solar technology works and can be used in private projects, such as in homes or in businesses. The volunteers are also setting up a website that will monitor how much electricity the panels produce at both the Co-op and City Hall. The Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project is still looking for $50 pledges to fund the City Hall and future projects. For information on giving, click here. Source: Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project Writer: Jon Zemke