Downtown Development Authority : All posts

Real estate beat: Is there a demand for more office space in downtown Ann Arbor?

The new Barracuda Networks office in downtown Ann Arbor could accommodate about 400 employees comfortably, said general manager Guy Suter.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

• Related story: Tech company PRIME Research leases majority of ex-Borders store's second floor

DDA unveils 3 possible scenarios for downtown Ann Arbor at meeting with business leaders

The DDA is hoping to come up with a comprehensive plan for this area in downtown Ann Arbor that includes multiple city-owned properties.

Map courtesy of DDA

The three scenarios were put together by the DDA with the help of a land use economist, technical experts and feedback from surveys conducted by the organization. The scenarios laid out a range of options for the areas that included mixes of residential, office, retail, hotels, parks and performance center spaces.

Parking garage signs showing available spaces going dark for a while

The sign in front of the parking garage at Fourth Avenue and William Street has already gone dark.

Ben Freed | AnnArbor.com

Long-closed Fifth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor reopens

Traffic was finally back to normal at the intersection of South Fifth Avenue and East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor on Friday.

Steve Pepple | AnnArbor.com

With a functioning green light at the intersection for the first time since August 2010, many motorists still stopped as though the three-way way stop signs were still in place. Pedestrians seemed to be surprised and excited.

Survey: DDA wants to know: Do you feel safe in downtown Ann Arbor?

Do you feel safe in downtown Ann Arbor?

Are there public safety issues you want to see addressed?

Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority approves new director

The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority has selected a new director.

At a meeting Thursday, the DDA Board unanimously approved offering the position to Tim Colbeck, the current director of the Highland DDA, with a salary of $55,280 plus benefits.

Guest Column - Rene Greff

Opinion: Transfer of DDA parking money to city fails the transparency test

I didn’t disagree with the DDA’s decision to hand over $2 million to the city because I don’t think the DDA has an obligation to be a good financial partner with the city. I do, especially during difficult economic times.

The DDA captures about $1.9 million annually from the city. In addition to the $2 million it just voted to give to the city, it already pays the city $1.6 million a year toward street maintenance and bond payments for the court/police facility.

Updated: Tempers flare as DDA votes to hand over $2 million to Ann Arbor with no strings attached

Mayor John Hieftje was accused of having a conflict of interest today, along with City Council Member Sandi Smith, because they both earn paychecks from the city and were voting on a $2 million transfer of DDA funds to the city. The DDA's attorney decided both Hieftje and Smith, who are DDA board members, could vote on the issue.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

Tempers flared and accusations flew during a two-hour debate today at a meeting of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.

By a 7-4 vote, the DDA's governing board agreed to transfer $2 million in parking revenue to the city of Ann Arbor. The money, which the DDA is under no obligation to provide, will help the city plug a hole in its 2010-11 budget and retain the jobs of several police officers and firefighters.

Project manager's decision to award $21.4 million concrete bid to itself causes controversy

A $21.4 million contract has been awarded for the structural concrete portion of the South Fifth Avenue underground parking deck project in downtown Ann Arbor.

It's the largest sum of money any contractor will be paid as part of the publicly funded project being undertaken by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.

With poll: New study recommends extending downtown Ann Arbor parking meter enforcement to 9 p.m.

The debate over extending parking meter enforcement hours past 6 p.m. in downtown Ann Arbor has reemerged.

The Downtown Development Authority's governing board voted 11-0 today to endorse the new Public Parking & Transportation Demand Management Strategies Plan, which recommends shifting enforcement of on-street parking meters so they extend three hours later to 9 p.m.

Ann Arbor DDA Looks to the Future - Make Your Voice Heard

Many of you are aware of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA), but it's likely not often you get a sense of the people and the passions that help make it tick. As a result, I thought I would begin my contributing stint to AnnArbor.com by introducing myself and invite you to introduce yourself in return.

$2 million from DDA could help close Ann Arbor's budget gap

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's governing board took action Wednesday to set aside $2 million that could help the city balance its budget.

The DDA's governing board voted 7-4 to approve a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes a $2 million contingency. Whether the city gets that money hinges on the pending renegotiation of a parking agreement with the DDA.

With poll: 6 proposals: Ann Arbor leaders must decide between development and open space

Ann Arbor officials will have their pick between polar opposites - a new high-rise development or an urban park - when they decide the fate of the Library Lot downtown.

