Ann Arbor Construction updates

[DetroitMan]

16-story apartment high-rise proposed next to University of Michigan campus

— A 16-story apartment high-rise is proposed for development near downtown Ann Arbor.

New Jersey-based Aptitude Development has submitted plans to the city for a $120 million development that would include 232 apartments at 406 Packard St.

A three-story, 17-unit apartment building managed by Oxford Companies currently stands on the triangle-shaped site.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/202...xt-to-university-of-michigan-campus.html

[DetroitMan]

What’s that on Main Street? Tree removals clear way for big Ann Arbor development

A roughly 450-unit apartment complex with a Big House-inspired design has been planned for several years on the nearly 10-acre site. City Council voted 7-4 to approve the $100 million development in 2021.

Once known as the Valhalla development because of its location off Valhalla Drive, it was rebranded as Arbour on Main as of June 2022. Plans called for demolishing several homes off Valhalla Drive and building a series of mid-rise apartment buildings with studios and one- and two-bedroom units intended to create more opportunities for local workers to live in the city. Before the houses were demolished, the fire department four years ago took the opportunity to do some firefighter training on the site.

Jim Cooper, a Bloomfield Hills-based representative for the Peritus Ventures development team, said in January his team spent last year working on engineering for final site approvals and had some challenges for water and stormwater connections, but he anticipated approvals by this spring to allow construction to proceed.

He did not respond to requests for comment on the latest projected timeline following tree removals.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/202...r-way-for-big-ann-arbor-development.html

10-story high-rise where Last Word and Live stand in Ann Arbor gets council’s OK

A 10-story apartment high-rise is now approved to take shape where the Last Word bar and Live nightclub stand in downtown Ann Arbor.

City Council voted unanimously Thursday night, Aug. 6, to approve the zoning and site plan for the development at the southwest corner of First and Huron streets. Some residents and patrons of Last Word and Live have opposed the project, including fans of the “Geezer Happy Hour” at the nightclub. Council members emphasized the owners of the two businesses are not being forced out and instead have voluntarily agreed to sell their property and support the project.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/202...stand-in-ann-arbor-gets-councils-ok.html

[DetroitMan]

Construction fencing means work on new Ann Arbor high-rise starting soon

Orange barricades and construction fencing now surround a public parking lot in downtown Ann Arbor, as well as part of Fifth Avenue next to it.

It’s an indication construction is about to get underway for a long-planned affordable housing development. “Yes, we should be breaking ground shortly,” said Ann Arbor Housing Commission Executive Director Jennifer Hall.

The 20-story project at 350 S. Fifth Ave. is expected to bring about 330 new affordable housing units downtown.

They’re expected to have rents set at levels affordable for people earning up to 80% of the area median income. A third of the apartments are to be geared toward low-income residents earning up to 30% of the area median income, with an overall average of 60% throughout the building. The Housing Commission is partnering with developer Related Midwest on the high-rise project. It’s expected to cost about $209 million overall, according to cost estimates presented to the Michigan Strategic Fund Board in May.

The board OK’d nearly $30 million in tax incentives for the development through a transformational brownfield plan.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/202...w-ann-arbor-high-rise-starting-soon.html

[DetroitMan]

University of Michigan chooses final site for controversial $1.25B Los Alamos project

The University of Michigan is moving ahead with its initial site plan for a $1.25 billion supercomputer project in Ypsilanti Township that has stirred strong opposition from some residents and local officials.

UM told Crain’s that it will develop the state-subsidized project with the prestigious Los Alamos National Laboratory at a 144-acre site along Textile Road after ruling out an alternative brownfield property at Willow Run. However, the university also said it is open to considering project changes, such as using a closed-loop cooling system to conserve water, and that it is committed to community engagement. The project, announced in late 2024, has been caught up in the anti-data center movement and criticized for what some perceive as a risk for its nuclear research and environmental impact, as well as a lack of financial benefit to the township.

