$2.6M for train station design included in Ann Arbor's proposed capital budget
Ann Arbor officials are proposing tens of millions of dollars in capital improvements over the next two years, including final design of a new Amtrak station and more renovations to city hall.
City officials also are considering hundreds of thousands of dollars in upgrades to fire stations, even as City Administrator Steve Powers says closing some stations remains an option.
The city's staff presented its recommended capital projects budget for fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15 at a special work session of the City Council Monday night.
Mayor John Hieftje, left, and City Administrator Steve Powers chat before the start of Monday night's Ann Arbor City Council work session.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
That includes nearly $28 million for a long list of street and bridge projects, and nearly $45 million for work related to the city's water, sewer and stormwater systems.
Nearly $7.4 million falls under the alternative transportation category, including $160,000 for a bike share program and $2.6 million for final design of Ann Arbor Station.
Train station costs
Ann Arbor Station is the name given to the new train station city officials have been talking about building on Fuller Road in front of the University of Michigan Hospital.
As part of the required planning phase, the city is taking a second look at using the site of the existing Amtrak station on Depot Street, but Mayor John Hieftje and the city's transportation program manager believe Fuller Road would better accommodate the growing demand for passenger rail.
The city's long-term Capital Improvements Plan anticipates construction of a new train station could cost $44.5 million, and the city is counting on federal funding to come through for that.
The city was successful in securing $2.8 million in federal funding for the planning work being done right now, but the city still has had to contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars from its general fund cash reserves. The capital budget presented Monday night suggests as much as $520,000 more might have to come from the city's general fund in 2014-15.
Council Member Sumi Kailasapathy, D-1st Ward, remains concerned about spending money on a new train station.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
"This is quite a large item," said Council Member Mike Anglin, D-5th Ward. "I'm a little confused as to the direction that staff thought they had here from council."
Council Member Sumi Kailasapathy, D-1st Ward, said she's concerned about the city investing its money in a new train station. She said many uncertainties remain, including how the new Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority might connect Ann Arbor and Detroit with buses.
"We really need to pause and take a deep breath and figure out whether we need to be pouring more money into a railway station," she said, suggesting it could be a waste.
Eli Cooper, the city's transportation program manager, cited the council's 2009 adoption of a transportation plan update that include 20 years worth of transportation improvements that were reviewed by the Planning Commission and adopted as part of the city's master plan.
"We currently have a grant for the preliminary planning environmental study of Ann Arbor Station," he said. "We anticipate that work will be complete within 12 to 18 months. The logical sequence to that is a final design project. And looking at the adopted city transportation plan and the current funding strategy, we felt it was our responsibility to identify the next step within the CIP program."
Cooper said the city anticipates the Federal Railroad Administration's High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program will cover 80 percent of the overall costs for the train station project with the remaining 20 percent provided from local, non-federal funds.
"Recognizing the project is in the early phases of planning, the cost estimates are very preliminary, as are the anticipated non-federal funding sources," he said.
Commuter rail parking
The capital budget also shows $540,000 being spent over the next two years for temporary parking for a proposed commuter rail service between Ann Arbor and Detroit.
The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the Michigan Department of Transportation have been hinting at the potential launch of demonstration trains later this year.
Cooper said the plan is to use a portion of the MichCon site next to the Amtrak station for a temporary 100-vehicle parking lot for two to three years. He said the city would be looking to MDOT and SEMCOG to provide funding out of their demonstration project grant.
Council Member Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward, asked city staff about the $2.5 million budgeted for rehabilitation of the Fuller Road/Maiden Lane/East Medical Center Drive bridges.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Council Member Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward, asked why the bridge rehabilitation project, which was supposed to be funded in 2016-17, was moved up to 2014-15.
Nick Hutchinson, interim manager of the project management unit, said it was moved up after looking at bridge inspection reports that indicated doing the work sooner would be more cost effective.
