Ann Arbor Construction updates

[animatedmartian]

Foundry Lofts will be open for students May 1st.



http://www.mlive.com/business/ann-ar...ts_movein.html

[The North One]

It looks like there are tons of proposals but how much of this is actually getting built? I haven't been to A2 since February, does anybody have updates?

[animatedmartian]

Kinda hard to keep track of all the developments going on, there's so many.

Residents are holding up this development and are fighting for a city park.

Ann Arbor council votes against putting downtown park proposal on ballot
By Ryan Stanton. August 05, 2016



The Ann Arbor City Council once again has taken a stance against putting the future of the Library Lot to a vote of the people.

In a 7-4 vote on Thursday night, Aug. 4, the council rejected a resolution that called for putting a question on the Nov. 8 ballot asking whether the city-owned property next to the downtown library on Fifth Avenue — currently a parking lot — should be developed as an urban central park and civic center commons.

The only four in favor of putting the question to voters were the resolution's co-sponsors: Jack Eaton, Sabra Briere, Jane Lumm and Sumi Kailasapathy.

Mayor Christopher Taylor and his allies — Zachary Ackerman, Julie Grand, Graydon Krapohl, Chip Smith, Chuck Warpehoski and Kirk Westphal — were against it. Some of them indicated they'd prefer to see the site privately developed, and the city is still considering a proposal from a Chicago-based developer for a hotel/apartment high-rise with an outdoor plaza.

....

Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, questioned the integrity of some people who want to prevent a development on the Library Lot, saying the conversation hasn't been honest as it's been framed as whether to have a park on the site. He said there already is a 12,000-square-foot plaza included in the development plans proposed by Chicago-based Core Spaces, which is offering to buy the property from the city for $10 million.

"Do I want a park on the site? Yes," Warpehoski said, adding he wants it as part of a mixed-use development so the city can get outside funding for it.

Warpehoski recalled that tens of thousands of dollars were anonymously funneled through a marketing firm to fuel a campaign against redeveloping the downtown library site when it was put to a vote of the people in November 2012.

Suggesting the same type of forces might once again come into play if the Library Lot is placed on the ballot, Warpehoski said he would prefer that the community conversation and process around deciding the future of the site be honest and free from what he characterized as the corrupting influence of "dark money."

...

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...es_agains.html



Meanwhile... Project approved and/or starting construction soon.

Kingsley Condominiums to break ground near downtown Ann Arbor by next spring
By Ryan Stanton. August 05, 2016





Another new condo development is expected to break ground near downtown Ann Arbor by next spring.

The City Council approved the rezoning and site plan for Kingsley Condominiums, a 51-unit redevelopment of the Beal property at 221 Felch St.

The council approved the five-story project in a series of votes Thursday night, Aug. 4, spilling into Friday morning.

The building will take shape across the street from two other condo developments near the corner of First and Kingsley streets.

...

The Promanas Group hopes to break ground either this fall or next spring. It's expected to take about 18 months to build.

....

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/..._to_break.html

Main Street apartment project wins approval from Ann Arbor council





Another new apartment building is coming to Ann Arbor's South Main Street.

The City Council voted unanimously Monday night, July 18, to approve plans for The Residences at 615 South Main.

The Collegiate Development Group plans to construct a 229-unit, six-story building on the east side of Main Street, just north of Mosley Street, similar in nature to the 618 South Main apartments across the street.

The 286,079-square-foot building will take the place of the South Main Market and a neighboring car wash, while incorporating the old Ann Arbor Buggy Company building — a brick structure at the corner of Main and Mosley.

The City Council also approved a brownfield plan for the project that calls for reimbursing the developer for up to $3.5 million worth of environmental cleanup activities through tax-increment financing.

The brownfield plan now goes to the Washtenaw County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority for consideration.

...

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...t_project.html



Projects awaiting approval.

Pizza House owner says new development has 'cleaned up' South U







Dennis Tice, owner of the Pizza House restaurant on Church Street, has seen a lot of changes in the South U area in recent years, including a wave of student apartment high-rises.

In May 2009, he saw the first tenants move into Zaragon Place, a 10-story, 66-unit, 248-bed high-rise at 619 E. University Ave.

In the fall of 2012, he saw the first tenants move into Landmark, a 14-story, 606-bed high-rise at 1300 S. University Ave.

And last August, the 13-story, 113-unit ArborBLU high-rise next to and above Pizza House brought another 242 people to the neighborhood.

Now, plans for another 13-story apartment high-rise with 343 beds in the South U area is headed to the Ann Arbor City Council for consideration.

The city's Planning Commission voted 7-0 Tuesday night to recommend approval of the Collegiate Development Group's plans for a 133,805-square-foot building containing 90 apartments at 611 E. University Ave.

....

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...s_new_dev.html



Projects completed.

Latest condo development in downtown Ann Arbor welcomes first residents
By Ryan Stanton. July 26, 2016 .





...

After several months of construction, the new condo development known as The Mark is nearing completion on the west edge of downtown Ann Arbor, and buyers have started moving into some of the first finished units.

