Amendments to Area, Height and Placement are Approved
City Council approved the amendments to the Area, Height and Placement proposal on January 3, 2011. The amendments and background material are provided below:
Background
Many of the development standards in the Area, Height and Placement schedule of Chapter 55 were established in the 1950s and 1960s. These standards addressed the tremendous post-war growth occurring in Ann Arbor and many communities across the United States as population, employment and retail centers expanded into former agricultural areas. In many ways, the standards reflected the sprawling planning values of the day by calling for segregated land uses, wide streets, large parking lots, large setbacks, single-story buildings, auto-oriented retail centers, and low intensity employment centers.
More recently, current best practices in land use planning and environmental design recommend a more efficient use of land and infrastructure which can provide a number of community benefits including:
- Preserving and enhancing natural features.
- Supporting mass transit by focusing growth along major transportation corridors in existing urban areas which already have utility infrastructure.
- Locating buildings closer to sidewalks to promote non-motorized access.
- Encouraging business expansion within the city instead of in outlying areas that do not have access to transit.
- Supporting the redevelopment of outdated retail centers.
- Encouraging new residential uses along mass transit corridors.
- Locating some parking under new buildings.
The proposed code amendments will update older ordinance requirements and compliment sustainable land use practices. Click here (15.5 MB pdf) for more information about the proposed amendments. For a summary version click here (pdf).
Project Materials
Click on links below to view Video-on-demand, pdf documents and maps.
Advisory Committee
City Council appointed the following individuals to the Area, Height and Placement Advisory Committee on March 16, 2009. The Committee will work with staff throughout the course of the community outreach effort; advising on the outreach strategy, reviewing assumptions and providing feedback at important project milestones. The Committee will provide staff with citizen direction throughout the community outreach effort. Click here for the complete City Council Memo and Resolution.
- City Council Representative
Marcia Higgins
- Planning Commission Representative
Wendy Woods
- Technical Advisory Committee member
Kyle Mazurek
- Representatives from each Ward of the City (1 representative per ward)
1st Ward Representative: Michael Hammer
2nd Ward Representative: Jan Newman
3rd Ward Representative: Eric Meaves
4th Ward Representative: Diane Giannola
5th Ward Representative: Marc Reuter
- Commercial Association Representatives
Bill Martel
Bill Milliken
Tommy York
Meeting Summaries
Over 100 people attended a total of six meetings held from May 27 through July 30. Click here for a summary of the comments and questions heard at these meetings.
For more information or to provide feedback, please contact Jeff Kahan, City Planner at the City’s Planning and Development Services Unit. Call 734.794.6265 ext 42614 or e-mail jkahan@a2gov.org
Last Updated: November 25, 2010