Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor zoning changes promote density, green building

By Newsroom

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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

Stockwell renovation turns historic U-M dorm coed

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 19, 2008

The University of Michigan's Stockwell Hall is going to be different in more than one way when its renovation wraps up next fall.U-M plans to turn what has been traditionally a women's dorm into a co-ed facility. The thinking is that demand for all-female housing is dwindling. There are approximately 800 available spaces in all-women residences, but only about half that number of female residents requested such housing.Making the circa-1940 structure a co-ed building on the Hill area of the university's campus will allow for more flexibility in student housing options. There will still be four other female-oriented dorms on U-M's campus, including Betsy Barbour and Helen Newberry residences, Martha Cook Building and Henderson House. "We need to rebalance the availability of women’s housing to the larger preference for coeducational living," says Linda Newman, interim director of U-M's University Housing. "At the same time, we can increase the availability of single rooms desired by returning students – women and men." The university recently began renovating Stockwell as part of its Residential Life Initiatives, which is revitalizing and expanding student-living options on campus. The project will preserve the building's Tudor Revival architecture and interior character, while replacing old mechanical, electrical, plumbing, safety technology and elevator systems.The finished project will feature air-conditioned rooms, WiFi access, lounges, kitchenettes and remodeled community bathrooms. What was once the dining hall area will be turned into a new community spaces for music practice, recreation and informal performances. Residents will eat the newly opened Hill Dining Center.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Where The Deals Are Done

By Constance Crump

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Economic Development

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November 19, 2008

Gone are the days of smoke-filled backroom deals over jumbo-sized brandy snifters. Ann Arbor's investors and entrepreneurs tend to do business over a downtown omelette and espresso or microbrew and appetizer.

Video U-M’s Solar Car Team

By Keith Jefferies

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Arts & Culture

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November 19, 2008

Imagine, not paying for gas. Ever. U-M's Solar Car Team brings together engineering, business and design school majors to develop the ultimate sustainable vehicle. How successful have they been? The team has taken home top honors at the North American Solar Challenge for the last five years!

Looking for fairies in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 19, 2008

The little things in Ann Arbor continue to make a big splash around the world. Excerpt: Is there a truth emerging from the urban legend? There are so many fairy doors in Ann Arbor. Are we about to encounter this elusive life form? The first fairy door discovered in Ann Arbor is documented at the Urban Fairies website. Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor part of the urban poultry farming craze

By Newsroom

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Health

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November 19, 2008

Tree Town becomes Chicken City as it joins Missoula, Montana; South Portland, Maine; and Ft. Collins, Colorado on the list of grass roots urban poultry organizing.Excerpt:"As it turns out, Mackin is hardly an anomaly, in New York or any other urban center. Over the past few years, urban dwellers driven by the local-food movement, in cities from Seattle to Albuquerque, have flocked to the idea of small-scale backyard chicken farming—mostly for eggs, not meat—as a way of taking part in home-grown agriculture. This past year alone, grass-roots organizations in Missoula, Mont.; South Portland, Maine; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Ft. Collins, Colo., have successfully lobbied to overturn city ordinances outlawing backyard poultry farming, defined in these cities as egg farming, not slaughter. Ann Arbor now allows residents to own up to four chickens (with neighbors' consent), while the other three cities have six-chicken limits, subject to various spacing and nuisance regulations."Read the rest of the article here.

Green building gains momentum in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Environment & Sustainability

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November 19, 2008

The Ann Arbor building landscape is becoming more and more eco-savvy as green building takes root in Tree Town.Excerpt:Green building continues to gain momentum locally, as area professionals organize new initiatives to bring attention to the field and an established construction firm opens an Ann Arbor office focused on environmentally conscious project development and execution.Ryan Stoianowski of Willis Building Co. in Saline is co-chair of the Emerging Green Builders Committee of the Detroit regional chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. In May, Stoianowski was the only active member, but it has since grown to include chapters at the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit Mercy.He said the goal is networking and education."We want to reach out to teach sustainability to young professionals and college students," Stoianowski said. "We're trying to get mentorship opportunities off the ground."A local network of people interested in green building and development could help stop the "brain drain" of younger people to places like Chicago and San Francisco, Stoianowski said.Read the rest of the story here.

BTB Party Bus runs on churro power… or what they were fried in

By Newsroom

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Environment & Sustainability

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November 19, 2008

Party buses in Ann Arbor are are turning to clean fuels --like used vegetable oils-- to transport revellers.Excerpt:BTB Burrito is already Ann Arbor's go-to spot for bar-goers who crave a late-night snack after last call. Now, BTB wants to give them a ride home, too - on a shuttle bus fueled by the waste oil that their churros were fried in.The BTB Party Bus - a bright-red, 14-seat, former airport shuttle - is powered by a diesel engine modified to run on used vegetable oil. It's indistinguishable from a normal diesel shuttle, except for the 20-gallon tank of grease that sits behind the driver and the tortilla-like aroma that lingers near the tank and emanates from the exhaust pipes. The homegrown mini-chain has been known best for fast, inexpensive Mexican food and a decidedly Ann Arbor attitude, from its funky interior design to its line of Hash Bash-themed merchandise. The turn toward eco-friendly transportation stems from the owners' interest in green innovation.Read the rest of the story here and a story on Ann Arbor's two electric cars here.

Ann Arbor in Top Five Surprisingly Gay Small Towns

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 19, 2008

Ann Arbor is gay (the traditional definition) about being recognized as a haven for gays raising families.Excerpt:There's one kind of scaling back that won't have you cursing the current economic climate. Opt for something a little smaller next time you pack up the Samsonite, and consider these delightfully diminutive gems, our top five surprisingly gay small towns.Read the rest of the story here and how Ann Arbor was rated one of the best places to raise kids in BusinessWeek here.

Ann Arbor’s greenbelt grows, but falling land values may make acquisitions harder

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 19, 2008

Ann Arbor's greenbelt is moving ahead at full speed but there might be a bump or two in the road ahead. Excerpt: Ann Arbor's greenbelt farmland preservation program added more than 330 acres this month, increasing its size by more than one-third, but falling land values have cast some uncertainty on the initiative's future. Declining values combined with historically high crop prices have greenbelt officials concerned that their offer to purchase development rights from farmers may not be as attractive as it used to be. The gap between the value of farmland in itself and the development rights is what made the sale of those rights alluring in the first place, and that gap is narrowing, said Peg Kohring of The Conservation Fund, a contractor managing the greenbelt program for the City of Ann Arbor. "I think the traditional farmer is not going to be motivated at all to sell their development rights," she said. "When you had the development rights higher, it really helped with the farmers' income." Read the rest of the story here.