415 West Washington
415 W. Washington (“415") is one of several sites that the Ann Arbor City Council
has directed staff to analyze toward the goals of creating the optimal amount of affordable homes, exploring dedicated space for public uses, and prioritizing sites that face the fewest obstacles, and to provide a holistic approach to all of the properties. This direction included a budget allocation to conduct preliminary analysis of the sites including zoning and environmental assessment.
Following assessment, City staff concluded that while 415 does not face the fewest obstacles to redevelopment, the presence of environmental impacts on and around the site warrant its inclusion for prioritization to address this condition. City staff have been undertaking work to conduct community engagement, additional site investigation, and preparation of a proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) Zoning designation with the intention of enacting a regulatory framework to meet several City goals.
The proposed PUD would rezone the property from a PL – Public Land designation to PUD. The PUD would require: a prohibition of many automobile-oriented uses that could result in future environmental concern; a minimum of 15 homes or 15% of the of the total number of homes, whichever is greater shall be affordable; the dedication of the eastern portion of the site to the realization of one segment of the Treeline Trail (including the construction of a non-motorized pathway); and that any construction in the flood fringe portion of the site be elevated to a level that is one foot above the .2% (1 in 500 chance) flood prediction, consistent with city codes.
The proposed PUD zoning is intended to establish a pre-determined framework, by which the City can solicit private development interest, and create a viable project that will: result in redevelopment of a blighted property and provide a financially viable model (likely utilizing tax increment financing) to support the construction of desired community amenities and the mitigation of contaminants both migrating to and from the site. 
The Planning Commission meeting held on February 7, 2023 provides an overview and in-depth discussion of the project.
Environmental Investigation
As part of the City's consideration of this property, an environmental assessment of the property was performed. While partial remediation of the site was conducted previously, the chemical benzene has remained on the site, and with the recent investigation, has appeared to begin to migrate off-site. This migration follows groundwater flow to the north, and the City conducted further testing which concluded that the levels in the vicinity of the YMCA building do not rise to a level of public health concern.
Trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) have been detected in the right-of-way and TCE has been detected on the 415 site as well. Although it is unclear if any of the TCE originated onsite, it does appear to migrating onto 415 from the south and west. This pattern was confirmed through additional testing that the City conducted in the public ROW. Based on these findings, the City contacted the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to alert them to the issue. The source of this contamination is not confirmed, but it is possible that it originates from the former Argus site. Currently, EGLE is doing more testing to narrow and potentially identify if there are any responsible parties for this contamination. In the meantime, EGLE and the Washtenaw County Public Health Department (WCPH) are ensuring that remediation systems are put in place where indoor air quality has been identified to be exceeding State-defined safe levels.
For a more detailed summary of these conditions, an
environmental report was presented at the Ann Arbor Planning Commission meeting of February 7, 2023.
EGLE and WCPH have created two summary documents that provide an overview and contact information for those interested in learning more about the general status and plans for environmental impacts found in the area:
For questions regarding environmental impacts on the 415 W. Washington Site itself, contact Derek Delacourt, Ann Arbor Community Services Area Administrator –
[email protected] or 734.794.6000 x43902
Additionally, EGLE has vapor intrusion information on their websites to provide an overview of such conditions at:
Next Steps:
The proposed PUD zoning is intended to establish a pre-determined framework, by which the City can solicit private development interest, and create a viable project that will: result in redevelopment of a blighted property, provide a financially-viable mechanism to support the construction of a desired community amenity and the mitigation of contaminants both migrating to and from the site.
On March 7th, a project update will be presented to the Historic District Commission. On March 21st, the proposed zoning will appear on the City Council Meeting agenda, and if approved at first reading, will advance to the April 17th City Council Meeting for a public hearing and action.
Additional Information:
Community Engagement Summary
