How can Ann Arbor make itself friendly to young professionals?
Google employee Kate Rose begins a series called Know Y in Concentrate today about how Ann Arbor can become a "town that young people would come to without Google's presence."
Her first post is about housing options for the young professional but plans to address other issues in future posts. She writes today about frustration with housing choices downtown:
"Here's the crux of the problem; with most of us in our early 20s to late 30s, we fall outside Ann Arbor's demographic check boxes. We are not students, we are not young families (most of us - though that's changing), and we are not senior citizens. We have no current affiliation to the university. We are working professionals and, dare I say 'yuppies' in the public lexicon. Where were the options for us to upgrade our living situation if we want to be downtown?"
Comments
A Pretty Ann Arbor
Tue, Oct 13, 2009 : 12:31 p.m.
When I moved to Ann Arbor to go to grad school we were very much young professionals. We bought a home in an affordable neighborhood and took out a 6-year mortgage to get us through school. We decided after school to stay in A2 - got a 30-year mortgage. That is what a young professional can do. They can also rent nice homes in nice neighborhoods that are walkable to downtown or use some of the transportation options available to get downtown. There are nice condos and apartments available as well. Good grief I see signs all over the place - for rent...why do we need more? Just because it is new doesn't make it better...133 Hill is BRAND SPANKIN NEW and isn't fully rented. Go on Craig's list and you will find hundreds of options. Come on if you really want to be honest there are lots of options. Besides the Moravian and City Place ARE NOT DOWNTOWN they are near downtown - and lots of young professionals already live in that neighborhood, come on take a look at what is already out there before you tear down more homes.