"In addition, there's also a project in the works for the improvement of that intersection there and we wanted to get all that into the same year," he said.
The capital budget shows nearly $3.8 million being spent over the next two years for intersection improvements at Fuller Road and Maiden Lane/East Medical Center Drive.
Other transportation-related expenses shown in the capital budget include $800,000 over next two fiscal years for more solar-powered ePark pay stations downtown.
City hall and fire stations
Also contemplated in the budget is $2.7 million worth of work on city-owned buildings, including $600,000 for asbestos abatement on floors 2-5 inside city hall and $500,000 worth of renovations to the City Council chambers and other areas on the second floor of city hall.
City officials also are planning for more than $538,000 in upgrades to city fire stations, including a $150,000 renovation at Station 2 in the next fiscal year.
Station 2, located at Stadium and Packard, was closed more than a decade ago, but there are talks of bringing it back into service if the Ann Arbor Fire Department switches from a five-station model to a three-station model. The city's community standards unit is using it right now.
Powers acknowledged the placement of renovations to Station 2 in next year's budget is tied to the station restructuring plan. If the council decides not to go forward with the plan, he said, then the project could wait, but the city still should plan on putting a new roof on the building regardless.
The City Council ultimately will decide which capital projects get approved and which ones get put on the shelf when it adopts its budget for the next fiscal year in May.
Nearly $6.9 million worth of projects fall under the category of parks and recreation, including $400,000 for the creation of a greenway park with new trails at 721 N. Main.
The capital budget also shows $650,000 for the future re-use of 415 W. Washington, a city property where city officials hope to create another greenway park and arts center.
Airport runway expansion
The Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, which is located in Pittsfield Township, has $2.9 million worth of capital projects shown in the budget, including a $2.1 million runway extension next fiscal year. At least two residents opposed to the project showed up to Monday night's meeting.
Matt Kulhanek, the city's airport manager, said an environmental assessment done in advance of the expansion has been under review with the Federal Aviation Administration since September. It was expected to take up to six months and the city is still waiting to hear back.
Briere said she doesn't see how the council could approve a budget that includes going forward with the runway expansion without first hearing back from the FAA and seeing the assessment.
Wet weather mitigation
Council Member Stephen Kunselman, D-3rd Ward, noted the capital budget shows $2.5 million in costs linked to the city's footing drain disconnection program next fiscal year, but that zeros out in the years after that. A total of $2.5 million is anticipated to be spent in 2014-15 on long-term "wet weather mitigation," followed by $48 million worth of additional work in that area in future years.
The city's staff said there's potential to spend a significant amount of money on capital projects aimed at dealing with storm events. Systems Planning Manager Cresson Slotten noted the city's stormwater drainage system "just can't handle all of that rainwater" during heavier storms, and the result is surface flooding in some areas, which the city is actively studying right now.
The budget also includes $100,000 in the next fiscal year to study how to best replace 1930s-era infrastructure at the Water Treatment Plant, a project that could cost tens of millions of dollars.
Street construction
Some of the street projects included in the proposed capital budget for the next two years:
- Stadium Boulevard (Hutchins to Kipke)
- Stone School Road (I-94 to Ellsworth)
- Ann Arbor-Saline Road (Oak Valley Drive to Eisenhower Parkway)
- Geddes Avenue (Apple Way to Huron Parkway)
- Pontiac Trail (M-14 to Skydale)
- State Street (Eisenhower to I-94)
- Forest (South University to Hill)
- Pauline (Stadium to Seventh)
- Fifth Avenue (Kingsley to Catherine)
- Packard (Anderson to Eisenhower)
- Scio Church (Main to Seventh)
- South Maple (Jackson to West Stadium)
- Washington (First to Fourth Avenue)
- Division (Madison to Huron)
- Liberty (First to Main)
- Newport Road (Sunset to city limits)
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
Retiree Newcomer
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:27 p.m.
