Ann Arbor launches exploration of alternative development for tree-filled property
Updated Mar 05, 2021;
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ANN ARBOR, MI Ann Arbor is entering negotiations with the owner of an eight-acre site filled with hundreds of trees to see if there’s potential to avoid a subdivision development.
City Council voted unanimously this week to direct city staff to explore the possibility of an alternative development at 2857 Packard Road.
Officials are interested in a new proposal from Thrive Collaborative, which has approached the property owner about purchasing a portion of the site to do a five-story sustainable housing development called The Canopy, while the city could acquire and preserve the surrounding forested area.
Ann Arbor officials look to ACLU for opinion on legality of new City Council rules
Updated Feb 17, 2021;
Posted Feb 17, 2021
City Council Member Jen Eyer, D-4th Ward, defends Ann Arbor s new council rules Feb. 16, 2021. The body needs this ability to say that these are our values and we don t think that certain conduct reflects those values, she said.CTN
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ANN ARBOR, MI Some Ann Arbor officials are questioning the constitutionality of new City Council rules aimed at limiting council members’ speaking times and holding them accountable for personal attacks against each other.
“There is a high likelihood that there’s viewpoint discrimination here with this adopted set of rules,” said Council Member Ali Ramlawi, D-5th Ward, who called for reconsideration of the rules Tuesday night, Feb. 16.
Ann Arbor exploring policy on reporting bribes after councilwoman’s blog allegation
Updated Jan 13, 2021;
Posted Jan 13, 2021
Elizabeth Nelson, D-4th Ward, speaks at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting on July 1, 2019.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
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ANN ARBOR, MI An Ann Arbor council member’s allegation that an Airbnb property investor hinted at a potential bribe offer in exchange for her vote has been referred to the city attorney and police chief, officials said.
City Attorney Stephen Postema publicly discussed the issue with City Council’s Administration Committee and City Administrator Tom Crawford on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
“It’s certainly an appropriate topic to discuss,” Postema told the committee, which is now exploring whether the city should draft a new rule or policy concerning improper solicitations of council members and requirements for them to report such incidents when they happen.
New Ann Arbor council looks for way to keep Airbnb houses in neighborhoods
Updated Dec 22, 2020;
Posted Dec 22, 2020
A house in Ann Arbor that was renovated and dedicated as an Airbnb house in recent years. It sold for $400,000 in April 2020, going back to being a single-family home.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
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ANN ARBOR, MI Ann Arbor’s new City Council is looking to undo the last council’s ban on dedicated Airbnb houses in residential neighborhoods.
Council voted 7-4 Monday night, Dec. 21, to direct city staff and the Planning Commission to develop and propose regulations to allow continued operation of preexisting short-term rentals.
Drama, censorship and racial slur punctuate last Ann Arbor council meeting of 2020
Updated Dec 22, 2020;
Posted Dec 22, 2020
Council Member Kathy Griswold, D-2nd Ward, speaks at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting Dec. 21, 2020.CTN
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ANN ARBOR, MI After a drama-filled year and a recent City Council retreat where Ann Arbor council members expressed a desire to move beyond bickering and personal attacks, council’s final meeting of 2020 was filled with more drama.
It started toward the beginning of the council’s virtual meeting Monday night, Dec. 21, when a public speaker criticized Council Member Jeff Hayner, D-1st Ward, for putting an addition on his home without a permit.