Someone slashed tires on three vehicles in Ypsilanti Thursday night or early Friday morning, Ypsilanti police said Saturday.
The vandalism occurred in the 400 block of Olive Street, where the vehicles were parked, police said in a media summary. The damage was reported at 9 a.m. Friday and was believed to have occurred sometime overnight.
Further information was not immediately available.
Everyone loves a parade they say, and there was plenty to love at the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival Parade Saturday.
There were high school bands, including the new Ypsilanti Community Schools Marching Band, featuring flag twirlers and the district's Grizzly mascot. More music was supplied by a fife and drum corps. There were horses, fire trucks, cute kids and even a large rubber duck.
An appreciative crowd took it all in as the parade marched through downtown Ypsilanti on the way to Riverside Park, the site of the festival.
"We try to come every year to hear the high school bands and look for people we know," said Kelly Lawrence.
"The kids love the parade," said parent Jessee Tomford, whose 3-year-old son Gage said he liked the music best.
"We come every year," said Alice Oakes. "I grew up in Ypsilanti, and I bring my kids because it gives them a good sense of community."
The parade was just one highlight of the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival. Hundreds of volunteers, community organizers, and tens of thousands of visitors are celebrating the rich history of Ypsilanti at the three-day event.
One of the additions to this year's Heritage Festival is the DIYpsi (dip-see) Indie Art Show featuring handmade arts and crafts.
There are also more activities for kids of all ages including pony rides, bounce houses, Colors the Clown and BOYer the Magic Guy. A teen zone called Noise Permit! For Teens By Teens! runs until 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Frog Island Park stage. It includes performances by local teen music acts.
Other highlights of the 35th annual Ypsilanti Heritage Festival include the Living History Encampment with storytelling, dances and powwow demonstrations from local Native American tribes, and Chautauqua at the Riverside- art, history and music about Ypsilanti's history.
The Heritage Festival also features plenty of musical entertainment as well as a beer garden. The festival runs through Sunday at 6 p.m. For more information go to the festival website.
The University of Michigan recently unveiled a fully upgraded East Quadrangle residence hall— the product of a yearlong $116 million renovation.
Seventy-three years ago, U-M opened East Quad as a male-only residence hall to expand the school's then limited housing options. The cost to construct the original dorm was less than one-third of East Quad's $3.3 million furniture budget in the recent renovation.
In this edition of Michigan Memories, AnnArbor.com chronicled the history of East Quad by going all the way back to the early 1940s, when East Quad was used to house the U.S. military during World War II.
U-M Bentley Historical Library
Construction on East Quad began in 1939. The building cost $1 million to erect, according to records from the U-M Bentley Historical Library. The federal government's Public Works Program provided a federal grant for 45 percent of the cost, according to the Bentley archive.
East Quad was originally opened as a men's dormitory. During World War II, the dorm was used to house military and ROTC students.
The above print, taken in the early 1940s, shows half of a four-man room in East Quadrangle. The room belonged to students who were also in the military. It's clean because it was ready for inspection. In 1946, East Quad began housing civilians again, according to the Bentley archive.
Photo courtesy of U-M Alumni Association
When first built, East Quad had a capacity for about 410 students. Today it has 329 double rooms and 192 single rooms, providing housing to 856 students.
Notice how the dorm room above — pictured in the 1940s — boasts a typewriter in lieu of a Macbook Pro.
Photo courtesy of U-M housing
After the renovation, East Quad's bathrooms have intricate tile work and spacious showers with changing areas. Clearly, the East Quad bathroom pictured above in a 1943 photo shows the dorm's amenities were not always so nice. In fact, housing staff said that as recently as last year students complained about how oddly low the shower heads were.
Photo courtesy of U-M Housing
East Quad's cafeteria is pictured in this 1943 photo. Instead of long tables, diners in East Quad now eat in a restaurant-style setting. The dining hall has also gone trayless.
Courtesy of the U-M Alumni Association
Seven years after East Quad's initial construction the U-shaped south section was built to meet a growing demand for student housing. The addition cost $2.3 million, according to U-M records.
Bentley Historical Library
The finished south entrance of East Quad is pictured above in this 1950 photo. The addition increased the dormitory's capacity to 924, although the actual number of students living in East Quad at that time was 1,480, according to a U-M archive.
Photo courtesy of U-M Alumni Association
An East Quad study lounge is pictured in this 1950s photo. In 1952, East Quad became a co-ed residence hall.
Photo courtesy of U-M Alumni Association
The entryway of East Quad is pictured in this photo, taken during the 1950s.
Ann Arbor News
The Halfway Inn was a diner — U-M's very own greasy spoon of sorts — that operated in the basement of East Quad until it closed in 2010.
Ann Arbor News
The Halfway Inn transformed into the Halfass music club on weekend nights and was a popular music scene on campus. The venue is captured above in February 2006 by an Ann Arbor News photographer.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
“Pilgrimage — Mont Saint Michel, Normandy" by Sandy Schopbach
An expansion of this local photographer’s 2010 AADL “The Waters of France” exhibit—where Mont Saint Michel was included among the waterways of Normandy—this latter photographic exploration of Mont Saint Michel’s famed French monastery, abbey, and fortification is notable for the expansive view Schopbach gives of its inhabitants and its timeless splendor.
