Owner agrees to sell 2 South Division properties to University of Michigan
The two houses on the left —541 and 543 South Division Street— are owned by David Copi, who has agreed to sell to the University of Michigan, according to his son, Sam Copi. U-M plans to raze the houses and build an eight-story graduate residence.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
David Copi has agreed to sell two properties on South Division Street near downtown Ann Arbor to the University of Michigan so the school can make way for a new eight-story residence hall.
Copi was the only obstacle standing between the university and its proposed $185 million housing project.
The university had threatened to pursue eminent domain in order to acquire 541 and 543 S. Division because Copi originally had declined to sell the properties when approached in December, according to his son, Sam Copi.
AnnArbor.com report on graduate student housing
- University of Michigan's proposed 600-bed graduate residence: Game changer in higher education and Ann Arbor
- Where are graduate students living in Ann Arbor?
- Owner agrees to sell 2 South Division properties to University of Michigan
- Family makes a home in University of Michigan's Northwood Apartments
After the university purchased four nearby houses owned by former athletic director Bill Martin in April, Copi, of Ann Arbor-based Copi Properties, reached a deal to sell the two houses to the university.
The sale has not been finalized.
"They approached us in December when Blimpy was sold. We could not come to an agreement at that point," Sam Copi said. The university purchased the property that houses Blimpy Burger and an apartment house, as well as a neighboring property, for $1.5 million in December.
Copi said the university's threat to acquire the two properties through eminent domain was "shocking." He said he wasn't aware the university had officially decided to pursue that route until reading about regents' April 18 decision on AnnArbor.com.
Copi said the issue was the price the university offered for the two properties, which initially was unsatisfactory to his father. Copi declined to comment on the negotiated purchase price for the two houses, but that information will become public once university officials formally approach the Board of Regents about the acquisition.
David Copi originally bought 541 S. Division in 1987 for $110,000. According to Ann Arbor records, the 0.9-acre property has an assessed value of $204,300, which indicates a market value of $408,600. The property at 543 S. Division, which also is 0.9 acres, has an assessed value of $161,900, indicating a market value of $323,800. Copi uses the properties as an income property, renting them to U-M undergraduates.
Copi said his father received above market value for the two houses.
The lease for one house expired last month, and Copi has not rented it again. Leases for the other property expire in September, although it is possible the university could ask tenants to move out in August.
The university plans to raze the eight houses it has acquired since December and erect an 8-story, 600-bed residence hall for graduate students. Plans for the project were approved by regents in April.
This article has been corrected to note that regents do not have to approve the purchase of these properties in a future meeting. When regents authorized the use of eminent domain in April, they gave their consent to the purchase. Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
Lets Get Real
Thu, Jun 13, 2013 : 1:38 p.m.
I'll not live long enough to have my property confiscated by eminent domain, but I will live long enough to be unable to afford to live in Ann Arbor. The rising city taxes, as a result of continued erosion of the tax base by UM removing more and more tax properties from the tax rolls, will negate any ability for the city to compete with surrounding jurisdictions as a place to live. Only the rich, with insider information (i.e. Bill Martin and the likes of) will have the ability to profit from the University's expansion. Can we see the future? Watch the dominos fall: It costs more to live in Ann Arbor, so we must pay the faculty and staff more to afford to live here, and so tuition will go up, taxes that support the U will go up, Ann Arbor property taxes will go up, prices for things bought from businesses in Ann Arbor will go up (because their costs will rise), activity/event prices will go up, and small businesses will be driven out of business (because people will not pay the prices they must demand to make a profit). Self serving, self indulgent, self appointed purveyors of their own self interests. Good neighbor is not a place UM hangs their hat; neither collaborative or even cooperative. Disappointing. UM = Undermine the Masses.
PineyWoodsGuy
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 5:56 a.m.
David Copi, my long time pal! You should have gone to battle with the "U" in an eminent domain lawsuit! Smuck! Ya selled-out for Too Low A Price to the "U."
Ypsi Russell
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 5:08 p.m.
Is Sam Copi the same person as Samuel Marmer Copi?
NSider
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 12:52 p.m.
Unfortunately, in imminent domain proceedings, the property in question can be condemned (some call it rezoning) which then makes it unsalable at normal market prices.
what4
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 12:59 a.m.
Blue 85 is very knowledgeable, and very protective of the Uof M. News and Information Office perhaps? Actually Blue makes some good points, but don't buy that UofM Admin mantra about "if we weren't here Ann Arbor would be nothing. So what? In 1830's that may have been a viable threat, today it is just babble. Go ahead, move to China, that's fine. You'll have to sell your campus to someone and I doubt they will be as terrible neighbors as the UofM has been. Some higher education institutions actually respect the communities where they reside. UofM abuses the community.
blue85
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 1:47 a.m.
