Arbor Update

Business

IKEA once more slated to mar the landscape

Posted by Murph on 12. March 2005

Three weeks after recent news that IKEA was cancelling plans to build a store in Canton Township, due to a property dispute, the company has announced that they have settled that dispute by buying the adjacent property, and are once more on the way to building a store. The Freep provides background on the deal,

Ikea, known for its bold blue and yellow exteriors and the Swedish meatballs it serves in its store cafes as well as stylish and affordable furniture, had spent the past several years considering sites in metro Detroit for one of its super-sized retail outlets. It initially picked Troy but pulled out when officials there nixed Ikea’s trademark exterior colors. After a long search it chose the corner of Ford and Haggerty roads in Canton.

Three weeks ago, after a couple of years of working with township officials to plan the project, Ikea announced the deal was off over a property dispute. The feud involved a seemingly minor squabble over shared parking rights and related matters with a partnership that owned a neighboring 5-acre parcel.

The new IKEA is expected to open in summer of 2006, and will have 300,000 square feet of floor space – 1/3 more than Cabelas. Urban planning students who write for ArborUpdate and have seen the effect of IKEAs in other areas on the surrounding landscape are described as “Not pleased.”

Comment [19]

Politics

Study: MCRI will Hurt Women

Posted by Ari Paul on 11. March 2005

Michigan anti-affirmative action petitioners may get more than they are bargaining for if their Michigan Civil Rights Initiative passes. The Michigan Daily reports:

Michigan women may suffer many negative effects if the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative banning the use of affirmative action in Michigan public instituions is passed, according to a report to be released today by Sue Kaufman, associate director of the University’s Center for the Education of Women.

Comment [1]

Campus

40th Anniversary Teach-In: Evaluating the American Empire

Posted by Murph on 11. March 2005

Press release received by e-mail:

40th Anniversary Teach-In: Evaluating the American Empire
Thursday March 24, 2005, 7pm Angell Hall Auditoria,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

All are invited and encouraged to participate in the 40th Anniversary Teach-In on the American Empire on March 24 at 7pm. The teach-in is being organized by students, faculty and community members in order to educate and explore the complex connections and consequences of the American Empire. It will include speakers, discussion workshops, art, music, and a midnight rally

The first teach-in ever was held by faculty at the University of Michigan in protest and exploration of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. More than 3,000 students attended the lectures, discussions, and rally. The teach-in set a bold example for other college campuses and sent a strong message of dissent to the United States government. As were the organizers of the first teach-in, we remain particularly concerned with the effects of our country’s global policies and social ideologies on us, and the world. In addition, we cannot ignore local and pressing issues such as race, class, and gender inequalities.

The event will begin unofficially at 6pm with a “Call to Attendâ€? by students at the Posting Wall in Mason Hall. At 7pm participants will move to the Angell Hall auditoria for introductory speeches which will present an outline of the connections of American Empire and its global impacts, as well as the local and individual consequences. Speakers are yet to be announced. Two sessions of workshops will be held from 8pm-9:30 pm and 10:30pm- 12am on the following topics: the War in Iraq, 9/11 and the War on Terror, the Israel/Palestine Conflict, Globalization and Trade: IMF/WTO/NAFTA, Environmental Policy and Climate Change, Racism as a Justification for Empire, Media, and Consumerism and Mass Culture. Multiple discussion leaders of varying viewpoints will be present in each workshop room as a source of information on these respective topics. Each workshop will include a discussion facilitator who will ensure that all participants have the opportunity to contribute. There will be a break between discussions at 9:30 for collective art, music, and the collective creation of the “Wall of Dots” which will illustrate the connections of the American Empire. Student groups will also be present with information on their respective causes. The Teach-In will culminate in a midnight rally on the Diag with an open microphone. Further discussion is encouraged to continue after the rally.

For more information e-mail teachin2005@umich.edu or visit the website www.teachin2005.org

Campus

Tonight's the Night Thoreau Spent in Jail

Posted by Brandon on 11. March 2005

                    not doing anything this weekend?

                 then come see a play about a just man,
                   an unjust war, and nature's wisdom

               ---- THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL ----
               |                                       |
               |  tonight and tomorrow  (March 11-12)  |
               |    8pm in the East Quad Auditorium    |
               |   $3 for students, $5 for community   |
               |                                       |
               ---------  you will transcend  ----------

                            rcplayers.com

Comment [2]

