Big apartment complex kerfuffle tonight in old Ann Arbor Towne

Yes city government watchers, there will be a big old battle tonight over the unnecessary, poorly planned, and hideously placed proposed 25 story student housing complex at 601 Forest.

You know where this site stands on it, the question here is who REALLY runs Ann Arbor, the citizens and the city government or the developers. Developer Dan Ketelaar, who lives WAY UP in the Leelanau peninsula, or about 4 hours from where this mess would be built says he'll stomp his feet, pee his pants and sue the city if he doesn't get his way (no mention of what order that would happen). When the Ann Arbor News tried to contact Ketelaar for a comment, he wouldn't return calls.

Look if the entire city doesn't turn out for this meeting to try to stop this abortion, they'll regret it for decades. You thought Washtenaw Avenue was a zoo around University before? Just wait.

The city council meeting is tonight and you'd better stand up for yourselves Ann Arbor residents....

Ann Arbor City Council delays decision on two development plans

So, they didn't say yes and they didn't say no. Residents near the proposed sites don't want them and whiny developers who think they can do whatever pleases them have threatened to sue the city.

Let's break out the two proposals as the YCD is really really against one of them.

#1 A 120 four-bedroom units at 1430 S. Maple St., known as 42 North, would include 494 parking spots.

#2 A 64,314 square foot apartment complex that could rise some 25 stories and would cater to students at the corner of the corner of Forest and South University.

The #1 we don't have much of an opinion on, the #2 would be an abomination and the city of Ann Arbor should tell sniveler developer Dan Ketelaar to stop the crybaby act and bring his little lawsuit. In NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM would developing this into a giant student housing tower help the city. This is all about Dan Ketelaar's checkbook. Imagine if you will 342 apartments there, with say 2.5 students living in each. You do the math, can the city handle the parking around there? Another few hundred or so students in the neighborhood drinking, carousing perhaps making mischief.

Tell us Mr.Ketelaar, once you get paid, you're done with it aren't you? You don't care about the homeowners there, you never did. Can they call you at home at 4am when all hell is breaking loose after a victory over Ohio State one night? Can the Ann Arbor police call you at home when the crime rate goes up in the neighborhood where it ALWAYS does in student areas? Of course not, you got paid, you could care less what happens after the check clears.

Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make

Johnny has no voting abilities in Tree City, but he's telling the city council they'll regret giving a building license to build this mess. Deep down, if you throw out the threat of lawsuit, you know you'd vote against it. So follow that little voice and vote NO. Listen to the residents and NOT the developers. We can find nary a listing in any phone book for a Dan Ketelaar in Ann Arbor or even Washtenaw County for that matter. We can find one in Northport, Michigan, 4 hours away at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, out of earshot of drunken students in Ann Arbor.

Northport is closer to Green Bay Wisconsin than Ann Arbor Michigan.

Ann Arbor OK's chickens in your back yard

By a vote of 7-4, the ownage of up to four hens was approved by Ann Arbor City Council last night. Some stipulations were put in place as far as housing of said chickens and you would need an OK from your neighbors, but as of now, Ann Arbor has taken the lead in spreading the bird flu (and omelettes) in Washtenaw County. The four who voted NO on owning chickens were Joan Lowenstein, Stephen Rapundalo, Leigh Greden and Chris Easthope.

Will you be getting a chicken or four?

The Ann Arbor 'chicken ordinance' gets the go ahead to advance

Over the objections of two members, the Ann Arbor City Council voted to hold public hearings on the possibility of keeping up to four hens, with proper fencing and shelter for the chickens and tacit approval from nearby neighbors.

We find this interesting, amusing, but in a way, we can also see that the next door neighbor who may not want to live near chickens, could be cast as the 'heavy' in all this (As Mayor John Hieftje who we dog on a lot brought to light, very correctly). "Everything was fine until my jackass neighbor said no". So we'll keep watching, and listening to those on both sides and see where this goes.

We DO wonder the press this might get in mmmm, say the Columbus Post-Dispatch as Ann Arbor becomes "Chicken Town"...

