Arbor Update

Local

Downtown Zoning

Posted by Bruce Fields on 24. May 2008

A couple recent Ann Arbor News articles have covered downtown zoning:

• Vote delayed on downtown Ann Arbor zoning plan

• Ann Arbor looks at new downtown zoning rules that tighten controls on building design, use
  

“The city says the goal is to create a vibrant downtown – with lots of activity on the street – and encourage more residential units to be built above storefronts. The documents are still in draft form.”

See also:

• A2D2
  
• The proposed zoning changes
  

Comment [1]

Local

Finding Local Food and Bringing it Home for Dinner: Supporting Our Farms

Posted by Juliew on 21. May 2008

Thursday, May 22
7:00-8:30pm
Ann Arbor Downtown Library
343 S. Fifth Ave. Ann Arbor, MI

This panel discussion is put on by Slow Food Huron Valley. Their last event at the Library had a standing-room only crowd.

This panel features exemplary local farmers – Deb Lentz and Richard Andres from Tantré Farm and Kris Hirth from Old Pine Farm – who will talk about how they run their CSA farms, what they’ve learned about growing food, and what they see for the future of food. The panel discussion will also highlight the creative ways that people in our community are buying, cooking and enjoying food that is produced close to home. Mary Wessell Walker will talk about her business, the Community Farm Kitchen, and Victoria Bennett will talk about how she and her husband changed their approach to food when they discovered their young son was allergic to both dairy and soy.

Local

Public Meeting Wednesday

Posted by Juliew on 20. May 2008

Seems that drinking and driving are the themes of Wednesday’s two public meetings. The first meeting is being held by the Council Liquor Committee regarding distribution of the liquor licenses now available for the DDA. The second is about the design concepts for the new underground parking structure under the Library Lot. Unfortunately, since they are at the same time, you will have to take your pick. Both should be interesting.

DDA Liquor License Policy Public Meeting
Before recommending any downtown business for license approval to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, the City Council Liquor Committee wants to gather public feedback to assist City Council in establishing a Liquor License Policy for the downtown development area. Attendees will learn about the liquor license process and will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the Council Liquor Committee members. For more information, see the promotional flyer.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 7:00pm City Council Chambers

Library Lot Parking Structure Community Meeting
Review and give feedback on design concepts for the new underground parking structure on the Library lot. For more information, see the promotional flyer and the DDA project web site.
Wednesday, May 21 7:00-8:30pm DDA offices 150 S. Fifth Ave Suite 300

City Council

City Council: Budgets and Beer

Posted by Juliew on 19. May 2008

Monday, May 19 at 7:00 pm.
Agenda

Highlights:

• Resolution to approve Tierra on Ashley site plan and development agreement
• Approval of increase in taxi rates due to rising gas prices
• Awarding of a Class C liquor license to the new Whole Foods so they can have “in-store dining”
• Code amendment to establish the 1001-1013 Broadway Historic District
• Increase in water, sewer, and stormwater rates
• Resolution to issue a Downtown Development District Liquor License to Everyday Cook
• Resolution to adopt Ann Arbor city budget and related property tax millage rates for fiscal year 2009

Comment [4]

Local

An Eventful Weekend, May 16-18

Posted by Juliew on 17. May 2008

Below are a few of the many great events going on this weekend.

Hometown Hootenanny tonight (Friday from 8:00pm-11:00pm) at Downtown Home and Gardens to support Avalon Housing. The live auction donors read like a who’s who of wonderful local businesses. Get in on the fun and support a great local organization.

Picnic Pops Saturday from 10:30am-6:00pm. Listen to local high school musicians, meet your neighbors, play local fun fair games (mmm, cake walks!).

Ann Arbor Book Festival Street Fair is Saturday from 11:00am-6:00pm. The Book Festival is already in full swing, but the street fair is the part most of the general public attends. There are a lot of great events, including a celebrity spelling bee (AU contributor Nancy Shore and occasional commenter Ed Vielmetti are two of the participants).

Downtown Blooms and Cleanup is from 9:00am-noon on Saturday. Help make downtown beautiful.

Walk and Wag Saturday at County Farm Park from 9:00am-12:30pm. This dog walk fund-raiser for the Humane Society is always a good time.

826michigan will have the grand opening of the Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair Shop on Saturday at 7:00pm. Don’t be surprised to find robots throughout the town Saturday!

Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair is Sunday, May 18, 2008, from 11:00am-5:00pm in the Ballroom of the Michigan Union. This is one of those events I seem to miss hearing about every year. Forty vendors selling old and rare books, Americana, maps, prints, and ephemera as a fundraiser for the very neat Clements Library. I’m going this year!

