Norman Tyler, a Division Street resident who supported a moratorium on downtown development, talks over a zoning diagram with City Councilwoman Sally Hart Petersen, D-2nd Ward, Ann Arbor resident Ann Schriber and consultant facilitator Erin Perdu Thursday morning during an A2D2 zoning review coffee session at Zingerman's.
Amy Biolchini | AnnArbor.com
The informal meeting was a part of a massive review underway of Ann Arbor’s downtown zoning -- a directive of the Ann Arbor City Council following the approval of another contested high-rise development in May.
Caught between the tide of negative public opinion on the project and the need for new construction, the D1 and D2 zoning ordinances in place for much of the downtown are being called in to question.
Adopted after the city's Ann Arbor Discovering Downtown (A2D2) process in 2009, the city was supposed to evaluate the success of the new zoning a year later -- which never happened.
This map shows the different zoning designation of downtown properties and highlights the areas where the city is considering redevelopment opportunities for city-owned properties as part of its Connecting William Street Plan (shown in purple).
For the past week, a consultant firm has been conducting focus groups and meetings for coffee to gauge the public’s vision for downtown Ann Arbor and issues they see in zoning ordinances.
About 77 people have attended four focus groups conducted within the past week, and the consultants — ENP & Associates — have separately met with eight other individuals for private interviews, said Erin Perdu, consultant facilitator.
Approximately 15 people attended the coffee session Thursday at Zingerman’s in the upstairs dining room of the deli’s new addition.
Among them was Brad Moore, an Ann Arbor architect now involved with the redevelopment of the mixed-use Town Center Plaza building at 210-216 S. Fourth Ave.
Moore was critical of the city’s zoning ordinances, stating that as written, they force buildings to be constructed right up to the sidewalk line and the builder has to comply.
As an associate architect on The Varsity student high-rise, Moore said the design firm had to petition city council to push back the building’s footprint from the sidewalk to allow for an open first floor space.
In attendance at the Thursday meeting was City Councilwoman Sally Hart Petersen, D-2nd Ward.
Petersen said her vision for downtown Ann Arbor could be best summed up in the block that contains the Google building at 201 S. Division St. and the 411 Lofts at 401 E. Washington St.: Open and active spaces on the ground floor that engage pedestrians complement the office and residential space above them.
However, Petersen stressed the need for revenue-generating buildings downtown so the city can provide the level of services that Ann Arbor residents expect.
Several misconceptions about downtown zoning laws were aired at the coffee session — including the fact the D1 and D2 zoning approval in 2009 created the student housing boom in Ann Arbor.
Several buildings downtown that target student renters — Landmark, 411 Lofts, Zaragon Place and Corner House Lofts — were built before 2009.
Additionally, the boom in student housing occurred nationwide, Moore said. Lenders were only willing to fund what they believed to be recession-proof projects: Student high-rises.
Another misconception regarding the 413 E. Huron project was it would have been impossible to build under the previous zoning requirements the city had downtown, Moore said.
Under city zoning ordinances, buildings can be built above the base standard height if the designs meet at least one of a list of “premiums.”
Zoning laws also stipulate how far back a building can be from a property line, not specifically from another building.
Premiums are still a good principle, Moore said, but they need to be shaped in a better way.
Ann Arbor residents at the meeting Thursday were also interested in pursuing an ordinance to require public input sessions with developers to be moderated by a third party.
“It’s not the developer, it’s the process,” said Norman Tyler, a Division Street resident who's home will be in the shadow of the planned 413 E. Huron high-rise.
Petersen said she believes city council has a genuine desire to “get it right this time” in its review of downtown zoning.
The next public engagement meeting on the A2D2 zoning review will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday in the basement conference room of the Washtenaw County Building at 200 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor.
ENP will present a summary of topics discussed at the public engagement sessions to date at the meeting.
Priority issues will be identified at the meeting as well, and public input will be encouraged.
Additional focus groups on each of those priority issues will be announced for dates in late August, Perdu said. A final report from ENP will be given to city council in October.
The final community coffee event will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. Aug. 8 at Zingerman's Community Table at 422 Detroit St., with a consultant representative.
The public can also weigh in on the zoning review by taking online survey's on the A2 Open City Hall 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.