The politics of green: Moravian project shows need for open-minded discourse
I used to think that anything green would be embraced by Ann Arbor. I guess that isn't really true. I may have been a little naïve or idealistic about this, but it is an aspect of Ann Arbor that I was always proud of.
This week we saw a near downtown LEED certified, geothermally heated building project rejected by City Council. It's called the Moravian.
The project would have brought 150 people into the downtown neighborhood. These new residents would likely be walking or biking, shopping and eating downtown. In a way that New Yorkers have the smallest carbon footprint in the country, these folks would likely see their use of an automobile drop dramatically. I know this from personal experience. My partner and I live in a near downtown neighborhood, and our vehicle use has dropped to less than 6,000 miles annually, even though we are Realtors and show a lot of properties.
So why would a project that seems so green, so Ann Arborish, not go through? The opposition to the project comes almost exclusively from the neighbors and property owners in the newly branded Germantown to the north of the proposed project site. Their arguments? The building was too darn big for their neighborhood. It would be filled with students. Traffic would increase. Noise would increase. One neighbor spoke eloquently of the joys of waking early to the sunrise and the sounds of silence. Unfortunately, the tone of conversation was not always so pleasant. Young professionals expressed a desire to live in modern housing near downtown. Established property owners defended their investments. Both sides brought a sense of entitlement to the conversation.
My hope is that we can have civil discourse about right sizing and right locating new projects. As a community, we voted for a greenbelt to be established around the city. As a community, we speak of an urban density that supports amenities such as a grocer, a hardware store or a drug store. As a community, we embrace green living, reducing our carbon footprint, and alternative transportation. As a community, I hope we shun the vitriolic tone of opposition politics occurring at the national level.
As a community, I hope that we can get back to a place that allows us to listen to each other with an open mind instead of a hardened heart.
Greenfully yours,
Linda Lombardini
734-216-6415
Linda@TrilliumRealtors.com
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Comments
Linda Lombardini
Sun, Apr 11, 2010 : 12:53 p.m.
Lokalisierung - good observations. Hot Sam - couldn't agree with you more. DaRyan - it's not because I'm a Realtor. It's because I can't find anything near downtown for my clients to rent. This w/e with all the residents coming in looking...a nightmare of no rentals to show them.
DaRyan
Sat, Apr 10, 2010 : 12:51 p.m.
A Realtor supporting development. Not shocking.
Hot Sam
Sat, Apr 10, 2010 : 8:58 a.m.
You need to understand that NIMBY over rides GREEN every day....
Lokalisierung
Fri, Apr 9, 2010 : 6:13 p.m.
"One neighbor spoke eloquently of the joys of waking early to the sunrise and the sounds of silence." What Time does Fingerle open? Seriously it's always the same in this town. There's a good looking project and the neighborhood comes down and claims if one thing was differnt they would love the projeect, this is of course false. It's so big I'll never see the sun again, this is of course false. The neighborhood will get too loud; this coming from 1 block away from main street, across the street from a lumber yard, and 2 blocks from where the marching band practices. The truth is it's their neighborhood, and they love it, and I don't blame them. What to me, looks like a half broken down, unkept, deserted and filthy neighborhood. Lit up by a mix of the neon lights across the street, the light up billboard towering over the block, and the crackle of flouresent tubing coming from a party store is their precious little neighborhood. Their fotress of bueaty is to me, one of the worst looking areas in Ann Arbor. But of course, a great plan to improve the neighborhood, is shot down by some old folks trying to keep those kids off their damn lawn. I'd say it's sad, but it was too obvious an outcome to tear up about.