As the display’s gallery statement tells us, this exhibit of 47 color photographs ringing the entry and public meeting room of this branch library “is a visual exploration of the many facets of Mont Saint Michel, from seasonal landscapes that encompass the entire island, to the many architectural details of the centuries-old buildings and streets that make it one of France's most recognizable landmarks."
Borrowing further from Schopbach’s statement (because she’s absolutely right), “Mont Saint Michel is magic. Everything about the island is improbable: its location, its creation, and its longevity.”
And longevity is just the right word. For Mont Saint Michel has held strategic importance for 1,300 years to various peoples and ancient nations predating modern France. Continually occupied since well before the 8th century AD, this rocky, tidal island of 247 acres in Normandy has been the seat of the monastery for which it’s named.
Cared for, renovated and successively preserved, Mont Saint Michel has been constructed in such a fashion as to house its famed abbey and monastery at top — with great halls below, aristocratic housing and their storage space — to fishermen’s and farmers’ dwellings housed outside the fortification walls.
Yet this description is merely factual information. As the AADL’s exhibition statement concludes, “Mont Saint Michel has hidden corners tourists never see if they only spiral up the main street. These photos are the artist’s Mont Saint Michel, a corner of Sandy Schopbach’s heart — the island, the town, and the Abbey.”
Schopbach — who divides her time between France, where she has worked as a translator, interpreter, tour guide and freelance journalist; and Ann Arbor, where she works as a court interpreter and has also managed Ann Arbor’s Bird of Paradise jazz club — is clearly enamored with her subject.
As she relayed in a recent exchange of correspondence, “Mont Saint Michel fascinates me. It’s tiny. And it’s been around for so long. It just speaks to my imagination.
“I’ve been there many times, the first with a French boyfriend; then, again, several times with family and friends. Then there was a time I went just by myself; didn't walk through the abbey, but just visited friends who live near there to walk across the bay when the equinox tide was out — over to the other island and back.
“It’s just a magic place for me,” says Schopbach. “Always changing: It’s always something new. Each time I see it, Le Mont is different, but always beautiful. In the soft light of dawn, or floating in the mist, or standing out boldly against the night sky”
"Mont Saint Michel — Spider Web"
For example, her “Mont Saint Michel — Spider Web” is a low-key tour de force whose subtle symmetry is evenly matched by the composition’s depth of field. The photo’s elevated background sees a small cemetery located near the medieval-era St-Pierre Parrish church while the foreground is a beautifully formed spider web drenched with morning dew. Each drop of moisture has a rhythmic place in the photograph and the photo’s internal tension makes “Mont Saint Michel — Spider Web” worthy of concentrated study.
“Pilgrimage — Mont Saint Michel, Normandy” is a welcome reprise from Schopbach’s 2010 “The Waters of France” exhibit. In this horizontally oriented photograph, she subordinates the key elements of her work to the overall composition; and like “Mont Saint Michel — Spider Web,” this photo has a restrained inner-tension that makes for a masterly work of art.
Featuring groups walking on a sandy strip outside Mont Saint Michel’s craggy tidal mountain cross at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches; as I made note in that earlier review, such a walk could only take place at low tide because before the 1879 causeway connecting the island was built, to venture to and from the mainland to the island was to risk quicksand and fast-moving tides.
In 2006, the French government announced a plan to build a hydraulic dam using waters from the Couesnon (as well as tidal variation) to remove accumulated silt and make Mont Saint Michel an island once again. And as Schopbach noted recently, “On July 24th, the summer high tide came in and surrounded the island for the first time since 1879, when the dike was finished.” Hence, the photo is now anachronistic and all the more impressive.
Finally, the exhibit’s modest masterwork is the thoroughly understated “Mirror Image,” in which Schopbach uses a time-honored photographic trick to reinforce her compositional gestalt. A long distant watery view of Mont Saint Michel captured at precisely the right moment, “Mirror Image” gives us an expressive view of the rocky mountain and fortification and directly below an equally expressive reflection of the edifice.
Capturing the site’s magnificence as well as craft an imaginative interpretation in this spirited photograph, Schopbach gives us a sense of its physical grandeur as well as a romantic sense for our collective imagination. “Mirror Image” therefore gives us a keen sense of this duality. And at the very least, it makes us want to visit or revisit this timeless visage of the past.
“Mont Saint Michel: An Island beyond Time” will continue through Sept. 12 at the Ann Arbor District Library Malletts Creek Branch, 3090 E. Eisenhower Pkwy. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 9 a.m., Monday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m., Sunday. For information, call 734-327-4200.
Summer in Ann Arbor brings a sigh of relief for many residents.
After all, in the weeks following the activity of Summer Fest and the Art Fairs, we’re able to take a deep breath, savor the season and brace for our population to swell again as the fall semester starts.
Many of us use these weeks to travel. For AnnArbor.com’s newsroom staff, summer trips included visits to Chicago, New Orleans, Montana, Belize and Iceland, along with many Northern Michigan stops.
Yet every year, Ann Arbor also is a vacation destination for people who use our town for that same sense of discovery, relaxation and fun that we seek when we leave it for a trip.
It’s not by accident: The Convention and Visitors Bureau actively recruits travel interest to this area, including through a national Pure Michigan ad campaign. That joint effort with the state started with a $500,000 local investment, and it now totals $1 million for 2013.
