It’s been hard to keep track of all the development in Ann Arbor over the last several years.
You can’t go anywhere without seeing construction cranes or new homes and condos wrapped in Tyvek.
Our reporter Ryan Stanton does a great job keeping up with the Ann Arbor boom, including a story from this past week where city council voted to rezone 200 acres around Briarwood Mall.
When I was a kid in the 1980s, the local mall was the premier destination for shopping, food and my favorite, the video game arcade. In many American towns, the mall replaced Main Street.
But times have changed. Many downtowns, including Ann Arbor’s, are thriving. Malls are struggling. In February 2021, we reported (in a story that recently took first place in the Michigan Press Association awards for best business writing) how Briarwood was shedding tenants.
So what’s next for our local mall?
With Monday night’s action, Ann Arbor is one step closer to merging the concept of mall and Main Street. The rezoning will classify the land as a new TC1 transit-corridor zoning category and would pave the way for downtown-style development on the city’s south side, as Ryan reported early this week.
Residential development and affordable housing are also hot topics in Ann Arbor and surrounding areas. As it becomes more expensive to live in Ann Arbor, people are looking outside city limits for options. But those developments are not always easy to get off the ground, as Lucas Smolcic Larson reported this week.
A project in Pittsfield Township south of Ann Arbor – started way back in 2018 – has hit one roadblock after another. This time there was some confusion over whether residents of a neighborhood nearby were properly informed of the latest moves.
Of course, more development always means more impact on the environment, something else on the minds of many Ann Arborites. This week, Ann Arbor City Council also endorsed “No Mow May,” which encourages people to not mow their lawns until June to ensure the survival of bees and other pollinators.
As if I needed the encouragement.
Read more on those headlines, and many others, below.
Over 200 acres by Ann Arbor’s Briarwood Mall now zoned for high-density development
The biggest property rezoning in recent Ann Arbor history is now finalized.
City Council voted 8-3 Monday night, April 5, to OK reclassifying over 200 acres around Briarwood Mall under the city’s new TC1 transit-corridor zoning category to pave the way for downtown-style development on the city’s south side.
“I’m very excited about this step we’re taking today,” Mayor Christopher Taylor said. “Supply and demand is not a joke, it’s the law, and what we are doing is we are enabling the market to create substantially more — thousands perhaps more — units of housing in the city of Ann Arbor to house future neighbors.”
Ann Arbor promoting No Mow May to help save bees, other pollinators
Ann Arbor is promoting a new initiative to help save bees and other pollinators.
It’s called No Mow May.
City Council voted unanimously this week to endorse the cause, encouraging property owners across the city to refrain from mowing lawns through May, recognizing dandelions and other wildflowers, including the prolific crocus, can be a vital early food source for pollinators after a long winter.
‘We were not involved’: Planned subdivision near Ann Arbor delayed for resident input
Plans for a new 184-unit subdivision with added office space south of Ann Arbor have hit another speed bump in their years-long road toward approval.
As the 70-acre Inglewood Park West project, given a first look in 2018, finally came before Pittsfield Township elected officials, an important question held things up: Did the neighbors know?
One of those neighbors to the proposed development on farmland between Textile Road and Lavender Lane happened to be township Trustee Gerald Krone.
Pittsfield Township returns $1M grant for new pathway south of Ann Arbor
Efforts to grow a network of multi-use pathways between suburban neighborhoods south of Ann Arbor, and give residents an alternative to hopping behind the wheel, got a $1-million dollar boost last year.
Pittsfield Township leaders accepted the money from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments meant for pedestrian and cyclist-friendly projects. The plan was to build a 10-foot pathway along a one-mile stretch of State Road along the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, filling in a key mobility gap between Ellsworth and Morgan roads.
Fast forward a year, and the project is no more. Township leaders voted unanimously on March 23 to give the $1,017,625 back.
Why? Find out by clicking the link above.
Ann Arbor man killed in early morning I-94 crash
An Ann Arbor man died in an early Thursday morning crash on I-94 near Ypsilanti Township, police said.
Troopers responded to a crash report at 1:17 a.m., April 7 on eastbound I-94 near Michigan Avenue according to Michigan State Police.
Investigators determined that a single vehicle swerved off the road and into a ditch, police said. The driver, 23-year-old Edgar Monta Campbell Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Hash Bash 2022: Marijuana activists target magic mushrooms for next legalization battle
Surrounded by a cloud of smoke and sellers peddling edibles and sample-sized pre-rolls, thousands gathered in Ann Arbor at high noon on Saturday for the 50th celebration of Hash Bash.
This year’s gathering of marijuana enthusiasts, activists and retailers marks a full return to the typical in-person event after it was primarily held virtually in 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
130-year-old bridges over Huron River near Ann Arbor to close for rehab work
A pair of historic wrought-iron bridges traversing the Huron River just outside Ann Arbor are slated for rehabilitation work and a new coat of paint this spring.
The metal truss bridges at East Delhi Road in Scio Township and Maple Road in Ann Arbor Township, both along Huron River Drive, are among the oldest in Michigan, according to a state bridge database.
The single-lane Maple Road Bridge, also known as the Foster Bridge, dates to 1876 and was rededicated in 2003 after residents fought for a preservation effort rather than a replacement of the then-ailing bridge.
Master suite with enormous bathroom, closet highlight this $1.6M home on Ann Arbor’s west side
Built just five years ago and minutes from downtown Ann Arbor, the home at 602 Linda Vista St. offers a new feel in an established neighborhood, said Stephen Wickland of Brookstone Realtors.
Constructed in place of a previous home that was torn down to make way for it, the five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom custom-built home listed at $1.6 million offers three levels of living space, with a lower level featuring a second full kitchen, full bathroom, steam shower and recreation room with its own private entrance.
Cookies cannabis dispensary opening third Michigan location in Ann Arbor this weekend
An international cannabis company will launch its first Ann Arbor location this weekend, hosting a grand opening with a food truck, giveaways and music.
Gage Cannabis Co. will open Cookies, a provisioning center chain with more than 40 locations across four countries. The first Ann Arbor location, at 2460 W. Stadium Blvd., is the third Cookies location in Michigan and opened on April 8.
Hearing set for former Washtenaw deputy accused of trading pizza for sexual favors
The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputy accused of requesting sexual favors from female inmates wants the decision to bound his case over to county circuit court reversed.
Kenric Wilson Mukrdechian is facing two felony counts of misconduct in office by a public official, according to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. A hearing is set for 1:30 p.m., April 25 for a pre-trial examination and a motion to quash, or nullify a lower court’s decision.
FoolMoon lights up downtown Ann Arbor again with expanded footprint
Ann Arbor’s annual twilight festival lit up the city Friday night, bringing luminary art and festivities to downtown, Kerrytown and State Street.
FoolMoon kicked off before dusk at 6 p.m., but the festivities really began after dual luminary processions from Kerrytown and the Diag after the sun set at 8 p.m.
Restaurants like EAT, Cahoots Cafe, Blom Meadworks and Detroit Street Filling Station, stayed open late to offer food and drink specials, while other storefronts sported art by local window art group Brush Monkeys.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be back next Friday with another set of headlines.
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John Counts is the News Leader for MLive in Ann Arbor. He can be reached at [email protected].
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