[DetroitMan]

‘You had me at density.’ Ann Arbor OKs 8-story SouthTown development

An eight-story housing development called SouthTown is now approved in Ann Arbor.

City Council voted 10-0 Tuesday night, Sept. 5, to OK the project at 1601 S. State St. that’s slated to replace an entire neighborhood block of houses and apartments.

“You had me at density,” said City Council Member Linh Song, D-2nd Ward, noting the rezoning increases density on the block by about three times what was allowable. It even more significantly increases housing counts from what stands there today: 38 housing units of various types that will be demolished and replaced with 216 new apartments, plus ground-floor commercial space, childcare space and a plaza.

While residents offered mixed opinions about the project during public hearings — some concerned up to 30% of the apartments can be short-term rentals versus housing for longterm residents — council members said it checks just about every box in meeting city goals from housing to sustainability.

“It hits so many of the notes that we’re trying to accomplish,” Mayor Christopher Taylor said. “I ran on a platform of providing more housing of all types,” said Council Member Dharma Akmon, D-4th Ward, adding even people who work in affordable housing agree there needs to be more housing of all types to address what community leaders view as an affordability crisis.

There’s even a need for short-term rentals in the community, said Council Member Jen Eyer, D-4th Ward.

The project, described as two combined buildings, will rise along east side of State Street between Stimson and Henry streets, south of East Stadium Boulevard south of downtown, across from Salvation Army and the University of Michigan Golf Course.

Local developer Prentice 4M, working with Synecdoche Design, is behind the project, which is planned to be all-electric with rooftop solar and geothermal heating and cooling. There will be a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments.

“The SouthTown sustainable energy system will set a benchmark for sustainable building construction and ongoing clean energy production,” said developer Heidi Poscher, explaining there will be a microgrid control system to manage energy loads and optimize integration of renewable energy, providing a level of control almost every other building doesn’t have and allowing disconnecting from the local DTE Energy power grid to operate independently when necessary.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...velopment.html