Over the past week, this community was host to at least 2,000 visitors as part of the annual United Association training sessions held at Washtenaw Community College.
Those training sessions draw participants and their families to this area, generating an estimated $5 million in related spending.
And that’s just part of the benefit when people consider this area a tourist destination. In 2012, Ann Arbor led the Midwest’s hotel occupancy rebound, with this community recording some of the top percentages in several states - and that’s not just about football Saturdays.
With that backdrop, we thought this would be a good time to ask: What could you gain from living here if you spent a few days looking at this community through the eyes of a visitor?
Trip Advisor lists 420 dining options for Ann Arbor. When was the last time you tried a new restaurant?
It also gives 42 attractions - ranging from the Hands On Museum to the University of Michigan Law Quad. When was the last time you visited one?
And what about the shops — particularly the independent retailers that still make up a big part of our economy? If you haven’t stepped inside one of the stores where our neighbors are trying to make a living, it’s worth seeing what’s offered here. You may not need a “souvenir” from your hometown, but the delight that you feel from browsing stores in a new destination might be recreated just blocks from home.
If nothing else, considering something new about Ann Arbor could recommit us to what we want for our future — and why we consider this area home.
A 36-year-old Pittsfield Township man could face life in prison after he was accused of sexually assaulting a child over a six-year period, according to police and court records.
Paul Domanski
Courtesy of WCSO
Paul Domanski faces three charges each of first-degree criminal sexual conduct of a person under 13 years old and second-degree criminal sexual conduct of a person under 13 years old, according to court records. He’s being held on a $100,000 bond in the Washtenaw County Jail, records show.
Domanski turned himself in to police and was interviewed by detectives before being arraigned on Aug. 5, court records show.
Court records indicate the initial offense date is from Jan. 1, 2007.
Pittsfield Township Deputy Police Chief Gordy Schick said police in Sylvania, Ohio, notified Pittsfield Township police investigators of the alleged sexual assaults. It's unclear why the sexual abuse came to light in Ohio.
Domanski was in court for his first preliminary exam last week, which was adjourned until Aug. 27.
He is being represented by Brian Stacey. AnnArbor.com left a message seeking comment on the case with Stacey Thursday afternoon.
Sexual penetration of a person under 13 years old constitutes first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Second-degree criminal sexual conduct can involve sexual contact with a person under 13 years old, as well as many other situations.
If Domanski is convicted on any of the first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Orange barrels that sprouted along Ann Arbor roadways this spring are not quite ready to be plucked from the streets.
Major construction projects on two routes — Miller Avenue and Madison Street — are halfway completed, city officials say, and new work is about to begin on Packard Street Monday.
Fourth Avenue between East Huron and Liberty streets in downtown Ann Arbor was closed for a major construction project for two months this summer. It reopened in early August.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo
A $6.5 million project on Miller Avenue that began in early April is still underway. The project entails reconstructing the road between Maple and Newport roads, improving bicycle lanes and adding pedestrian islands and new left-turn lanes.
Hutchinson said he anticipates the work will be complete by early to mid-November.
Mid-November is also when a $3.16 million reconstruction of Madison Street on the west side of Ann Arbor should be completed, Hutchinson said. From Seventh to Main streets, workers have been replacing an undersized water main and preparing to repave the street.
A complete overhaul of two blocks of South Fourth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor was finished in early August, and a repaving project on Barton Drive is about to draw to a close this month, Hutchinson said.
Monday marks the beginning of a 10-week-long project on Packard Street from Coler Road to Eisenhower Boulevard. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction while the road is resurfaced, configured to three lanes and bicycle lanes are added.
Following Labor Day weekend, a complete reconstruction of South Forest Avenue from South University to Hill Street will begin.
The project, which is scheduled for completion in early November, is similar to the reconstruction and installation of the new storm water system on Fourth Avenue.
On the boundary of Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Township, the roundabout under construction at State Street and Ellsworth Road is behind schedule due to unexpected complications with the replacement of a water main. The project was expected to end by the beginning of October.
Crews are in their third out of four phases of work on the project, during which Ellsworth Road to the east of the intersection is completely closed to through traffic.
The Michigan Department of Transportation's largest project in the Ann Arbor area this summer — joint repair to nine miles of Interstate 94, as well as a mill and resurfacing of three miles — has been completed.
MDOT only had enough funds to mill and resurface three of the nine miles of I-94 that had been under construction. The three miles that were resurfaced run from the Scio Church Road overpass to the railroad overpass near State Street.
MDOT is now searching for additional funding to be able to mill the top layer of pavement off and resurface the remaining six miles of I-94 through Ann Arbor that didn’t receive that treatment, said Mark Sweeney, manager of MDOT’s Brighton post.
Outside of Ann Arbor, several major construction projects coordinated by the Washtenaw County Road Commission have been significantly completed.
However, two are about to begin:
Monday will mark the beginning of a major construction project in Ypsilanti Township: Michigan Avenue from just north of I-94 to the city limits of Ypsilanti will be completely resurfaced. The work will put Michigan Avenue on a “road diet”—which will reduce the road from four lanes to three. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction.
Repaving work will close a portion of North Territorial Road in Salem Township beginning Wednesday for a week. The road will be closed from Pontiac Trail to Curtis Road.
