Dharma's Council Newsletter, April 5, 2025

Neighbors,

City Council meets Monday, April 7 at 7pm. Before a preview of our agenda, here are some updates.

Ward 4 Listening Hour April 27

I'm hosting my next Ward 4 constituent coffee hour Sunday, April 27 from 11-noon at York Food and Drink (1929 Packard). RSVP or just swing by!

Meet Your City Planners April 17 

If you’ve got questions about planning, development, or what’s happening in your neighborhood, mark your calendar for A2 to You: Community Planning Office Hours on Thursday, April 17, from 3–7 p.m. at the Ann Arbor District Library’s Westgate Branch (2503 Jackson Ave). Learn more>>

Make the Switch: Free Heat Pump Help for A2 Residents

Want to replace your gas furnace with a clean, efficient heat pump? Ann Arbor now offers a free Heat Pump Concierge Platform to help you design a system, estimate costs, access rebates, and coordinate installation — all in one place. Learn more and get started: osi.a2gov.org/heatpumpconcierge

Weekly Compost Pickup Returns April 7

Curbside compost collection in Ann Arbor resumes Monday, April 7. Residents can use compost carts, paper yard bags (limit 10), or bundled brush. Free compost carts are available, and up to one cubic yard per day of yard waste can be dropped off at the city's compost facility. More information>>

Comprehensive Land Use Plan Resources

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a newsletter about our Comprehensive Plan. Since then, the City has created a list of Frequently Asked Comprehensive Land Use Plan Questions. At the most recent Planning Commission meeting, staff presented an updated plan for release and public engagement on the draft plan. The best way to receive stay up-to-date is to sign up for email updates here. Some of my City Council colleagues wrote a resolution related to the plan to be discussed Monday. I detail that more below.

City Council Meeting, Monday, April 7 at 7pm

• Meeting Agenda

• Responses to Council Member Questions. Topics include:

  • Nixon Road Construction Project

  • Contract to Evaluate Multi-Lane Road Reconfiguration

Agenda Highlights

• Nixon Road Reconstruction City-State Agreement (CA-10). City Council will consider a resolution for this major infrastructure investment that aligns with our Vision Zero and All Ages and Abilities (AAA) Network commitments. The Nixon reconstruction project includes new buffered bike lanes, shared-use paths, raised crosswalks, and pedestrian crossings that will make this corridor safer and more accessible for everyone. It also includes several roundabouts for safer flow and to reduce vehicle speeds. This is an $18.5M project with over $3.2M in federal support.

• Multi-Lane Road Reconfiguration Study (CA-11). City Council will consider a $280,000 contract with Toole Design to evaluate ten key multi-lane corridors across Ann Arbor for potential reconfiguration—with the ultimate aim of safer streets that provide more mobility options. This work was directed by City Council resolution to Accelerate Safety Improvements on Multilane Roads.

• An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 34 (Gas Franchise) and Replace it with a New Heating Franchise And Adopt Accompanying Agreement Regarding Climate Action (C-1). This ordinance grants DTE Gas a new, time-limited franchise to continue operating in Ann Arbor—but unlike the typical 30-year term, this agreement only runs through 2035. That shorter timeframe is intentional: it sends a clear signal that the City is actively exploring cleaner alternatives to gas, like electric heat pumps, and geothermal systems, in line with our A2ZERO carbon neutrality goals. While this doesn’t rule out the possibility of another franchise agreement (with DTE or another utility) down the road, it also doesn’t guarantee one. The franchise includes commitments from DTE to work with the City on reducing emissions, coordinating infrastructure work, and supporting future clean energy initiatives like the Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU)—all steps aimed at cutting carbon and minimizing infrastructure disruption for residents.

