In an effort to refocus standards for the design and construction of future development in downtown Ann Arbor, city officials are taking steps to do their due diligence in the process.
Monday, members of the city's Planning Commission tasked with reviewing the appropriateness of downtown zoning ordinances will receive a summary of the public input that’s been collected within the past week at focus groups and coffee meetings on the subject.
Ann Arbor's changing skyline.
Clearly defining what all of the issues are is important in order for the Planning Commission to be able to draft a list of recommendations on ordinance changes to the Ann Arbor City Council that won’t raise further issues.
At least two highly contested developments have been begrudgingly approved by City Council, the most recent of which was the 413 E. Huron high-rise. The other was the controversial City Place project on South Fifth Avenue.
Although the public may vehemently oppose the projects, the proposed buildings have been designed to the exact standards outlined in Ann Arbor’s downtown zoning ordinance.
The outpouring of public participating during the deliberation of the 413 E. Huron project wasn’t just from the neighborhood adjacent to the property - but from across the city.
“Because the downtown seems to belong to everyone (unlike, for instance, a neighborhood), anyone can feel excited by or confronted by changes in the downtown,” said Council member Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward. “The Council would probably love to have community consensus; since that's not likely on some issues, such as changes in the downtown, making certain that all voices are actually heard as we talk about the tweaks needed in the zoning is valuable.”
Engaging in conversations about the details of zoning so far has left many residents with more questions about why zoning policies are the way they are downtown.
An artist's rendering of the high-rise apartment building planned for 413 E. Huron St. in Ann Arbor.
Humphreys & Partners Architects
The Planning Commission has been tasked with developing a list of recommendations regarding D1 zoning to deliver to City Council by Oct. 1.
D1 zoning is the district that comprises the core of downtown Ann Arbor. It permits buildings up to 180 feet tall in most cases.
There are specific areas City Council has asked the Planning Commission to review to see if D1 zoning is appropriate:
- The north side of Huron Street between North Division and North State, near the 413 E. Huron project
- The south side of East William Street between South Main and South Fourth Avenue
- A parcel of the south side of Ann Street adjacent to the north side of city hall
Additionally, council asked the commission to review the floor area ratio premiums for residential buildings in D1-zoned properties.
The commission’s ordinance review committee of Wendy Woods, Diane Gianola and Bonnie Bona have been assigned that task directly. Kirk Westphal, chairman of the Planning Commission, and Briere have been involved as well.
In the beginning of July, the commission hired the Ann Arbor consultant firm ENP & Associates for $24,000 to provide a more independent, objective public engagement process than commission members believed they could conduct themselves.
“In order to determine whether the standards are clear and understandable, I believe it is important to the council to be confident that the requirements make sense to and meet the needs of developers, builders and the public. If our ordinance language is too complex or confusing, we need to know that,” Briere said.
The Monday workshop meeting with the consultant firm and the members of the ordinance review committee is schedule for 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the basement conference room of the Washtenaw County Building at 200 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor.
The meeting is open to the public and input is encouraged.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.