Construction of a roundabout at Geddes and Ridge roads in Superior Township is on track to be completed by Aug. 30. Crews poured curbs for the roundabout last week and will begin concrete paving this coming week. The intersection has been closed since mid-June for the work.
The replacement of the Ford Boulevard Bridge in Ypsilanti Township was progressing on schedule until Wednesday, when a man is believed to have committed arson on one of the two cranes at the site.
The total loss of one of the cranes has meant that work has been halted until the contractor can find a new crane to rent. Two cranes are needed to prepare the framework so the concrete bridge deck can be poured.
The project was supposed to be completed at the end of August. It's unclear how the destroyed crane will affect the completion date.
Amy Biolchini is the K-12 education reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Bill Crispin stands outside his Chevrolet Dealership in Saline. He said the blue steel beams he installed three and a half years ago will have to come down as part of an exterior renovation recommended by General Motors.
Ben Freed | AnnArbor.com
The Scio Township Board of Trustees approved the latest local renovation at its meeting Tuesday, an exterior remodeling of the LaFontaine Buick GMC dealership on Jackson Road.
According to a study released in February by the National Automotive Dealers Association, many of the upgrades are the result of pressure from the major automotive manufacturers to standardize the looks of their franchise dealerships.
Bill Crispin finished a major renovation to his Chevrolet dealership in Saline just three and a half years ago, but he is already planning another upgrade for later this year that he said could cost nearly $1 million.
“As a matter of fact, General Motors or Chevrolet comes to the dealerships and they tell you they want all of them to look alike. So if you’re driving in Boston or Florida or whatever and you pull into a Chevy dealership, the front ends will all look the same,” he said.
Dunning Toyota on Jackson Road is about eight weeks away from completion of a $2.5 million renovation.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
NADA data showed that between 2005 and 2012, annual total dealer investment in facilities upgrades averaged between $10 billion and $15 billion annually, causing average rent levels for dealerships to rise by approximately 28 percent to more than $400,000.
In Washtenaw County, a number of dealerships, including Gene Butman Ford, Suburban Cadillac-Chevrolet and Chelsea Chevrolet Buick, have all expanded in the past two years, and new Fiat and MINI dealerships have opened with sleek exteriors.
Dunning Toyota general manager and vice president John Taylor agreed that manufacturers have been leaning on dealerships to make their physical spaces more attractive to customers.
“There’s been a big push from the manufacturers to the independent business owners to create an environment for our guests that is more modern and inviting in every category,” Taylor said. His dealership is about eight weeks away from completion of a $2.5 million renovation.
“ At a certain point they said ‘we’d like to see you guys make an investment in this facility,’ so we did that and took it a step further with the LEED certification.”
Scio Township supervisor Spaulding Clark said he’s noticed that a number of car dealerships in the township have been a part of the renovation wave. He said he’s not sure of any others in line to make changes but that each time one dealer makes an upgrade it seems that those right around follow suit.
“Part of it comes from the manufacturer I think, but part of it comes from the dealer also,” he said.
“When one starts classing up their place the next one wants to do the same thing.”
According to the NADA study, some upgrades can show significant return on investment for the dealers, while the exterior and facade work favored by manufacturers has less impact on sales.
An exterior renovation approved Tuesday by the Scio Township Board of Trustees will bring LaFontaine Buick GMC's look up to manufacturer's standards.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
The NADA study said that in order to justify a $1 million investment, dealerships would have to experience a bump in sales of approximately 60 new cars a year, an increase that very few dealerships see after changing signs.
Crispin said that his previous facilities upgrade was a major improvement for the dealership, but he’s not as optimistic about the new exterior that General Motors has asked him to install.
“When I did my upgrade three years ago, sales and service increased 100 percent after the facelift,” Crispin said. “I built my store in 1978, so from ‘78 up to 2007 or 8 there’s a big difference. It increased sales; it meant more people came to work here, more sales people, more service people and more customers — that’s what really helped us. But this new upgrade? I don’t know how much it’s going to pay off.”
At Dunning Toyota, Taylor said that he expects the upgrade to have an impact beyond impressing customers. He stressed that salespeople and other employees look forward to the new working environment and the ability to show off
“I can’t say for sure what the return on investment will be in the upgrades. It’s really different in every market,” Taylor said.
“But it’s extremely exciting because it’s a new opportunity for us to provide a better experience for our customers and our employees.”
Taylor and Crispin agreed that aside from the standardized exterior, the highest priority has been improving the customer “waiting” areas. Both spoke of the need to use the renovations to create a unique look and feel for customers at their dealerships.
“The customer lounge is a major-league upgrade, and we’re going to bring in really good coffee; people like good coffee in this city,” Taylor said.
“Having WiFi, nice TVs, a nice lounge — that’s all just a ticket to get into the game now. We have to make our guests feel like they’re not just in some sort of waiting room. People want to have an experience at a car dealership.”
Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Get in touch with Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2
Birmingham-based Biltmore Development wants to construct 339 single-family homes in Scio Township.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
“There really hasn’t been any significant developments going in the ground since 2006,” he said. “The supply of developed lots is significantly reduced and the inventory for builders to build homes on is very low — almost non-existent. We felt it was a good time to bring a project forward.”
Biltmore, a century-old development company based in Birmingham, Mich., wants to develop a 323-lot single-family subdivision along the east side of Staebler Road between Jackson and Park roads.