Ann Arbor elected officials seem to be lacking common sense. First priority is to make sure that the citizens are safe, ie fire and police. 2nd make sure that a good education is available to all. 3rd fix infrastructure, roads and bridges. Why are these basic needs going to the bottom of the agenda? This is a wakeup call for those who really care about the citizens of this city. Many of the projects are frills and the train station should not be done at this point in time.
Doug
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 10:51 p.m.
$2.6M for train station design? No problem! We're rolling in money!
Gerry
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 2:47 p.m.
Why can't we spend the money for the train station instead on bulldozing downtown and making it into a park??? Then we could build giant, sprawled development in the suburbs, build a bunch of new roads, tear up the countryside, and brag about how unique we are because no other MI community is developed around automotive sprawl...
Larry Baird
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 1:47 p.m.
"The capital budget also shows $2.5 million for rehabilitation of the Fuller Road/Maiden Lane/East Medical Center Drive bridges..... City officials said those are longstanding needs separate from the train station project." If this claim is true, than city officials need to clearly demonstrate why this road project appears to be "leapfrogging" other sections of city roadway that are in much worse shape. This project reminds me of the major utility work recently completed on the Fuller Rd. site which also took precedent over severely neglected sections of the water and sewer system within the city. Where is the justification (if not for the potential train station site?) for the continued diversion of financial resources away from more deserving city projects and basic funding needs?
DonBee
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 1:33 p.m.
I can hear that train a coming, it is coming round the bend and what is says is: "Spend, spend, spend, spend, spend, Woo hoo" (to the tune of the Johnny Cash Song - Folsom Prison Blues)
KIKIPIE
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 12:46 p.m.
Great photo of Ms. Briere!
SonnyDog09
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 12:22 p.m.
Will they still be skimming a percent for art from each of these capital projects?
DonBee
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 7:05 p.m.
Of course we will - after all we need a brass choo-choo train for city hall with the names of the city council members engraved on it.
ordmad
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 5:11 a.m.
It's amazing how the anti-everything trolls show up here but not at the polls. If your voices were truly representative of the electorate things would be different. Thank goodness they are not.
Veracity
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 6:12 a.m.
ordmad - Oh, really? Here are some "differences" with City Council as a result of the last two elections: Jane Lumm Sumi Kailasapathy Sally Hart Petersen Chuck Warpehoski Hmmm.
Veracity
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 4:20 a.m.
Let us hope that the present City Council with four new members added in the last couple of years will not be rushed and bullied into approving construction of a railway station which is not needed and poorly located (except for those working at the University Hospital). In 2009 railway preliminaries were approved by former City Council members having their own agendas. The new City Council members won election on the basis of their dedication to representing their constituents who have clearly and frequently expressed their disagreement with spending money on a new railway station.
Pete Warburton
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 4:15 a.m.
Let us start spending money on a plan and design for a new train station when the feds have the first 25 miles of high speed track and right of way complete. We should have a decade from that point in time to get the station complete.
Gerry
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 2:50 p.m.
There is more than 25 miles of high speed track complete in western MI, and the state has taken ownership of the line and is presently fixing it.
talker
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 3:19 a.m.
How many police officers and firefighters could be hired instead? How many property taxpayers would appreciate getting a little money back instead of spending it on planning for a station we don't need and can't afford? Just say "no" to the train station!
TheDiagSquirrel
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 2:29 a.m.
Hieftje has become the epitome of a self-serving mayor. He is only concerned about leaving a legacy, in the tangible forms of un-needed train stations and crappy art projects.
DJBudSonic
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 2:09 a.m.
Can anyone guess who will be getting the money to design the train station? I am SURE it will be a competitive and transparent process to award that contract. NO WAY would it ever go to a city hall crony company.
Doug
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 10:48 p.m.
My guess is that you're not betting more than $1
buvda fray
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 1:56 a.m.
This has evolved into Ann Arbor's Winter Festival: Top of the Pork.
