Ann Arbor Construction updates

[DetroitMan]

It will be interesting to see how the Briarwood area develops over the next 15 years. This could be Ann Arbor's version of Tysons Corner.

New proposal could infuse vibrancy into Briarwood Mall area in Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor officials have big hopes of seeing a major transformation of the Briarwood Mall area with new downtown-style development on the city’s south side.

They’re now looking to a business improvement zone proposed by property owners in the State Street and Eisenhower Parkway area as a mechanism to help fuel the area’s makeover.

City Council voted 10-0 Monday, July 15, to establish the State Street BIZ in response to a petition by property owners in the proposed zone, who now will formally vote on it. Council directed the city clerk to set an election for the property owners to decide on forming the BIZ, through which they would agree to be specially assessed for improvements such as new landscaping, median enhancements and gateway signage, as well as marketing to carve out its identity as a unique district.

“Several medians consisting merely of asphalt patches overrun by weeds could be rectified by replacing them with brick-paved medians adorned with planters and inviting signage,” the proposal states. “These improvements aim to infuse vibrancy and enhance the overall visual appeal of the corridor.” “I really support this,” said Council Member Jen Eyer, D-4th Ward. “I think this is exactly the type of innovative change we’re looking for that really supports the redevelopment and the transformation that I expect we’ll see in this area.”

Council in 2022 established new TC1 zoning for the area, allowing high-density, mixed-use development. Oxford Companies now has plans to redevelop nearly 20 acres it owns off the northeast corner of State and Eisenhower.

Oxford is teaming up with Ohio-based developer Crawford Hoying on the proposed development including over 1,000 new housing units, a 150-room hotel and over 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

If everything envisioned comes to fruition, Eyer said she expects the area to become “a new little mini downtown.”

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

[DetroitMan]

This will be huge for Ann Arbor. Hopefully, it will be incorporated into a larger system one day.

Elevated transit route connecting University of Michigan campuses moving forward

The University of Michigan is seeking partners to move forward on an automated and elevated transit system spanning more than three miles to connect multiple Ann Arbor campuses.

University officials are inviting potential partners to answer a request for qualifications for the design, construction and long-term operation of the transit system, officials announced Friday, July 19.

This move is part of the Campus Connector concept aimed at providing community members various ways to move between the Central, Medical and North campuses. “With the release of an RFQ, the University of Michigan continues to explore ways to develop a more cohesive and connected Ann Arbor campus,” Chief Financial Officer Geoff Chatas said in a statement. “We look forward to assessing prospective partners as we work to build an equitable and sustainable system that serves our growing university.”

The transit system is one of many parts of the Campus Plan 2050 initiative seeking to transform the Ann Arbor campus over the next 25 years.

The university released draft maps in May showing the automated transit system that would serve Central Campus, run through Medical Campus and go as far as the North Campus Research Complex off Plymouth Road. University officials clarified in May that automated means a transit system that does not have a driver and that the university’s would operate on an elevated guideway. The July 19 update states the university is prioritizing rubber-tire systems rather than railways in order to “mitigate potential route alignment challenges, noise and vibration concerns and space constraints.”

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

[uaarkson]

That’s beyond awful actually. Ridiculous waste of money (par for the course with UofM).

[deja vu]

Progress photos (a few weeks old now) of the 11-story Verve Ann Arbor -






Source: LinkedIn | Eisen Group STL

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by uaarkson

That’s beyond awful actually. Ridiculous waste of money (par for the course with UofM).

Seems like this is the lite plan for the Ann Arbor Connector that was considered a few years back.

https://a2docs.org/view/595

I'd rather see that plan revived rather than whatever UofM tries to do by piecemeal.

[deja vu]

Verve Ann Arbor - topped out last week at 12 stories. It will feature a rooftop pool and solar panel canopy. Fall leasing started ~ 1 month ago -






Source: LinkedIn | Eisen Group STL




Source: LinkedIn | Subtext

[DetroitMan]

Ann Arbor wants to reimagine Depot Street train station with housing above

Fuller Road is out and Depot Street is in as Ann Arbor aims to build a new train station.

And it could be a mixed-use development with housing above, according to the latest idea city leaders are kicking around. After many years of pursuing building a train station in part of Fuller Park in front of the University of Michigan medical complex — a debated concept the federal government didn’t support — city leaders now have their sights set on reimagining the current Amtrak station location on Depot Street. “And in our view, that reimagination needs to be more than just a center where you buy tickets and get on a train,” City Administrator Milton Dohoney said. “We believe that we need to explore the possibility of potentially housing on top of a reimagined ticket center, and vertical development at that site is certainly physically possible.”

What that might look like and who might partner with the city remains to be seen, Dohoney said.

“But if you don’t have a vision, you will always be at a minimal level of growth, and we can’t afford to do that,” he said.

Ann Arbor officials started thinking about the need for a new train station in 2005-2006 while developing the city’s Model for Mobility, and in 2009 City Council voted to move forward with pursuing building a station along Fuller Road.

After over a decade of planning and design, with the feds pushing the city to give further consideration to keeping the station on Depot Street, the city was dealt a blow in 2021 when federal officials balked at the city’s plans, which included potentially over 1,300 car parking spaces in a massive deck along Fuller Road and a price tag that ballooned to $171 million.

The Federal Railroad Administration effectively pulled the plug on the Fuller Road project then, saying it wasn’t interested in giving it further consideration for the foreseeable future.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...ousing%20above