The property is known as the former Farmer Grant land, and the portion Biltmore wants to develop is still owned by the Grant family.
The project is the first new subdivision of this scale proposed in Washtenaw County in years.
In June, home improvement chain Menards purchased 63 acres of the former Farmer Grant property — with Jackson Road frontage — for $7.4 million. The Wisconsin-based company is in the final approval stages before building a roughly 160,000-square-foot store on the site.
South of the proposed Menards store and south of Scio Township’s Honey Creek, Biltmore hopes to develop about 130 acres of farmland into a residential subdivision.
“The location provides opportunities to dine, shop and recreate all within a few minutes from the home,” Biltmore’s preliminary site plan says.
Biltmore submitted a Honey Creek Planned Unit Development site plan to Scio Township, and the property has already been rezoned from General Agriculture to Multifamily, which would allow 591 dwelling units on the site. Single-family homes are permitted under the multifamily designation, but Biltmore submitted a Planned Unit Development because the proposed lot sizes are narrower than what’s permitted, said Scio Township Planner Doug Lewan.
Biltmore’s proposal comes as housing starts in Washtenaw County are on the rise, but residential building permits are still well below the county’s peak during 2000 to 2005.
So far in 2013, builders have pulled 279 single-family construction permits, including 12 in Scio Township, according to data from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
Homes are being built in already-developed subdivisions where construction was mostly stagnant for years, including Scio Township’s Polo Fields, Legacy Heights in Saline and Kirtland Hills in Pittsfield Township. Meanwhile, regional and national players like Trowbridge Companies and Toll Brothers have re-entered the Washtenaw County market with plans to build several dozen homes.
For Biltmore, the new proposal is the largest project the company has proposed since before the economic downturn.
“There really has been no development on our part or really throughout southeastern Michigan of any significant size in the last seven or eight years,” Stollman said. “We’re encouraged by the economic indicators and by the success of builders selling homes in the market. We think that southeast Michigan has turned the corner and is very much headed on the upswing.”
Biltmore has developed dozens of residential subdivisions in Metro Detroit; it also developed the Barclay Park Condominiums on Nixon Road. In 2001, the city of Ypsilanti chose Biltmore to be the first developer of the Water Street property. The city "dismissed" Biltmore from the project in 2004 when the two sides couldn't agree on who would pay for cleaning up the contaminated land.
The company plans to purchase the Staebler Road property in Scio Township for its subdivision development, said Jim Chaconas of Colliers International, a commercial real estate broker who has the property listed for sale.
“We had three or four people who wanted to (build here), but we worked on a deal with Biltmore,” he said.
The subdivision would be developed in four or five equal phases over eight to 10 years, according to the plans. The north end of the site would have 215 lots called the “Village Lots,” which are typically 60 feet wide and 100 feet deep. The south end would have 108 “Estate Lots,” which are typically 85 feet wide and 120 to 140 feet deep.
Biltmore's preliminary site plan (it has since been slightly reconfigured) shows the potential layout of the project. Each box represents a single-family home, with the Village Lots to the north and Estate Lots to the south. 16 lots have since been removed from this original plan
Stollman said the company would develop the lots and then sell them to homebuilders to construct the houses.
“We haven’t sold the lots as of yet, but we likely will start discussions with (homebuilders) once we’ve gotten further along in the site planning process,” he said.
Stollman estimated the Village Lots homes would be priced between $300,000 and $400,000, and the Estate Lots homes would be priced between $450,000 and $600,000. He said those are estimates and the prices could change.
“The market has changed significantly from the very dark times during the recession, and we see a significant demand for new homes in the area,” he said.
The average home sale price in the county is showing year-over-year gains since 2009. The average sale price in 2012 was $210,616, according to data compiled by the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors. The average sale price in July 2013 was $263,978.
The plans show the subdivision would include more than 12 acres of contiguous hardwood forest. There would be setbacks from Honey Creek, walkways for recreation, and additional flood plain storage for Honey Creek in detention ponds.
The site plan went before Scio Township’s Planning Commission for a first consideration and public hearing. Biltmore made changes to the project and resubmitted the site plan last week, said Midwestern Consulting’s Scott Betzoldt, the civil engineer for the project.
Betzoldt said changes included: More open space and parkland were incorporated into the plans, a new pedestrian connection will wind through the subdivision and up to Menards and its potential outlot properties, and a pathway will go through the 12-acre woodland preserve.
“We’re also working with the Washtenaw County Road Commission and Scio Township right now about some utility grid upgrades and road improvements,” he said.
For Scio Township, the development comes on the heels of several other proposed projects in the area; Menards is in the final approval stages before building its store, 2 restaurants and multifamily housing is proposed on South Zeeb Road; and a Holiday Inn Express is proposed for vacant land near Zeeb Road and Interstate 94.
“I think, with the somewhat resurgence of the economy you’re seeing a certain pent-up demand,” said Scio Township Supervisor Spaulding Clark. “Where three, four years ago you couldn’t build a house to save your life and you wouldn’t want to open a business, I think people are saying suddenly, ‘Things are selling again.'"
“I think both the real estate market has picked up, and somewhat slowly, the business end of it is picking up as well. None of it is terribly surprising, but it has been a long dry spell,” he continued.