Six competing proposals have emerged in response to a request for proposals for a 1.2-acre city-owned lot in the heart of downtown.

Three of them are hotel-related. Another envisions a senior citizen apartment complex. And two propose urban park concepts.

Ann Arbor DDA subsidy for Zipcars has been money well-spent

There are no easy answers to traffic and parking congestion in downtown Ann Arbor, but there’s one zippy answer that’s beginning to catch on.

The Downtown Development Authority has agreed to add two more vehicles to the fleet of Zipcars it sponsors, raising the total to six.

This innovative program has been a hit in Ann Arbor and a case of money well spent toward the cause of getting the community to consider alternative forms of transportation.

TOP 10 BEST STREETS: Ann Arbor's Main Street makes list of best streets in nation

Ann Arbor's downtown Main Street has been recognized as one of the Top 10 streets in the nation.

The American Planning Association, which recognizes excellence in planning, announced today that Ann Arbor's main downtown thoroughfare made the list in its 2009 Great Places in America: Streets contest.

Ann Arbor DDA waiting for maximum price of parking lot construction

Excavation is expected to begin soon for the Fifth Avenue underground parking structure, but the Downtown Development Authority is still waiting for a price commitment before finalizing its construction manager hire.

The DDA has not yet gotten a guaranteed maximum price for the project from The Christman Co. of Lansing.

"We were sort of expecting to have a construction manager in place at this time," DDA Chairman John Splitt said at today's DDA meeting. "We still do not have a guaranteed maximum price, so that has been delayed."

'Local currency' considered by Ann Arbor DDA to fuel local shopping

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority is studying the possibility of creating a local currency to promote shopping at locally owned and operated businesses. 

DDA Executive Director Susan Pollay has authorized a $6,000 grant to research the idea. Think Local First, a Washtenaw County-based association of more than 200 independent businesses, will conduct the study and report to the DDA board early next year.

DDA officials break ground on parking structure project in downtown Ann Arbor; lawsuit won't stop project

City and DDA officials marked the ground-breaking of the new underground parking structure Thursday.

Ryan Stanton | AnnArbor.com

Officials from the city of Ann Arbor and the Downtown Development Authority joined Thursday afternoon for the ceremonial ground-breaking of the Fifth Avenue underground parking structure.

Putting their shovels to the dirt, they signaled the start of construction work expected to last the next two years. Crews will dig a hole big enough to fill with a four-story, 667-space parking garage.

Large turnout as Ann Arbor officials hold first meeting with prospective developers of Library Lot

An air of excitement filled city hall this morning as Ann Arbor officials met with prospective developers and architects interested in the downtown "Library Lot."

"I expect there are some of you here who are curious and some of you who desire to submit proposals, and some more of you who are curious," City Administrator Roger Fraser told a crowd of more than 50 people gathered for a mandatory pre-proposal meeting.

More than 50 people turned out for today's pre-proposal meeting to discuss the opportunity of developing on the Library Lot in downtown Ann Arbor.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

Fraser and his staff discussed the city's vision for development atop the underground parking structure being built along South Fifth Avenue. The city recently sent out a request for proposals, and today's meeting was mandatory for any developers who plan to submit a project by the city's 2 p.m. Nov. 13 deadline.

Library lot to close next week for start of underground parking structure project in downtown Ann Arbor

The parking lot next to Ann Arbor's downtown library will close at midnight next Wednesday for the beginning of a $59 million underground parking structure project.

Neighbors are bracing for the start of a construction season that's expected to last through August 2011, promising to bring some inconvenience for the next two years.

The parking lot next to the downtown Ann Arbor District LIbrary on Fifth Avenue is the site of a planned underground parking garage. A group of investors wants to build a hotel and convention center atop of the parking garage. Steve Pepple | Ann Arbor.com

Librarians are getting the word out to patrons that they'll need to seek alternate parking during the project. Meanwhile, two businesses continue to fight the city of Ann Arbor and the Downtown Development Authority, claiming the construction will have a devastating impact on their businesses and the surrounding environment.

"This is definitely going to put a crimp in business, there's no doubt," said restaurateur Ali Ramlawi, owner of Jerusalem Garden at 307 S. Fifth Ave. "And there's nothing we can do now but brace for the storm that's going to come."