The seven-unit building stands at 318 W. Liberty St. where a 1960s-era car wash was demolished last year, across from the Argus Farm Stop.

....

The Mark is the latest among a number of upscale condo developments to bring new residents to downtown Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor developer Tom Fitzsimmons of Huron Contracting built the 414 Main condos on North Main Street. Buyers moved into the 16 units there last year, and Fitzsimmons now has other upscale condo projects underway in the Kerrytown area, including on North Main, Kingsley Street and First Street.

Ann Arbor-based James & Werner LLC also is moving forward with a five-story, three-unit condo building at 213 W. Kingsley St. that is expected to back up to the 25-unit condo building Fitzsimmons is building at 410 First St.

The City Council recently gave initial approval for rezoning the Beal property at 221 Felch St. for another 51-unit condo development. That's expected to come back to council for final approval on Aug. 4.

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...ent_in_do.html



New Proposals.

4-story restaurant/office building planned for vacant site on South U





Draft plans for a new mixed-use commercial building in the South U business district have been submitted to the city of Ann Arbor.
SCP South Forest LLC, which has an address in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, is listed as the developer behind the project at 1215 S. University Ave., a vacant lot where the former Pinball Pete's building was destroyed in a fire in 2009.

The developer proposes a four-story building with a basement, rising just over 51 feet tall with retail/restaurant or bar uses on the ground floor and lower level and office spaces above on floors two, three and four.

No apartments or off-street parking spaces are included in the plans, which await review by the city's Design Review Board.

.....

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...ice_build.html

Here's how a $2.1M redesign will change the South U streetscape in Ann Arbor







The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority has released plans for a major makeover of the South U streetscape.

By this time next year, construction is expected to be underway on a $2.1 million project along three blocks of South University Avenue — on both sides of the street from East University Avenue to Washtenaw Avenue.

The project aims to address several maintenance issues on what the DDA considers cluttered and constrained sidewalks.

The plans include new sidewalks, street trees and planters, benches and bike hoops, among other changes.

DDA Executive Direct Susan Pollay said the existing tree planters take up a lot of room and interfere with cafes using the space, plus the trees are slowly dying and will need replacement anyway.

The project is expected to go out to bid this fall, with construction starting in late spring 2017 after the University of Michigan's spring commencement. Work is expected to continue through Labor Day with a pause for Art Fair.

....

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...tscape_re.html

[The North One]

A city park? You've got to be kidding me.

[animatedmartian]

The logic is that it's public property being sold to a private developer so the public should benefit (aside from the income of selling the property), but of course the NIMBYs just don't want any more high rises downtown.

Speaking of more high rises, the same firm design the Collective on Fifth also has a high def rendering of "The Calvin" at 603 Huron.

Construction is supposed to start soon if not already on this high rise.


http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...eloper_as.html




http://www.myefski.com/projects/modern-urban-living

[The North One]

Urgh, these people realize they live in Michigan right? You'll find parks and nature literally everywhere. The public will benefit from a healthier city with more tax revenue it's common sense and the developer is already providing a great public plaza. Ann Arbor needs to become more urban.

[animatedmartian]

13-story apartment high-rise in Ann Arbor's South U district approved
By Ryan Stanton. August 16, 2016.



Another 13-story apartment high-rise is coming to the South University district in Ann Arbor.

The City Council voted 10-0 without discussion Monday night, Aug. 15, to approve the Collegiate Development Group's plans for a 133,805-square-foot building containing 90 apartments at 611 E. University Ave.

The mid-block development will span the full width of the block from East University to Church Street, requiring demolition of a handful of buildings on both East University Avenue and Church Street.

...

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...gh-rise_i.html

[animatedmartian]

Ann Arbor time-lapse comparisons.

[animatedmartian]

Each new student apartment doesn't seem any prettier than the last. That density tho.

See plans for new 10-story student apartment high-rise in Ann Arbor







It's no secret that plans are in works for a major redevelopment of the South U business district.
But now there are some visuals to give a better idea of what might be coming in the near future.

Oakland County developer Ron Hughes has unveiled plans for a mixed-use development on the north side of South University Avenue, just east of where the University of Michigan's Central Campus Diag meets South U.

Hughes Properties, working with Hobbs and Black Architects, has submitted drawings to the city showing plans for a student apartment building rising 144 feet — 10 stories plus a penthouse level for mechanical equipment.

It would take the place of buildings that stand on the north side of the 1100 block of South U between East University Avenue and Church Street.

The building would include new ground-floor commercial spaces with 40 apartments above, plus 1,180 square feet of open space.

The apartments would cater to students with a mix of four-, five- and six-bedroom units.

The project awaits review by the city's Design Review Board before a site plan is submitted for Planning Commission review and City Council approval.

The project is being called The Collegian North, a possible hint that the south side of the same block could be similarly developed.

Hughes has confirmed he's planning a redevelopment of much of South U over time, with buildings on both sides of the street expected to be demolished to make way for new dense development in the D1-zoned area.

....

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...story_stu.html

[the urban politician]

Visited AA for the first time in years this past weekend.

