The Ann Arbor City Council voted 7-4 to approve an architect going forward with plans to build a new multi-million dollar city building. The vote did not address what is expected to also need to be addressed, that being a new courts (the city currently rents court space form the county who will NOT renew the lease after 2009) building and police HQ. Currently the police HQ and city building are one in the same.
That could present a problem. So could the fact the tax base just too a massive Pfizer-sized hit.
City council members see the project costing between 33$ and 57$ million. The 57$ million number is the 'bells and whistles' proposal even though the architect hasn't begun drawing up plans as the vote was to merely give the go ahead on a design.
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje is opposed to the project saying:
"This is not the time for us to go out on a limb with a new building".
Council Member Leigh Greden, D-4th Ward, disagrees with Hieftje:
"We need a new courthouse. We need a new police station, It's really that simple."
Heftje called the vote to give the architect the go ahead to design the new building:
"We are at a point of no turning back."
The NO voters were Hieftje and Council Members Ron Suarez, D-1st Ward, Bob Johnson, D-1st Ward, and Stephen Kunselman, D-3rd Ward.
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