"Blue 85 is very knowledgeable, and very protective of the Uof M. News and Information Office perhaps? Actually Blue makes some good points, but don't buy that UofM Admin mantra about "if we weren't here Ann Arbor would be nothing." I've stated before in these AA threads that I've never worked for, nor do I now, UM. "So what? In 1830's that may have been a viable threat, today it is just babble. Go ahead, move to China, that's fine. You'll have to sell your campus to someone and I doubt they will be as terrible neighbors as the UofM has been. Some higher education institutions actually respect the communities where they reside. UofM abuses the community." Sure, UM abuses the community by: a) insulating property prices from the biggest asset market decline since the great depression; b) foregiving $125MM in health care costs per year; c) giving access to museums and parks; d) attracting talented headcount and out of state tuition and research monies and spending most of that locally. UM doesn't pay taxes. That is a drop in the bucket next to the benefits delivered. That people complain about this issue suggests innumeracy, dyscalculia, or simply grinding an axe because UM is successful. Strangely enough, when an entity enjoys outsized success it becomes some sort of perverse lightening rod. I don't get it.
Resident A2
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 12:47 a.m.
I know that we are a University town, but I am sick about the way the U. of M. went about acquiring these properties. I believe, like so many other readers, that they bullied the owner into selling or they would acquire them under eminent domain, and Mr. Copi would probably get less with that route being taken. It looks like there will be 8 less properties on the tax rolls. Unbelievable!
JBK
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 1:15 a.m.
BUT look on the brightside! I am sure there will be 8 more potholes for you to swerve around and/or hit. AND then your tire blows and your rim gets bent or cracked (as mine did). The U would argue that the streets are fine....................lol So it really does not matter that they keep buying up property and thus contributing nothing to our tax base to fix the above mentioned potholes. :)
Veracity
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 4:11 p.m.
Unfortunately the University of Michigan was not created with fixed boundaries which would require negotiation with city officials in order to expand. I do not know if University of Michigan can be prevented from future land purchases outside of its present boundaries but I would hope that our city government will investigate such limitations. Furthermore, threatening imminent domain in order the force the sale of property not essential to the operations of the University should not be allowed. Furthermore, in order to minimize financial losses to the city the University of Michigan should agree to continue to pay property taxes on city properties that would otherwise be removed from city tax rolls. A reasonable annual adjustment in taxes paid based on inflation should be part of the arrangement.
Ross
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 4:40 p.m.
Well put.
jns131
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:59 p.m.
They really need to derail eminent domain. Really put some regulation on this one. UM is becoming almost like a nazi regime. Give it to us or we take it. Well actually? It is ours anyways because we have the power and you don't. Regulate eminent domain, now. Wow. How sad is this?
Ross
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:41 p.m.
I get it now: The best investment in Ann Arbor is truly property adjacent to existing U of M facilities. They will inevitably expand and offer you double market value.
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:18 p.m.
The U is at it again, polluting our groundwater, pumping carcinogens into the air, employing child labor...oh, wait, they don't do any of those things, they run a largely green enterprise and pump $6,000,000,000 a year into the local economy. A few excerpts from the UM news service over the past week (WEEK!). Many schools don't show this much activity in a month…some schools would love to make one such announcement in a year: Protecting our soldiers: "...U-M Transportation ch Institute and U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) aim to make seating in military vehicles safer, more effective and more comfortable for soldiers." Enhancing medical care: "UM joins 70 leading health care, research and disease advocacy organizations from more than 40 countries in an international alliance to enable secure sharing of genomic and clinical data used to learn more about disease." Studying human neurology: "Bing Ye and colleagues shows that manipulating genes of the fruit fly Drosophila to promote the growth of one part of the neuron simultaneously stunts the growth of the other part. Understanding this bimodal nature of neurons is important for researchers developing therapies for spinal cord injury, neurodegeneration and other nervous system diseases, Ye said." Studying energy efficiency: "ANN ARBOR—High-performance thermoelectric materials that convert waste heat to electricity could one day be a source of more sustainable power. But they need to be a lot more efficient before they could be effective on a broad scale in places like power plants or military bases, researchers say. A University of Michigan researcher has taken a step toward that goal. By engineering a semiconducting material at the level of its individual atoms, Pierre Ferdinand P. Poudeu, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, has boosted its ability to convert heat into power by 200 percent and its electrical conductivity by 43 percent."
blue85
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 1:34 a.m.