I sure love the place. Perhaps one of the 2-3 best college towns in the country.

While I like the density of the new development that has gone up, I'm for the most part not impressed with the design. Pretty standard, schlocky stuff. Ann Arbor would be wise to take cues from the Hyde Park area of Chicago, another "college town". Much of the newer development there, both on and off campus, has some very cutting edge design.

Whatever gets built in downtown Ann Arbor may or may not have anything to do with U of M, but it will still reflect on the University in the minds of students and visitors.

[animatedmartian]

First look at $146M redevelopment plan for Ann Arbor's Lower Town site
By Ryan Stanton. MLive Ann Arbor. February 6, 2017.







The developer behind a $146 million redevelopment of a vacant swath of land off Broadway Street and Maiden Lane says environmental stewardship, affordability and sustainability are goals of the project.

....

The newly unveiled plans for 1140 Broadway St. include two apartment buildings and a condo building, plus a small amount of retail space.

Mucha said the details still are being finalized, but tentatively he expects there would be about 530 apartments altogether between the two apartment buildings, and then about 70 condos in the other building.


Though his company is based in Chicago, Mucha is an Ann Arbor resident. He said he wants to see a proper redevelopment of the long-vacant Lower Town property where another developer's plans stalled several years ago.

....

Morningside is working with Illinois-based HKM Architects and Planners Inc. on the designs. Mucha emphasized the drawings presented at Monday's meeting are not yet final and they are being further refined. He said revised drawings are expected to be presented at a public meeting Wednesday night.

"There's a concerted effort to do good architecture here, in contrast to some of the projects that were recently being built," he said. "There's going to be significant massing articulation, steps in the massing. There's going to be various colors and textures and materials, different cornice treatments."

Mucha said a lot of attention will be given to activating Maiden Lane, where there are other neighboring apartment and condo residences.

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...developme.html

[deja vu]

Ann Arbor outpaces Detroit with highest real estate values
By Kirk Pinho, Crain's Business Detroit
March 19, 2017

Even after Detroit’s decades of decline, the state’s largest city both by size and population still had bragging rights in 2014 as the one with the highest total real estate value: $12.3 billion.

No more.

In the last two years, Ann Arbor, a fraction of Detroit’s size and population (see chart) but mighty in academic and tech culture, has overtaken the Motor City as the Michigan community with the highest total assessed value...

You can read the full article (PDF version) here.

[DetroitMan]

An overview of the 17-story development planned in downtown Ann Arbor
Updated March 19, 2017
Posted March 17, 2017

After more than a year of negotiations, the city’s staff and Chicago-based developer Core Space presented the latest plans for a 17-story development on the city-owned Library Lot in downtown Ann Arbor at a special City Council work session Thursday night, March 16.
The City Council might be asked to make a decision next month on whether to sell the property to the developer for $10 million.
Shown here is a view of the proposed building known as the Collective on 5th, as viewed from the Blake Transit Center area looking east across Fifth Avenue. The building is proposed atop the city's Library Lane underground parking garage, just north of the downtown library.

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...rt_river_index

[deja vu]

From the renderings and descriptions on that site, it looks like a strong effort has been made to engage the neighborhood at street level. I like it.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by deja vu

From the renderings and descriptions on that site, it looks like a strong effort has been made to engage the neighborhood at street level. I like it.

One of the conditions of the site is that some percentage of it had to be public space being that this is city property. They did a pretty good job on it, imo.

The only thing is I wish it was actually taller now. Though Ann Arbor has always had strong NIMBYism against high rises so the chances of a height increase are pretty low. Boo.

[animatedmartian]

So this news article has aerieal photos of Ann Arbor and the thing that got me is how funky A2's skyline is. I mean, you can kinda see Ann Arbor's original downtown towards the center of the picture and then UofM over to the west with sort of it's own ring of midrises and highrises. It almost looks like you can draw a line between UofM and A2s downtown (I think the street I'm looking at is literally Division Street).

Anyway, it just makes me think I wish there were more highrises on/near Main Street to balance out the density around UofM.


http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...rt_river_index

[subterranean]

It surprises me how small it looks given how explosive the growth has been. I guess that is just testament to how small it was to begin with. Still, a fine city.

[deja vu]

HOMES Brewery opening with 10 beers on tap in west Ann Arbor
By Jessica Haynes, via MLive
April 18, 2017








All images via MLive

ANN ARBOR, MI - HOMES Brewery is opening to the public Wednesday, April 19, bringing a lineup of handcrafted brews and a menu of Asian street-style food to Ann Arbor's West Side.

Owner Tommy Kennedy has been working with his team for about two years on HOMES Brewery, an acronym for all five Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior) and a homage to the building's former use as a Culligan water company location. The nearly 5,000-square-foot, industrial-style brewery and taproom located at 2321 Jackson Ave. is opening to members for a preview Tuesday night, and then the public starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

[subterranean]

They did a really great job with the design of that place. The outdoor area reminds me of this place called Apex here in SE Portland: Google Street View

[deja vu]

Agreed. I think the interior looks great. Not sure of the story / reason behind the shipping container on the outside.