Meeting planned Thursday to discuss future of Washtenaw Avenue corridor
An open house to discuss the future of the Washtenaw Avenue corridor stretching between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti will be held for business owners and the community on Thursday morning.
For months, planners and government officials have been meeting to formulate what they're dubbing a "re-visioning plan" to reduce sprawl and increase density along the five-mile route, relying on the rising demand for public transit and pedestrian-friendly connections.
Planners are working on the future of busy Washtenaw Avenue.
On Thursday, the community is invited to drop by anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at Paesano's restaurant, 3411 Washtenaw Ave.
The event will feature a series of stations with information on the project, as well as interactive exhibits that will allow people to weigh in on their visual preferences for development along the corridor, label areas with access issues, and other related concerns.
The Washtenaw Avenue corridor project is a collaborative effort between Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township, Ypsilanti Township and the city of Ypsilanti.
More information, as well as an online survey, is available at www.WashtenawAvenue.org.
Comments
aaudubon
Wed, Jul 14, 2010 : 2:18 p.m.
A meeting was held in the evening last week in order to accommodate residents and those who work the typical 8-5. This morning meeting is in response to a number of requests from business owners and people who work alternate schedules (of which there are many)who find morning meetings more accessible. Come see what "density", "walkability" and these other terms mean, and how they can apply to the corridor. Hopefully everyone can both learn and teach a bit!
russellr
Wed, Jul 14, 2010 : 1:42 p.m.
Gee I wish I could say I had a job and couldn't attend. It would be nice to have a job. Also just blame Aborland for not letting AATA have there stops there, their contract expired and they said no more buses.
tlb1201
Wed, Jul 14, 2010 : 12:20 p.m.
And does the plan include new places for the AATA buses to stop so they don't continuously snarl-up Washtenaw Ave. traffic at peak times? A trolley/tram/monorail could be an efficient way of moving people along Washtenaw and throughout town, but there are some mighty big "if's" that would have to be answered. If people would actually use it... If it got busses and cars off of the road... If it saved on other infrastructure costs in some way... If it could pay its own way... But how realistic is any of that?
jmac
Wed, Jul 14, 2010 : 7:57 a.m.
The plan seeks "to reduce sprawl and increase density" along this portion of Washtenaw. Please define 'sprawl'. There have to be 20 strip malls and all of Arborland along this stretch. This is not dense enough???? And will this plan address the choking auto traffic patterns along this area, especially in an out of all these businesses AND especially around the US23 interchange?? Will it really attempt to address the current run-for-your-life issues with pedestrian access and bus stops along this stretch? And I agree with Forevery27; I will be at work and unable to 'drop by' between 7:30-9:30 am. How about scheduling this when working people can actually attend and have some input?
Bonnie
Tue, Jul 13, 2010 : 4:22 p.m.
@Forever27- there was also a public forum last Thursday, from 430p-630p, that unfortunately didn't get much publicity. If you'd like to provide input about Washtenaw Avenue- what things you'd like to improve, what things you'd like to have left alone- visit the website at http://www.washtenawavenue.org/. There's quite a bit of background information up there, too, if you'd like to do some background reading on the project.
kenUM
Tue, Jul 13, 2010 : 12:36 p.m.
Hey lets include a monorail or some other ridiculous trolley system. Throw in AATA and get the University to pay for it!
Forever27
Tue, Jul 13, 2010 : 12:30 p.m.
wow, it's nice of them to hold the open forum when most people will be at work and unable to attend.