"Post all the propaganda links you want... " The numbers in those links are in audited university financials certified by, as I recollect, Price Waterhouse. Are you suggesting that partners are betting millions/billions of personal assets based on university misrepresentations, I suggest you call them immediately. "it only takes a moment of practical personal analysis to see the immense waste and lack of true concern for energy consumption that this university has." Yet another assertion utterly devoid of supporting facts or the much threatened analysis. As to the "personal" aspect, anecdotes (you saw a light left on after midnight perhaps?) are, statistically speaking, garbage. Show me even ONE fact to support ANYTHING you have alleged. Don't hint mysteriously. The internet is full of data...adduce some for our amazement. "Your bias is underscored in repeated personal insults and propaganda posts." See above. "Mine stems from actual observations." My observations: the university embracing and building new buildings to the LEED standard, thereby spending current dollars to avoid future impacts; replacing power switches and chiller units to cut cooling costs; building run off containment systems. Adding green roofs to older buildings. You've offered literally zero. " I don't WANT the university to be wasteful, but I see it almost every day, and it makes me sad. You are the one who simply assumes that what they tell you is true." You can walk around campus, read regental minutes, read the financials and empirically observe what is being done...very little in the way of assumptions is called for. "Pull out of the sand, stand back, and objectively observe the situation. Your view might evolve some." If by evolve you mean don't use data, make bald assertions and refuse to analyze, sorry, those attributes are not in my nature. Enjoy your faith-based and fact-free world view, it must streamline your thinking qu
Ross
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 4:39 p.m.
Post all the propaganda links you want... it only takes a moment of practical personal analysis to see the immense waste and lack of true concern for energy consumption that this university has. Your bias is underscored in repeated personal insults and propaganda posts. Mine stems from actual observations. I don't WANT the university to be wasteful, but I see it almost every day, and it makes me sad. You are the one who simply assumes that what they tell you is true. Pull out of the sand, stand back, and objectively observe the situation. Your view might evolve some.
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 4:30 p.m.
A few links (took me almost 30 seconds using Google to find these): http://sustainability.umich.edu/ http://css.snre.umich.edu/css_doc/CSS06-14.pdf http://sustainability.umich.edu/planet-blue-student-innovation-fund http://opsteams.plantops.umich.edu/news.php?nid=61 Millions in avoided costs; thousands of tons of pollutants eliminated. Go ahead, tak about the reckless UM. If you wanted to informed, you would be. That you are not speaks to YOUR animus and bias, not mine.
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 4:23 p.m.
"Who are you?!? A poster annoyed by the repeated snark and faith-based assumptions made by other posters who clearly don't understand accounting and finance and who feel free to impugn the motives of others without the requisite telepathy to provide a foundation for their drivel. Who are you? "Largely green? Get real! How many megawatts of pointless energy do university buildings consume every day? (lights on overnight, no smart thermostats, poor building design, etc)." Clearly, you have less than zero understanding. Go to the university web pages and look up "Planet Blue" or whatever it is called. From readings from CERTIFIED financial reports, the university has grown in headcount (staff and students) over the last 10 years by a significant percent, yet energy usage in gross is flat to down in aggregate, and flat/down by headcount. You have asked a question, that you don't know the answer to in order to support your assertion. Where is the logic there? The FACT is that you are wrong, the figures say you are wrong, and your assertion, as they say, is bald. "You have been Green-washed, my friend. I just can't understand your motivation for these repeated cheerleading posts." Why are you questioning my motives? What about your status/statue makes that your business? As I understand the board policy, you are supposed to discuss the issues,not the other poster. What is your motivation? Go to the university web site, read the figures, read the financials, inform yourself, then acknowledge your error. What is your motivation to make assertions which are manifestly unsupported by facts? "Even if you were on the payroll, I don't get it. It's not wrong to fairly criticize the University for their continually selfish and unsustainable expansion." 1) I'm not on the payroll; 2) you don't get it because you don't have the facts in hand...use google; 3) yes, you have complete freedom criticize the university, but why not use the truth rathe
Ross
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:44 p.m.
Who are you?!? Largely green? Get real! How many megawatts of pointless energy do university buildings consume every day? (lights on overnight, no smart thermostats, poor building design, etc). You have been Green-washed, my friend. I just can't understand your motivation for these repeated cheerleading posts. Even if you were on the payroll, I don't get it. It's not wrong to fairly criticize the University for their continually selfish and unsustainable expansion.
Ms1215919
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 2:20 p.m.
Nice return on an inside deal for Martin while Mr. Copi and the rest of Ann Arbor get screwed. Over $792,000 apiece for Martin's properties????? That he bought when???? With the intention of doing what??????? So, when will the U be prevented from purchasing more and more property? When will limits be set on tax-free property holdings? How much tax revenue has been lost in A2 since 1999? The mighty UM pays no taxes. They don't even properly maintain "their" roads. Disgusting.
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 4:14 p.m.
Ok, found it...from these pages...embedded in a prior story: Kelly Cunningham 12:24 PM on 4/21/2013 Bill Martin/So. Division St. Properties, LLC insisted on receiving no financial gain from the purchase and subsequent sale to UM. UM reimbursed the LLC for transactions costs. An outside accounting firm prepared a detailed financial review of the entire transaction for the university treasurer to review and confirm the LLC was made whole, with no financial gain. (Kelly C., Univ. of Michigan Public Affairs office.)