All hail A2 City Council members Stewart Nelson and Vivienne Armentrout

Stewart Nelson and Vivienne Armentrout understand a democracy apparently. They have both put their names to a plan to ensure a city-wide vote on the new police and courts building. Both Nelson and Armentrout have lent their names to "Ask Voters First", a citizen group who wants a vote on the $47 million dollar project, not just a city council vote since $31 million in bonds would be required.

Ed Amonsen, a leader of "Ask Voters First" said "We hear we're facing budget problems and then are told we can afford to take this project. I had no desire to be in politics, but as an Ann Arbor citizen for 25 years and a property owner, I have to take some responsibility when I see the direction of city finances."

Imagine that. Letting VOTERS decide whether or not to take on almost 50 million in debt. Novel approach and one we here at YCD support.

You can find "Ask Voters First" at their website

Ann Arbor City Council's empty blather and capitulation

The Ann Arbor City Council last night expressed frustration, anger, invictives and consternation.....then rolled over like trained pets as they capitualted to the closing of one lane of Main Street outside Michigan Stadium to construction crews who have been driving city residents batty with noise. Since the University is under state law, allowing them to work on Michigan Stadium from 6am-10pm SEVEN days a week, the city council could do nothing about the noise or work schedule. But when U-M showed up hat in hand to close the lane on Main Street, the City Council yowled and pewled and then did what the University wanted with assurances from the U that they'd TRY to keep it down.

NICE, well played City Council. Way to back your residents up on that. The University never even alerted the city they'd need the lane closed when the project started. They just simply assumed that the City Council would capitulate......and they did.

And because the University simply decided to go ahead and screw over their neighbors, the city now cannot start work on a planned $7 million city project to replace water and sewer mains and rebuild Pauline Boulevard.

ALL so U-M can have their precious football stadium done in time. They've said as much. University of Michigan talking head Jim Kosteva said the intensive construction is NEEDED to have no interruption in the football schedule. YOU suffer so U-M can make money.

The lane will be closed on Main Street from May of this year to July of 2009. The city council did require U-M to pick up costs related to fixing the strip of road that will bear the brunt of heavy traffic from trucks.

City of Ann Arbor to blow things up real good

Ann Arbor City Council has voted to demolish the old downtown Y by spring. By a City Council vote of 9-1, they decided to demolish the building. Mayor John Hieftje said it could be down by February or March. The city will be asking the DDA (Downtown Development Association) to spend the 1$ million to demolish and dispose of the asbestos inside.

Disposing of asbestos is far more expensive in Washtenaw County these days since Monroe County found out where we USED to dump it all for free.

"Blow it up REAL GOOD"

City of Ann Arbor to spend 1 million to raze old 'Y' building

YCD has a better idea. Spend maybe 200$ in paint and paint the place BLUE. Then, find some mouthbreathing Ohio State fans this week and tell them they can have kegs and party and have bonfires and whatnot in there before the game. Trust us, that place will be destroyed in 3 hours.

Problem solved. You may now cart away the debris and a few passed out OSU undergrads

A2 City Council votes to approve new multi-million dollar City building

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.

You Ann Arbor residents better not miss THIS meeting

The Ann Arbor Municipal Center, the newly designed home for all things Ann Arbor City, will be discussed. What's at stake? PLENTY. If the full on "bells and whistles" version is approved it'll cost Ann Arbor 57 million dollars, well above the "bare bones" version costing 24 million.

"The difference between the plans boils down to the optional add-ons included in the more expensive version, as well as anticipated increases in construction costs, professional and legal fees, and moving and furnishings, officials said."

Uh huh, what do you want to bet cost overruns on this would have NO penalities, we mean REAL penalties, and instead will be passed on to taxpayers.

City Council Member Leigh Greden, D-3rd Ward: "We are early in the planning process, and we will only build what we can afford."

That's why it's UP TO YOU VOTERS, to make sure Leigh Greden's word is gold. You know how this works, things get passed, the old city government mantra of "It'll be MORE expensive to add this later so let's get it now. We can't afford NOT to get bells and whistles now" will become the unspoken guiding light.

MEETING on this 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The meeting will take place at the Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave.


Imagine what 24-57 million dollars could do for local roads, schools and or civic improvements. Funny how there's always money for the city to spend on the city but on nobody else.