View Honey Creek Development in a larger map
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Four years after raising customers' bills to meet mandates to sell cleaner power, Michigan's biggest utilities are eliminating the fees or slashing them significantly.
Residential customers of DTE Electric may see their $3 monthly surcharge fall to 43 cents under a plan pending with state regulators. Consumers Energy's 52-cent monthly fee for residential customers — which previously fell from $2.50 — could go away entirely next year.
The lower surcharges for green energy are cheering proponents who say they are another reason Michigan should make utilities sell more electricity generated from wind or other renewable sources.
"The major takeaway is that renewables are getting demonstrably cheaper and costing ratepayers less and less," said Ryan Werder, deputy director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. "You have so much more of the state able to support wind power because of new technology and wind turbines, which opens up more opportunity and space for more efficient wind power."
State law requires utilities to generate 10 percent of their power from sources other than fossil fuels by the end of 2015. To comply, they can charge up to $3 a month to residents, nearly $17 to smaller business and roughly $188 to industrial businesses.
Business surcharges also would drop significantly under proposals from DTE and Consumers Energy, which control 90 percent of the state's electricity market.
After voters rejected a ballot proposal last year to boost the minimum to 25 percent by 2025, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder appointed a fact-finding team that conducted seven meetings around the state.
The governor has said he favors making utilities produce a greater share of their electricity from renewable sources but has not decided how big the increase should be. He is expected to make a recommendation late this year, and the fact that the surcharges are falling may make going above the 10 percent mandate more palatable in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
In February, the state Public Service Commission reported that Michigan had seen more than $1.8 billion in economic investment because of the 2008 law mandating the development of solar, wind, biomass or hydropower. The agency also said the cost of renewable energy continues to decline and is cheaper than bringing new coal-fired plants online.
Coal mostly imported from Wyoming accounts for more than half of the state's net electricity generation.
Consumers Energy and DTE opposed the ballot measure and are declining to say if they will get behind a higher renewable energy standard at this point. While agreeing that technology is improved, Consumers Energy says comparing wind to coal-burning costs is apples to oranges because wind is by its intermittent nature less reliable.
"It is producing power between 30 to 40 percent of the time compared to coal, natural gas and nuclear that are 90 percent plus," spokesman Dan Bishop said.
The Jackson-based utility adds that the main reason it can drop the surcharge from 52 cents to nothing is because it is speeding up construction of a wind farm in the Thumb region to qualify for a 10-year, $100 million federal tax credit. If not for the subsidy, the cost of renewable energy would not drop as much, according to the company.
"That's a result of a government action," Bishop said.
Michigan Energy Michigan Jobs, a coalition that supports higher renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements, counters that new natural gas, pipeline and other fossil fuel projects get more generous tax benefits not available to wind projects.
Another factor in eliminating or cutting the fees is better wind turbine technology. Consumers Energy's Cross Winds Energy Park in Tuscola County is expected to have a higher capacity factor than initially planned, essentially allowing the utility to buy fewer turbines and produce the same amount of power.
Detroit-based DTE also is saving money.
"We've experienced lower costs to build our own wind energy parks, as well as for contracts to purchase power," said Irene Dimitry, the utility's vice president for marketing and renewables. "Contributing to that have been technology improvements that have led to better wind and solar energy production, as well as federal production tax credits that have offset our costs."
Those bending the ear of Snyder and lawmakers hope the shrinking surcharges speak for themselves when the debate over an energy law update heats up in 2014.
"Now is the time for policymakers in Lansing to come to the table ... because it's good for consumers and our economy," said Julie Lyons Bricker, director of Michigan Interfaith Power & Light, a group of churches concerned about climate change.
See the latest MPSC report on Michigan's renewable energy law.
The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority formally changed its legal name to the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority last week after officially adding the City of Ypsilanti as a member municipality.
The amendment to the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority Articles of Incorporation was unanimously approved by the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti City Councils and approved by the AATA board Thursday.
Following the amendment, the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Board of Directors will now consist of eight members appointed by the City of Ann Arbor and one appointed by the City of Ypsilanti.
Communications and Development Coordinator of the Ypsilanti District Library Gillian Ream will represent Ypsilanti on TheRide Board of Directors, according to a press release.
Ream was nominated by Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber. She is involved with a variety of local organizations, including Bike Ypsi and previously worked at the Michigan Suburbs Alliance doing marketing and communications work.
Eric Mahler and Susan Baskett were also recently appointed to the Board of Directors. Mahler and Baskett replaced David Nacht and Jesse Bernstein in May.
Chelsea Hoedl is an intern reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at choedl@mlive.com.
Dawn Farm will host its annual jamboree in celebration of recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction from 1 to 6 p.m. Sept. 8 on the non-profit’s 74-acre working farm, 6633 Stony Creek Road, Ypsilanti Township.
A clown walks by the tractor pulling the hayride during last year's jamboree.
“This is our chance to celebrate both those who have recovered from alcohol or drug addiction and the organization and how it has evolved since its inception,” Dawn Farm Development Director Megan Rodgers said. “Two of the founders of the organization will be attending the event. Gary Archie is coming all the way from Colorado and Jack Scholtus is coming in from Traverse City."