RUKiddingMe
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 1:04 a.m.
1) I thought they built the new Justice Center because the old City Hall was beyond any financially feasible repair and was unusable; weren't all those terrible stores they kept going on about part of that whole deal? Leaking roofs, smelly corners, cramped cubicles, asbestos? Am I getting my buildings mixed up? Was the plan always to build the new Justice Center, then reonate the entirety of city all and continue using it anyway? How muc office space, exactly, is necessary to run a town of this size? 2) If the citizens of Ann Arbor don't start attending these sessions and emailing councilmembers and the mayor en masse, they will continue throwing millions and millions of dollars on this ridiculous train station idea. You see, don't you, that they simply will not quit because of common sense, or responsibility, or sense of shame or propriety? 3) We need more airport now? Seriously? Let me guess, all these glowing job projections are anticipating new employees flying into Ann Arbor; then they'll take the train home because the new station, right? Fix the roads. Driving down State is an incessant bumpy back-and-forth embarrassment. Stop trying to figure out NEW ways to spend money, and spend it on the stuff that actually needs work. You do know our roads are humiliating, right? Like when visitors come here from beautiful towns that have 1/3 of our property taxes, and we have to figure out a way to explain to them why our roads are so horrendous and we should drive our car so they don't damage their car, and oh, to your right you see our gorgeous $750 million (and counting) fountain.
DJBudSonic
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 2:17 a.m.
Our roads are a joke. They re-did my street three years ago and it is already falling apart, no kidding, there are a dozen pot holes in our block, none smaller than 18" diameter and 3" deep. Someone from engineering should take a look, clearly it was a shoddy job the first time. Sue the contractor, make them stand behind their work.
Solitude
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:43 p.m.
"The capital budget also shows $2.5 million for rehabilitation of the Fuller Road/Maiden Lane/East Medical Center Drive bridges near the U-M Hospital..." How nice it must be for the U to have a dedicated employee/paid lobbyist as mayor of Ann Arbor.
Nicholas Urfe
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 3:52 a.m.
Have you been under those bridges?
DJBudSonic
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 2:18 a.m.
Those bridges appear to be in decent shape, I can't figure this item at all.
a2grateful
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:26 p.m.
It is of little surprise that an article like this follows two articles on our mayor begging UM for money. Although the 2012 city audit shows revenues are up, Mayor Hieftje wants more, more, more for his longterm pet projects. The problem is that although the city has ability to further debt load astronomically, it has little capability to repay the debt. Funding capital items is the tip of the iceberg. Funding operations is the rest of the untold story. The solutions: Cut services. Collect more taxes. Although a recent council retreat produced a back-to-basic philosophy, unabated folly* foolosophy remains. So, dear Ann Arbor residents: now is the time to contact your council person and mayor to share your views on the matter. All aboard, or not? *Refers to: - Lack of ethics policies for council, mayor, and DDA - Unfunded pensions and healthcare - Reduction of public safety personnel below recognized minimums - Closure of fire stations - $80-million-dollar underground parking structures - Diversion of dedicated millage funds to non-related endeavors - Use of parkland for anything other than parks, without voter approval - Amtrak stations not paid for by Amtrak - WALLY paid disproportionately by city residents - Countywide bus services paid disproportionately by city residents - Airport expansion enabling larger jets to fly low over Ann Arbor neighborhoods - Conference centers and other DDA projects to be subsidized by city residents - Destruction of established and clear pedestrian law - Choices not to enforce established housing code, traffic laws, and other ordinances - Diversion of DDA tax collections from public schools, libraries, and city general fund - Recycling program that is founded on crony no-bid contracts, accepts less material than old program, and then sends much collected material to landfills - General prevailing mindset by elected leaders that basic municipal service provision is no longer required in Ann Arbor
Basic Bob
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:52 p.m.
Apparently you approved of the perpetual use of parkland as a gravel parking lot for hospital employees.