Comment [2]

Events

Public Forum: Fifth and Division Improvement Project

Posted by Nancy Shore on 13. May 2008

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has spent several years studying ways to accommodate traffic demands along Fifth Avenue and Division Street while also addressing community needs for sustainable transportation.

The DDA has developed a comprehensive improvement plan for the two corridors. You can read more about the plan here

The plan calls for adding bike lanes and parking on Fifth Ave. and Division Street in order to enhance conditions for pedestrians and cyclists while also offering parking spaces for cars. There are also other proposed enhancements.

The DDA is interested in hearing public feedback about the proposed Fifth and Division improvements plan as a first step before bringing a recommendation before Ann Arbor City Council to move ahead with this project.

Here are the details:
Fifth and Division Public Hearing
May 14, 7pm, City Council Chambers, 100 N. Fifth Avenue, Second Floor

If you have any sort of opinion about this project, please come and voice your views.

Comment [6]

Environment

Electronics Recycling Event, May 10

Posted by Juliew on 10. May 2008

The University and the Ann Arbor Public Schools are sponsoring a free joint home electronics recycling event tomorrow, Saturday, May 10. This is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to bring their old electronic devices. There is a long list of accepted items from TVs to cell phones and even cables. Check your attics, basements, and storage lockers for any out-of-date electronic equipment and bring it on down.

The equipment is all shredded and recycled. Nothing is resold or shipped out of the country or dumped, so it is a great opportunity to recycle in an actually environmentally friendly way. Plus it is free!

Note: This is only Saturday (May 10) from 9:00am – 2:00pm so don’t be late!
Pioneer High School Parking Lot (Main Street Entrance)
610 West Stadium Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI
For more information, see the Climate Savers web site.

Comment [5]

Local

getDowntown Events This Week

Posted by Juliew on 7. May 2008

I wanted to highlight two events being put on by the getDowntown program this week as part of Curb Your Car Month.

The first is a forum called Same Roads, Same Rules? sponsored by the Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition. This is tonight (Wednesday, May 7) at 7:00pm in the Downtown Development Authority Conference Room (150 S. Fifth Avenue, Suite 301). This public forum will focus on car/bike coexistence on the roads of Ann Arbor and how engineering solutions alone may not be sufficient to address them.

The second event is a panel discussion on real-life sustainable commuting tomorrow (Thursday, May 8) at the Ann Arbor District Library from 7:00 to 8:30pm. Join local commuting celebrities Ed Vielmetti, Scott Munzel (a local Attorney), Tamara Real (Arts Alliance) and Alaine Karoleff (Inner Circle Media) as they talk about their commutes: what methods they use, challenges and surprises they encounter, and most of all, how using a sustainable mode of transportation helps them “get more” out of their commute. Time will be left over for the folks in the audience to share their stories.

Hope to see you at one of these events!

Comment [19]

Politics

School Elections, Tuesday May 6

Posted by Juliew on 5. May 2008

Don’t forget to vote this Tuesday (May 6) in the School elections! This election has all the drama and impact of a national election, except in the School Board elections you actually get to vote for all the candidates and your individual vote can make a big difference.

School Board Trustees
Interested in an election featuring a young man with little political background but who is interested in change vs. an older, established woman with a long history of political activism? If so, the Ann Arbor School Board election is just your thing!

A2 News write-up on the two school-board candidates.
Michigan Daily article on Adam Hollier.

Library Trustees
Yes, there are five candidates, but there are five open positions so don’t stay up late trying to figure out who is going to get your vote. Thanks to Ed Vielmetti for posting this link.

Millage Proposals
I think The proposals will be labeled Proposal B and Proposal C.

Text of the proposals is here.
First ballot proposal asks for continuation of two operating millages (Proposal B ? ). Second is continuation of sinking fund millage (Proposal C ? ).

Ann Arbor Public Schools official web site regarding the millages.

Ann Arbor News proposal endorsement.

Editorial related to millages.

General Voter Information is here and here.

Comment [8]

City Council

City Council: Chicken Redux

Posted by Juliew on 5. May 2008

Monday, May 5 at 7:00 pm.
City Council Agenda

Highlights:

• Amendment to City Code giving pedestrians the right of way in marked crosswalks
• Proposed 2008-2009 budget and property tax millage rates
• Reconsideration of backyard chicken ordinances
• Allocation of HOME funds for several projects
• Approval of contract and agreement for upgrades to the Ann Arbor Airport
• Liquor license transfers (from Romanoff’s Hall & Catering Service Inc. to Ann Arbor Lodging, L.L.C. and from escrow to Bagger Dave’s Legendary Burgers & Fries)

Comment [5]