Dawn Farm faculty, those who have benefited from the organization, family, friends and community members are invited to enjoy live music, a live and silent auction with goods and services donated by local businesses and individuals and a gift table with donated items sold at discount prices.
Local vendors including Pizza House and Blimpy Burger will sell food and donate a portion of their proceeds to Dawn Farm.
In addition, a children’s tent will offer arts and crafts, pony rides, hayrides, a chance to visit the animals and a large moon bounce obstacle course.
Admission is free and all proceeds made from the auction, gift table and gift shop go to Dawn Farm’s efforts to provide quality support and services to community members who need it, Rodgers said.
“This is the only public fundraiser we have to help those who are unable to afford their care,” Rodgers said. “Dawn Farm does not turn anyone away for lack of funds. In the last 5 to 10 years that has become more difficult because we are encountering more and more individuals who do not have the money to pay for the services they need. We rely on the generosity of corporations and individuals during this event and throughout the year.”
Rodgers said the event has brought out about 1,500 people for the day in past years and typically raises about $50,000, which is put toward helping individuals afford the many services provided by the facility.
In 2012, Dawn Farm provided residential services to 249 people, detox services to 1,130 people, detox outreach to 169 people, transitional housing to 329 people, outpatient services to 433 people, corrections services to 496 people, offered assistance to 107 teens and families as a part of the adolescent program and worked with 4,388 people as a part of their educational outreach program.
“Our goal is to assist alcoholics and addicts in recovery through the many programs we offer while identifying and removing barriers that prevent those in the recovery process from joining the community,” Rodgers said. “Within the last 20 years we’ve added several services based on the needs of the community.”
Between 2000 and 2003, three new programs and a new facility were added to meet the needs of the community. Dawn Farm Downtown, a secondary residential treatment facility, was opened and the outpatient, street outreach and adolescent programs were launched.
“This is going to be a great chance for the two founders who are coming to visit to see how Dawn Farm has changed,” Rodgers said. “It’s also a nice opportunity to partner with businesses and communities in a way we wouldn’t normally be able to.”
Chelsea Hoedl is an intern reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at choedl@mlive.com.
The 2013 Eastern Michigan football team gathered at Rynearson Stadium Sunday for its annual media day, less than two weeks before it opens the season against Howard Aug. 31.
Courtney Sacco is a photographer for AnnArbor.com
U-M students move into their dorm in this fall 2012 file photo.
Ann Arbor has just begun to wind down from Art Fair and a summer filled with festivals, but it's winding up for a burst in population, traffic and business.
That's right: In two weeks students are coming back to Ann Arbor for another school year at the University of Michigan.
Say goodbye to actually being able to drive down State Street, say hello to long lines at the State Street coffee shops and do your best not to grumble when the Solo cups and beer pong tables abundantly line the streets of lower Burns Park.
Roughly 28,000 undergraduates and 15,500 graduates will take classes in Ann Arbor this fall and U-M expects 10,500 of them to live on campus. The majority of those students, with the help of their parents, move in during a three-day period beginning Aug. 28.
As students move in to their dorms, the city is changing some traffic patterns near campus. The changes go into effect 6 a.m. August 28 and stop 10 p.m. on August 30.
Here's a synopsis:
The university has agreed to pay the city $10,450 for occupancy of the public right-of-way during the move-in period. Soliciting in a one-block radius of the move-in site is prohibited.
The City Council approved the traffic pattern changes on Aug. 8.
U-M's Lawyer's Club graduate residence hall is reopening after a $39 million renovation this fall. Undergraduate dorm East Quad will also reopen after a yearlong $116 million renovation.
Crews will begin renovating the 1,180-bed South Quad this fall. The project will take a year and cost $60 million. U-M also wants to proceed as quickly as possible on building a state-of-the art 600-bed graduate student dormitory, which is predicted to cost $185 million.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Arhaus will be moving from Arborland Shopping Center to a new location in Arbor Hill Shopping Center.
photo by Angela Smith for AnnArbor.com
Arhaus Furniture is making the move from Arborland Shopping Center down the street to Arbor Hills Crossing.
The move just more than a mile west on Washtenaw Avenue is something that will give the store increased visibility, and a chance to join a group of high-end tenants in the new center, according to Company COO Greg Teed.
Arhaus markets sustainable one of a kind furniture and accessories that are handmade by artisans all over the world.
“We have not and will not use wood that is harvested from non-sustainable resources,” says chairman and CEO John Reed.
The Arborland location, at 3755 Washtenaw Ave, has been in Arborland for nearly 10 years. It will remain open through the end of the month, and no changes in employment are expected.
The new location, at 3010 Washtenaw Ave., will be nearly the same size, but shoppers will note a newly designed show room featuring two levels.
The new Ann Arbor store will include a combination of marble and oak floors, a commanding river rock fireplace, hand-carved teak panel walls and hand-forged wrought iron gates.
According to a press release, doors open at 10 a.m. at the Arbor Hills Crossing store Friday, Sept. 20, with gift bags for the first 250 shoppers.
Customers are also invited to browse the store’s vignettes and complete a wish list of "must-haves" to be registered to win a $2,500 Arhaus gift card and in-home design consultation.The winner will be announced at the retailer’s grand opening celebration, Thursday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.—featuring complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. RSVP to party@arhaus.com.
Arhaus opened its first store in Cleveland in 1986. There are now are 45 locations nationwide, and one other in Michigan, at the Somerset Collection in Troy.