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:58 p.m.
On the justifcation for staff spending millions more on the unapproved train station, we get the circular logic that it is okay because we've already spent money on it. This is how a preliminary study snowballs into the assumption to greenlight millions upon millions, all without taxpayer approval: "We currently have a grant for the preliminary planning environmental study of Ann Arbor Station," he said. "We anticipate that work will be complete within 12 to 18 months. The logical sequence to that is a final design project. And looking at the adopted city transportation plan and the current funding strategy, we felt it was our responsibility to identify the next step within the CIP program."
Brad
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:22 p.m.
Three words: sunk cost fallacy
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:55 p.m.
"Cooper said the plan is to use a portion of the MichCon site next to the Amtrak station for a temporary 100-vehicle parking lot for two to three years." I thought that was going to be a park? Are we again repurposing our public park land for a parking lot?
Tom Whitaker
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:51 p.m.
The piece of land just on the other side of the tracks from the current Amtrak station, where Amtrak passengers currently park, is owned by Amtrak, not MichCon. This strip would not automatically be included in any park deal arranged between the City and MichCon. Mr. Cooper always seems to fail to clarify the ownership of the land across from the current Amtrak station whenever he's given the opportunity to do so. Perhaps this is to downplay the viability of that site for a new Amtrak station?
deb
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:48 p.m.
Ryan, do we need parking for am track? Ridership numbers are about the same as they were in the late 90's
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:28 p.m.
The plan is to make the riverfront portion that was cleaned up (and where new vegetation is being planted) into a city park, and that hasn't changed. I can't imagine that would be paved over. But I think a good portion of the MichCon site will be reserved for redevelopment (there have been talks of office space, a restaurant, etc.) It seems the city is thinking it can have an interim parking lot there. FYI - there's a map of the cleanup area here: http://www.annarbor.com/news/dte-energy-calls-michcon-cleanup-success/
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:50 p.m.
"The capital budget also shows $2.5 million for rehabilitation of the Fuller Road/Maiden Lane/East Medical Center Drive bridges near the U-M Hospital and the potential site of the new train station" Why isn't the University paying for those bridge improvements? Isn't it enough that taxpayers are bankrolling their railway station and parking?
Bill
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 3:30 a.m.
I believe that road changes are often paid in whole or part by a large business when the change significantly benefits the business.
Nicholas Urfe
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 12:06 a.m.
Yes, Bob. Please keep that in mind for when I become a billion+ dollar business that does not pay taxes.
Basic Bob
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:55 p.m.
We'll keep that in mind when they replace a major bridge near your house and make sure the city adds it to your property tax bill. Many people use the Fuller Road bridge to get downtown as well as the hospital.
Solitude
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:30 p.m.
EXACTLY my thoughts. Why should the city pay for road/intersection changes/improvements that solely benefit the U? Especially with the entitled attitude displayed by U administration on the subject of PILOT programs, etc.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:49 p.m.
"South Maple (Jackson to West Stadium)" By my estimation, that's about 500 feet.
foobar417
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:47 p.m.
It's in terrible shape.
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:24 p.m.
It seems short, yes. But it's still a $400K resurfacing project for 2013-14.
Barzoom
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:34 p.m.
More money wasted on things that the residents of this town neither need nor want. We definitely need some new people and ideas in our city government.
Kathy Griswold
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:24 p.m.
Regarding funding for the Ann Arbor Station, the article states: "Eli Cooper, the city's transportation program manager, cited the council's 2009 adoption of a transportation plan…" Given that we have a very different Council in 2013, maybe we need to listen to new council member Sumi Kailasapathy, D-1st Ward: ""We really need to pause and take a deep breath and figure out whether we need to be pouring more money into a railway station," she said, suggesting it could be a waste." I appreciate the contributions of the the new council members, especially time spent studying a very complex budget and asking for appropriate justification.
Arboriginal
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:01 p.m.