Local

Find Local Vigil Marking Two Years of War in Iraq

Posted by MarkDilley on 11. March 2005

“Sojourners has issued an urgent call to action to honor the lives lost in war, and to advance the imperative for peace. Since March 19, 2003, more than 1,400 U.S. soldiers have been killed, as well as tens of thousands of Iraqis. U.S. citizens have also suffered on the domestic front, as crucial domestic programs that benefit low-income families have been threatened and the already-ballooning national deficit has swelled to compensate for the cost of war”

more info at Sojourners

Politics

Ongoing Greenway drama: Easthope announces intent to kill DDA plan

Posted by Murph on 9. March 2005

After last night’s forum at the library, City Councilmember Chris Easthope apparently told the Ann Arbor News that he plans a resolution for the 21 March Council meeting,

that would set aside the city-owned lot [at First and William] for a larger greenway vision being pushed by environmentalists and others for downtown.

Such a move, would “completely kill” the Downtown Development Authority’s proposed plan to redevelop the west side of downtown with a new parking structure and multiuse, high-rise buildings on three city-owned parking sites, DDA member Roger Hewitt said this morning.
. . .
Easthope said his resolution would also ask that city-owned park maintenance facility at 415 W. Washington St. and the fleet services building at 721 N. Main St. be set aside for the greenway. The city will vacate both facilities for a new building within the next few years. Those buildings are not part of the DDA’s redevelopment plan.

Despite the fact that much of the criticism of the DDA’s proposal at this week’s Council meeting included a view that the DDA was trying to move too quickly with their proposal and with not enough opportunity for public input, Easthope seems to believe that fast, decisive action in the other direction is appropriate. Easthope represents the 5th Ward, which includes the Old West Side neighborhood where Greenway support is concentrated.

See also,
> ArborUpdate, 8 March, Greenway advocates slam DDA plans for downtown parking

Comment [16]

Campus

Take the "History of Student Activism 101"

Posted by Rob Goodspeed on 9. March 2005

Part of my work at People For the American Way is helping out on their Young People For Program, a project to build the progressive movement on college campuses. They will be offering a series of online classes, and I’ll be teaching the first course – a brief history of student activism. You may remember I taught a course on the history of student activism at Michigan one year ago as an undergraduate.

Registration is now open for the first-ever YP4 online course: the History of Student Activism 101! The syllabus and registration information is available on the Young People For Academy website.

The course will cover the history of student activism in the U.S. from the early 20th century to the present. We’ll cover the student pacifist movement of the 1930s, student civil rights activism of the 1950s and 60s, and the myriad of movements and issues which mobilized students in the 1970s, 80s, 90s and today. We’ll discuss student anti-war and anti-apartheid activism as well as students’ ongoing efforts to change the structure and direction of colleges and universities themselves.

The course is six weeks and tuition is free, however there is space for only 15 participants. Students will complete short readings, post to an online discussion forum, and participate in a weekly conference call at 4 p.m. on Thursdays. The course will conclude with a short final project. Participants will earn a YP4 Academy certificate. To learn more, go to academy.youngpeoplefor.org or email Rob Goodspeed at rgoodspeed at pfaw.org.

(Cross-posted on my personal blog)

Comment [2]

Politics

Prison Creative Arts Project Exhibition, Events Coming Up

Posted by Rob Goodspeed on 8. March 2005

The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) is preparing for their tenth annual exhibition of art by Michigan Prisoners, which will open on Tuesday, March 22 with an opening reception at the Duderstadt Center gallery.

This year the program has organized a series of events including one with activist and professor of law Bernardine Dohrn on April 2 and an artist panel on April 3. See the PCAP website for a complete listing of events. To the left is a detail of a painting from the exhibit, “Free Hats” by artist Wynn Satterlee.

Campus

MSA Exec says no to secret societies

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 8. March 2005

It’s that time of year again, when U-M’s secret (and not-so-secret) leadership societies polish their paddles, brush off the stolen Native American artifacts, and ask even more students to join the ranks of the elite. Why? So that they can feel better about themselves, and justify their meaningless, privileged existences. (how’s that for editorializing?)

Having been tapped by Phoenix over break and anticipating a potential invitation from Michigamua, MSA Student General Counsel Jesse Levine has expressed his determination to reject any such offer, saying “I have no interest in being a part of any secret society,” calling them “elitist and unnecessary.”

Levine, who is running for President of MSA, added, “the role of MSA President is one that should be transparent and open. I would not want to violate the trust of my friends and colleagues by evading the truth about my actions on campus. Additionally, I do not want to be a part of any organization that bastardizes Native American culture.”