Arbor Hills Crossing opens on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the 14,420-square-foot Arhaus store in Arborland is one of two stores in the east Ann Arbor shopping center available for lease, according to owner Amcap.
Washtenaw County's former juvenile detention center at 2270 Platt Road in Ann Arbor will be torn down by the end of October.
Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com
Crews contracted by the county have completed salvaging items from the building, and are now working to remove hazardous materials from the interior—including asbestos abatement.
County officials estimate the environmental abatement will be complete by early September.
The former Washtenaw County Juvenile Detention Center, as seen Friday, at 2270 Platt Road in Ann Arbor.
Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com
Work is expected to wrap up at the site by mid-November. Initial estimates from county staff indicate the demolition may cost about $1 million.
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners approved the demolition of the facility this summer as a part of a $5 million space plan to move county departments.
The juvenile detention center has been vacant since 2011 and costs about $211,040 to operate annually. The Platt Road property will remain in the county’s ownership following demolition.
The back side of the former juvenile detention center.
Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com
Officials envision the entire property becoming a mixed-use site with an affordable housing development, alternative energy solutions and county offices.
Conversations regarding the future of the property will continue this year, as the Board of Commissioners will be appointing members to an oversight committee to guide and oversee developments.
In the interim period, Project Grow—a non-profit Ann Arbor organization that creates community garden spaces—has made use of a small portion of the county’s property at 2270 Platt Road.
Beginning in 2012, people could lease a plot in a new community garden on the property. About 16 plots are available on the site, according to Project Grow’s website.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
A former Speedway that has sat vacant for years at the corner of Hewitt Road and West Michigan Avenue will soon be demolished.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Speedway owned the station on the northwest corner and did not have to purchase it.
A long vacant gas station at Hewitt Road and Michigan Avenue will soon come down.
The gas station, on the intersection's northeast corner, was last operated by Speedway SuperAmerica, but in 2008 the company rebuilt the neighboring station it owns on the northwest corner.
The lot holding the Speedway on the northwest corner is much larger and the company was able to build a bigger convenience store with the pumps.
The building on the northeast corner was then boarded and put on the market, but it has failed to sell.
Ypsilanti Township Building Director Ron Fulton said part of the issue with selling the lot is that it’s too small to hold a gas station with a large convenience store, which provides extra profits.
The lot is also too small for a fast food restaurant with a drive-through window.
Fulton said there has been some interest from prospective buyers throughout the past several years and there has been discussion of adjoining adjacent lots. But the property is bordered to the east by an apartment complex and to the north by a computer repair shop.
Furthermore, Speedway placed a deed restriction preventing any competing companies from opening a gas station there, though those under the Speedway umbrella can open a station.
“They have been trying to market it to no avail,” Fulton said.
In early July, township officials notified Speedway SuperAmerica that the property was violating an ordinance that allows buildings to sit vacant for a maximum of 30 days. Fulton said the company immediately responded, has begun asbestos cleanup and is seeking demolition bids.
“It’s another example of enforcement with a cooperative owner who is taking proactive action at no cost to the township, which is the way we like it,” said Mike Radzik, director of the office of community standards.
Speedway bought the one-acre lot in 1999 for $931,000. It has an assessed value of $152,000.
There are two other Speedways locations nearby - one on East Michigan Avenue near Harris Road and the other at the intersection of Carpenter and Packard Roads. Another is at the intersection of Ellsworth and South State.
A 4-year-old boy has died after shooting himself in the head in Dundee, police said..
Police said an emergency crew was dispatched to the boy's home Sunday. He was pronounced dead at a hospital in Ann Arbor. Police Chief David Uhl said a 30-year-old man living in the home with the victim's father was arrested on a charge of manslaughter with gross negligence.
Dundee is in Monroe County, 50 miles southwest of Detroit.
Courtesy of YPD
A bicycle, electronics and jewelry were reported stolen Sunday in Ypsilanti in three separate incidents, two of which were reported in apartments on Green Road, police said.
Officers were called at 12:30 a.m. Sunday to a residence in the 700 block of Green Road, where an unknown suspect entered an apartment and took miscellaneous electronics, according to a crime summary from Ypsilanti police.
At 1 a.m., police were called to the 900 block of West Michigan Avenue to take a report of a bicycle being stolen from the yard of a home.
Police were again called to the 700 block of Green Road at 2:30 a.m. According to the summary, an unknown suspect entered an apartment through an open window and took electronics and jewelry.
The incidents remain under investigation.
View Ypsi August 19 in a larger map
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Courtesy of Ann Arbor police
A 23-year-old Ann Arbor man needed to seek medical treatment at the hospital after a fight with another 23-year-old Ann Arbor man early Sunday morning, according to police.
The victim told police an argument with another man near the intersection of North State and High streets around 12:54 a.m. Sunday turned violent. The victim said the other man struck the victim in the back of the head several times, causing him to fall to the ground, Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said.
The two men know each other, she added.
The victim suffered a laceration to his hand and a head injury. He was taken to the emergency room at the University of Michigan Hospital, where police were dispatched to take the report, Bush said.
The 23-year-old suspect has not yet been arrested, but the victim has told police he wishes to press charges.
The incident has been sent to the Detective Bureau for investigation, Bush said.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