Just say NO to a train station on Fuller!
Stephen Landes
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:55 p.m.
So the entrenched staff want to spend $2.6 million doing final design on a railroad station for a piece of land they cannot currently use and likely would not get voter approval to use? This is brilliant, just brilliant. We've been slowly pulled down this path by the Mayor, his cronies, and city staff for years, one little drip of money after another. Now they want to spend all this money on a final design so they can tell us that we HAVE to vote to change the parkland into railroad land or else we will have wasted millions. NOTHING they propose in the area of Fuller and the Hospital is disconnected from their main goal -- the Hieftje Memorial Railroad Station. Time for Council to say "NO" in a big way to this deceptive approach to dealing with voters.
talker
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 3:52 a.m.
Federal funds aren't a certainty. I believe there are better uses for Federal funds than a new train station.
Stephen Landes
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 1:29 a.m.
Ryan, Who in their right mind would plan a budget around the Feds providing 80% of the money when we are looking at a sequester of $1 Trillion over ten years and $17 Trillion in debt? That, right there, disqualifies city staff from further work on this subject.
jcj
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:30 p.m.
it's the city's expectation that the feds would put up 80% of the costs It's not like the Cities expectations have ever been wrong!
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:02 p.m.
Just for clarification: As Eli Cooper stated in the story, it's the city's expectation that the feds would put up 80% of the costs, so the local share of the $2.6M final design would be $520,000 that could come from the city's general fund or another source.
deb
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:48 p.m.
$2.6Million to design an Amtrak station that has been roundly criticized!? But, only 100k to figure out how to replace the antiquated water treatment plant?! One of these things is actually important to all residents of the city, the other is not
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:08 p.m.
I don't believe the $100K to study the water plant is going to come back with a final design for a project. My understanding is that the study will give the city some good information about options for new technology, and then a project would have to be planned out from there.
Bill
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:36 p.m.
Any details available on "$500,000 worth of renovations to the City Council chambers and other areas on the second floor of city hall?"
Solitude
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:22 p.m.
How about how much of a shortfall the city has, or is projected to have, in its mandatory pension system contributions? While they are redecorating their offices, gifting UofM with more city-funded road projects (Maiden Lane/Medical Center Drive) and compiling their wish lists, how much money they are already required to spend are they diverting for non-essentials?
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:06 p.m.
I'm trying to get more information on that right now. Stay tuned. Anything else you want me to find out?
Dog Guy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:22 p.m.
Future Ann Arborites shall be paying for Boss Hieftje's fantasies long after most of these have been removed, rescinded, or covered over. Oldsters recounting the moralizing Oompa Loompa choruses to these follies will scarcely be believed.
foobar417
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 7:54 p.m.
1) Turn the entirety of the Michcon land into a park. 2) Turn the current train station and parking lot into parking for the park. 3) Open up the berm beneath the tracks to link the new park with the parking along depot for pedestrians and cyclists and to prevent flooding. 4) Turn the Fuller parking lot into a train station and parking lot. 5) Convince U of M to finance a some form of public transportation between Plymouth Road and Briarwood.
BPinAA
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 3:53 p.m.
I agree with foobar and Bob, but also understand that people feel very strongly that the current site being considered for a train station is park land and should be voted on by the citizens. So put it to a vote.
James D'Amour
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:50 p.m.
@Basic Bob: While the land South of Fuller is currently being utilized as a parking lot, it is indeed city parkland and a repurpose of the land from park purposes would need a public vote of its citizens.
Basic Bob
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:57 p.m.
I can agree with this. Finally someone who can see that the so-called park land for the proposed train station is in reality a gravel parking lot.
Joe Hood
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 7:36 p.m.
Yeah on fixing Stadium between the Main and the bridge! I don't understand how the buckets of money work in the City of Ann Arbor (but I certainly will try). And a a big fat "NO" to making the Michcon property into an immense parking lot!