Opposition has come at various levels — Ypsilanti Township trustees adopted a resolution formally opposing the high-performance computing center, the township utility provider imposed a yearlong moratorium on water and sewer services for the project, and lawmakers introduced a bill to cancel a $100 million taxpayer-funded grant approved in late 2024.

Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo said Tuesday she was “extremely disappointed and shocked” to learn about UM’s decision.

“We don’t want them anywhere, but this is just not smart,” Stumbo said.

With its site selection finalized, university officials will now be tasked with convincing the community why it should welcome the project, said Steve Ceccio, an engineering professor at UM and lead on the Los Alamos project.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/technology/cdb-um-supercomputer-site-decision-20260811/

[DetroitMan]

30 townhomes proposed for development on Ann Arbor’s western border

Plans are in the works for a new housing development that could extend Ann Arbor’s western city limits.

Novi-based Toll Brothers Inc. proposes building 30 front-entry townhomes in seven three-story buildings on over four acres of vacant land at 3400 Dexter Road next to M-14.

“This development is expected to attract family-formation age residents, including young families with children,” plans state, saying it will support enrollment at Ann Arbor Public Schools, including Abbot Elementary.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/202...opment-on-ann-arbors-western-border.html

[deja vu]

U of M's massive Wolverine Village (first-year housing) is open, and let's just say that judging by the photos at the article link, it is impressive -

UM’s Wolverine Village on track to open next week, adding 2,300 beds
Jacob Hamilton | MLive
August 19, 2026

ANN ARBOR, MI – The University of Michigan showed off its new central campus housing project - dubbed Wolverine Village - this week, just days before thousands of students are scheduled to move in. The five-building development adds approximately 2,300 undergraduate beds to the Ann Arbor campus and includes an 830-seat dining hall. The complex, built on the former Elbel Field site between Hoover and Hill streets, broke ground in 2023 and is on track to open next week with rooms filled at 98 percent capacity. Wolverine Village is the first new undergraduate-focused housing built since the Oxford Houses opened in 1963. Officials say the new beds represent a 25 percent increase in undergraduate housing capacity...

I pulled just a few photos, but check out the link for more -












Source: MLive | Jacob Hamilton

[airforceguy]

Ann Arbor to sell coveted downtown parking lot to developer for market-rate housing tower

The city of Ann Arbor plans to sell a coveted downtown surface parking lot long viewed as a development site to a Texas-based development firm that’s been active in the city in recent years.

The former Kline’s department store parking lot at 309 S. Ashley St. between West Liberty and West William streets would be sold to Houston-based Hines Interests LP for at least $14.175 million after a unanimous Ann Arbor City Council vote on Tuesday evening. That’s under the terms of a purchase agreement that says the site is to be sold at the rate of $31,500 for each market-rate unit built, with a minimum of 450 units. However, the city said the initial plans call for 554 units, with the first building rising on the south side of the property. With that many units, the purchase price would be $17.451 million. The project would also have at least 10,000 square feet of commercial space.

It would be built in two phases, beginning on the south side of the property, according to the city. Renderings show a multi-story tower on the site.

An email was sent to a spokesperson for Hines seeking additional details on Wednesday.

“This agreement is an important step toward transforming a parking lot into new housing and expanding the city’s property tax base,” said Joe Giant, Ann Arbor’s economic development director, in a press release. “More residents downtown will help create a more economically resilient city core and give a boost to businesses, restaurants and events that make Ann Arbor vibrant and distinctive.”

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estat...sletter-breaking-news-20260909&utm_term=

[pianowizard]

From the 10th floor of Weiser Hall earlier today:



Below are renderings of the leftmost building. Weiser Hall is the highrise at the bottom left corner of the second photo below:

Originally Posted by DetroitMan

Development agreement OK’d for 19-story South U high-rise in Ann Arbor




https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/202...tory-south-u-high-rise-in-ann-arbor.html

[DetroitMan]

12-story affordable housing development on Ann Arbor’s west side gets unanimous OK

A 343-unit affordable housing development on Ann Arbor’s west side is now approved.