• Resolution to Authorize City Administrator to Negotiate City Participation in Arbor South Project (DC-1). (note: this was postpones in our last meeting due to technical difficulties with the meeting broadcast) Passage of this resolution would authorize negotiations for potential City participation in the Arbor South development, a $469 million private investment that is planned to include 1,000+ housing units (210 affordable), a 150-key hotel, and 85,000 square feet of commercial space at State and Eisenhower in one of Ann Arbor TC1 districts. City Council is being asked to approve the city's participation in the project through the construction and operation of 3 parking decks through the issuance of limited tax general obligation bonds. This is a complex project and would be the largest Brownfield TIFF the City has ever supported. It's worth having a look at the responses to council member questions. In short, the City would issue an estimated $146 million in bonds. The project’s Brownfield TIF is expected to generate $304 million over 30 years, covering bond repayment and infrastructure costs. The parking structures are expected to generate revenue over and above what they cost ($46M over 30 years). The City is looking to establish Special Assessment Districts  as a financial safeguard. While I have several concerns about this level of public investment, my primary issue is that the funds are not being used to advance the City's transportation goals for TC-1 zoning. Without public subsidies, new TC-1 developments would generate revenue that contributes to TheRide, supporting better, safer, and less car-dependent connections between corridors and downtown. However, under this plan, the City additional tax revenues for the next 30 years would instead go to paying for parking infrastructure (which the City would have a financial interest in making sure is filled) without any planned improvements to walkability or bikeability outside of the development itself—despite the development being separated from its neighbors across five lanes of traffic on State Street and lacking safe, non-motorized connections to downtown. (Sponsor: Taylor)

• Resolution Reaffirming Ann Arbor City Council’s Commitment to Vision Zero, Reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Ensuring Citywide Alignment on Transportation Goals (DC-3). The City has previously made commitments to two urgent goals: eliminating all serious injuries and deaths on city roads; and cutting total VMT by 50% by 2030, a key strategy in achieving the City’s A2ZERO carbon neutrality plan. We are, sadly, far from meeting these goals: in 2024, the city experienced 14 serious injuries and one fatality involving vulnerable road users, and VMT remains roughly double what it should be according to the 2030 goal. This resolution seeks to operationalize our safety and VMT goals within the City by directing the City Administrator to:

  • Integrate Vision Zero and VMT goals into departmental work plans.

  • Ensure every transportation-impacting project explains how it supports those goals.

  • Align the annual budget to explicitly support Vision Zero/VMT targets.

  • Engages major institutions (UM, AAPS, Washtenaw County) to develop shared strategies. (Sponsors: Akmon, Briggs, Cornell)

• Resolution Regarding the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Low-Rise Residential Density (DC-5). This resolution proposes that the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) include specific limitations for the Low-Rise Residential land use category. While we have yet to see a draft of the CLUP, public input that has informed this work to date supports an incremental increase in density in existing residential areas. This resolution requests the Planning Commission define the category to include a 35-foot maximum height, effectively limiting development to three stories. It also encourages the use of additional tools to regulate development intensity, such as

  • Floor area or floor area ratio limits

  • Caps on the number of homes or bedrooms per building

  • Modified lot size minimums and setback requirements

  • Restrictions on parcel assemblages

  • Incentives for smaller, more flexible homes

The resolution states these measures aim to align new development with the scale of existing neighborhoods. While I fully support constraints on the density (including height limits and limitations on the assemblage of parcels) we add to a new low-rise residential zone to fit the scale of existing residences, I oppose this resolution for several reasons. First, it short-circuits the Planning Commission’s process and the upcoming public review of the full draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan. On the one hand, residents were shown materials indicating three stories and 35 feet during engagement activities, and, on the other, Planning Commission has discussed four stories and 48 feet. The appropriate time to resolve this discrepancy is during the draft review period--which will include engagement sessions at the four library branches to share the draft and collect input from the public, revisions from the Planning Commission, and a 63-day public comment period--not through a preemptive resolution. Second, I don't think that this level of specificity belongs in the Comprehensive Plan, which is intended to be a visionary, long-term guiding document. Specifics like maximum height, number of units, and floor area are better addressed during zoning code updates, where tradeoffs can be debated, alternatives explored, and impacts evaluated in detail. Those are the conversations we’ll inevitably have—and should have—when it comes time to implement the plan through zoning. By attempting to lock in prescriptive limitations prematurely, this resolution risks undermining both the integrity of the planning process and the flexibility we’ll need to thoughtfully address housing, affordability, and neighborhood change over time. (Sponsors: Taylor, Disch, Eyer, Radina, Watson)

Email: DAkmon@A2gov.org | Phone/text: 734-492-5866

You can also communicate your thoughts via:

• eComment

• Email City Council: CityCouncil@a2gov.org

• Comment at the meeting (remote or in person): Call the City Clerk's office at 734-794-6140 beginning at 8 a.m. on the day of the meeting to reserve a public speaking time. NOTE: you do not need to reserve time to speak during a "public hearing (PH)" item.