For information on U-M’s infamous secret societies, Rob Goodspeed has a pretty good page set up. If you have any information on the activities or membership of these societies, please e-mail Rob – info is on the linked page.

Local

Greenway advocates slam DDA plans for downtown parking

Posted by Murph on 8. March 2005

Before last night’s City Council meeting, Rene Greff, Susan Pollay, and Fred Beal presented the Downtown Development Authority’s recommendations for three city-owned lots currently used for parking to the Council and a standing-room only audience. Most of those in attendance were members of Friends of the Ann Arbor Greenway, and wore green ribbons to show their support for an alternative plan. Though the DDA’s proposal was separate from the meeting agenda and did not include a public input section, the plan was the topic of almost all of the open public comment session of the regular Council meeting, with six members of the Friends speaking against the DDA’s proposal to cheering and applause by the audience.

The DDA’s proposal includes relatively uncontroversial plans for two lots, calling for the 1st and Washington parking structure to be torn down and the lot sold to be developed as mixed-use retail and affordable housing, and the Klines Lot (behind Gratzi) to be sold and developed as mixed-use retail and market-rate housing. Selling these two lots would bring around $6 million in revenue for the city, would return the lots to the tax rolls, and would strengthen the downtown area by adding residents and merchants. “While most cities have to offer incentives to downtown development,” Greff said, “we have plenty of developers who are interested in our downtown area – all we have to do is get out of the way.” Where the plan met a lot of resistance, though, is on the 1st and William parking lot.

The DDA proposes that much of the 1st and William site be developed as a parking structure, consolidating the public parking from the three sites, with the southern portion turned into a park and a strip along the rail right-of-way dedicated as part of a bike and pedestrian greenway. The proposal notes that the City’s 1988 Central Area Plan anticipates this mixture of park and parking, and also would include long-overdue safety improvements along the railway and cleanup of soil contamination. The consolidation of parking, they say, is necessary to free up the other sites for development.

The Friends of the Ann Arbor Greenway, though, demand that the entire 1st and William site be devoted as a large park, claiming that the downtown area already has plenty of parking (and presenting a parking utilization study (pdf) to back that assertion), stating that a “full-scale” park would better serve residents than a smaller park and a parking structure, and accusing the DDA of developing the plan secretively and with no opportunity for public comment. The DDA is seeking a resolution by the Council backing their recommendations possibly as soon as the next Council meeting, and says that public comment on each of the sites will be appropriate as each of them is discussed in detail – the current proposal is merely conceptual, they note, and does not present detailed or final site plans for any of the sites.

The meeting was fairly heated, with green ribbon-wearers loudly scoffing, laughing, and sighing as the DDA made its presentation and answered questions from the Council; at one point, as Bob Dascola, of State Street’s Dascola Barbers, stated his support for the plan by saying that “the downtown area has been in decline for many years,” and that he supports the plan to bring in more residents, who would support downtown stores, he was interrupted by an audience member calling out, “Not!”, but continued to list off a few dozen locally owned stores that have left the downtown area or gone out of business in the last decade.

The discussion showed that the issues at hand are far from clear. Some speakers felt that the 6-8 story buildings suggested by the DDA for the two developed sites were too high; Councilmember Bob Johnson (1st Ward) asked about the possibility of including all of the relevant parking underground under the proposed buildings instead of building a parking structure; and one speaker, to much applause, criticized the idea of selling land at all, saying, “Downtown land is like beachfront property – they’re not making any more of it,” and that the City should hold onto its parcels. Many of these speakers, however, simultaneously called for more downtown affordable housing, ignoring the contradictions between their other suggestions and the logistics of constructing housing efficiently.

The proposal will be discussed further at a Town Hall Meeting sponsored by the League of Women Voters tonight, 8 March, at the downtown branch of the public library from 7-8:30pm.

Greff said that the DDA’s proposal will be posted to their website soon.

UPDATE, 11:30am: The Ann Arbor News notes about tonight’s meeting at the library,

The panel experts include Fred Beal, chairman of the DDA’s capital improvements committee; Washtenaw County Drain Commissioner Janis Bobrin; Joe O’Neal, a greenway advocate, of O’Neal Construction; Barbara Murphy from the Old West Side Neighborhood Association Board; and Ed Shaffran, chairman of the Main Street Area Association.

See also,
> Michigan Daily, 8 March: City Council reviews construction plan to revamp parking structures
> Ann Arbor News, 8 March: DDA gets a mixed response

Comment [24]