The city’s Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night, Sept. 15, to OK a site plan for the 12-story high-rise project at 2285 W. Liberty St. where A-1 Rental stands. The equipment rental business is expected to relocate to a new spot on Jackson Road to make way for the project.

The development’s conditional approval is subject to the developer submitting updated plans within six months showing compliance with stormwater and landscaping requirements. “This is a great location for this project,” Commissioner Richard Norton said, expressing appreciation it’s designed for families and not just another University of Michigan student high-rise.

Commissioner Julie Weatherbee said it seems like a really great project, but it’s going to be dramatic and she predicts some people will be startled by it and there may be pushback. But it also can demonstrate what’s necessary to make a large amount of affordable housing happen in the city, she said.

Minnesota-based Tareen Development Partners unveiled the plans several months ago, indicating many of the apartments would be geared toward families.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/202...-arbors-west-side-gets-unanimous-ok.html

[airforceguy]

Massive residential development near Ann Arbor mall gets $110M-plus in state incentives

The $651.5 million Arbor South project, which is being jointly developed by Ann Arbor-based Oxford Cos. and Dublin, Ohio-based Crawford Hoying, is expected to have 1,069 residential units — including at least 150 affordable apartments at 60% of the federally designated Area Median Income.Other components include a 150-room hotel, event space, a public plaza with a farmer’s market and live music, and over 100,000 square feet of commercial space for uses like retail, food and beverage and entertainment.

The total brownfield incentive package is valued at $201.85 million, with the local contribution making up the balance, according to an MSF board briefing memo.

The project has been in the works for years and is slated for approximately 20 acres of Ann Arbor property at the northeast corner of South State Street and East Eisenhower Parkway, surrounding Oxford’s headquarters in the 303,000-square-foot, 10-story 777 Eisenhower Plaza office building.

It’s expected to be the first under Ann Arbor’s TC-1 zoning ordinance geared toward creating density along a pair of transit corridors outside of downtown, Crain’s reported in 2024.

The TC-1 district encompasses close to 70 properties ranging from 0.21 acres to 13.6 acres along Eisenhower Parkway east and west, and State Street north and south for more than 200 acres. It requires buildings to be at least two stories and allows new construction of up to 55 feet, 75 feet, 120 feet and 300 feet tall, depending on how far back it is from a single-family residential zoning area.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/commercial/cdb-arbor-south-brownfield-20260922/

[DetroitMan]

Higher-density zoning for Ann Arbor apartment complex gets council’s 10-1 initial OK

City Council voted 10-1 at first reading Tuesday night, Sept. 22, in favor of rezoning the 41-acre Woodbury Gardens property off East Stadium Boulevard and South Industrial Highway to TC1 transit corridor zoning with height limit conditions. It’s now scheduled for a public hearing and final vote at council’s Oct. 19 meeting.

The property has long been in the portfolio of the Birmingham-based Bleznak real estate group and managed by Woodbury Management, led by President Adam Bleznak. The company has initial plans for three new seven-story apartment buildings, plus a new pool and clubhouse.

Plans call for 342 new market-rate apartments, including 72 studios, 165 one-bedroom units, 79 two-bedroom units and 26 townhouses.

A total of 33 existing apartments would be demolished.

Residents concerned about the size and nature of what’s proposed and what’s possible in the future on other parts of the site continued to speak out Tuesday, but only Council Member Dharma Akmon, D-4th Ward, was convinced to vote against the proposal.

The site is designated as a future mixed-use transition district in the city’s new land-use plan, which the city is expected to implement over the next few years with a series of zoning changes yet to be worked out. Akmon reminded her colleagues they’ve repeatedly told residents during the land-use planning process the zoning details would be worked out later and the plan itself was not a rezoning.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/202...mplex-gets-councils-10-1-initial-ok.html