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:28 p.m.
"Okay...I stand corrected....so I'm rethinking. But explain to me "Martin bought those properties as a courtesy to the university." I guess I am really missing something." 1) Martin is a university graduate, and has, in the past, donated his time to the university at the rate of $1 per year; such facts have been reported in these pages over time; 2) Martin is active in local real estate: knows the market, knows the pricing structure, knows the procedures, has the ability to escrow funds, has the ability to take either a principal or agent role in a trade/deal, probably employees a small legal team; these facts are available either in these pages or from the U or from other local publications; 3) Martin helped the university assemble the parcel by helping to buy the individual properties; these seems to be a fact and supported by inference from reportage here and elsewhere; 4) As an alum, Martin provided these services to the university and was compensated (as I understand it from these pages) with zero dollars; he has saved the university money in this deal and in other deals; 5) most/all of these facts have been reported on these pages and elsewhere...what is the source of your confusion? If I had to guess: your confusion results from the fact that you did not take the trouble to inform yourself...you found it far easier to adduce a conspiracy theory and to slander/libel Mr. Martin rather than to do the research. 6) I don't know who pays for road maintenance...do you, or is this another assertion without foundation? Does the university provide an easement through its property in exchange for maintenance? Does the university provide access to the various arboreta and museums which it owns? Does the university provides hundreds of millions in student aid to students? Does the university forgive hundreds of millions in health care costs? The answer, in each case, is yes. Do those things also excite your disgust?
Ms1215919
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:06 p.m.
Okay...I stand corrected....so I'm rethinking. But explain to me "Martin bought those properties as a courtesy to the university." I guess I am really missing something.
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3 p.m.
"Nice return on an inside deal for Martin while Mr. Copi and the rest of Ann Arbor get screwed. Over $792,000 apiece for Martin's properties????? That he bought when???? " It is astonishing that you are so appallingly ignorant of the facts, yet feel free to opine. Here is a fact for you: Martin bought those properties as a courtesy to the university. In acting as agent, he spent the time to get these deals done and passed the property through to the university with no gain. I believe the actual figures included the cost of the property and 57,000 in various costs. Martin's gain was zero and his time was donated. Your implication that Martin engaged in trading on insider information is baseless...you might want to rethink your other positions after gathering more information.
snark12
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 2:36 p.m.
We should wait to see what price Mr. Copi got for his properties. I doubt he got screwed.
Billy
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 1:57 p.m.
Less tax revenue to the city and more U of M blight.....yay.....
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:43 p.m.
"Johnny and Blue, your cheerleading for the U on this issue is pretty strange." Why stranger than someone coming on here to decry each and every university action (not Billy, but posters in general on this board go to town on the university with gusto each and every chance they get)? "Blue, I'm sure Billy appreciates your condescending tone, but how about this: Those houses were not falling apart. They have charm." At the risk of misspellings (multiple): De gustibus non est dispustandem. To my eye, they look fairly seedy/rundown and not worthy of aesthetic excitation. "Blimpy burger was a wonderful building, a legendary fixture in Ann Arbor. The university will now build a big disgusting high rise subject to no city planning approval, as they continue their reckless expansion across town." Reckless expansion? What is at risk? That some standard utterly generic shabby building is replaced? How is the university reckless? Are you speaking economically, aesthetically, socially, or do you have an engineering concern? You have a point of view. That point of view appears to be shared by, possibly several hundred people...out of what, 100,000 or so? UM will be around long after we both are forgotten, as well as our great-great-great grandchildren. When I think of universities, I think of the bedrock of our race, lasting through political and social fashions and upheavals. When I look at a hamburger stand, I feel no sense of enduring history. "Some would indeed call that blight." And just as you find my UM fandom strange, and you are entitled to that, I find you fandom for both these buildings and a purveyor of heart disease to be slightly misplaced.
Ross
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:23 p.m.
Johnny and Blue, your cheerleading for the U on this issue is pretty strange. Blue, I'm sure Billy appreciates your condescending tone, but how about this: Those houses were not falling apart. They have charm. Blimpy burger was a wonderful building, a legendary fixture in Ann Arbor. The university will now build a big disgusting high rise subject to no city planning approval, as they continue their reckless expansion across town. Some would indeed call that blight. Johnny, these houses paid a substantial amount of tax revenue every year. Now the university will pay nothing for this same land. What don't you understand about that?
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:02 p.m.
Are you really suggesting that replacing a handful of rundown buildings of no historic merit with brand new construction is somehow "blight". You need to look up some of those big confusing words and then use them according to their actual definition, not according to their antonyms.
johnnya2
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 2:19 p.m.
All 40k plus students have never contributed a single dime of taxes to the city of Ann Arbor. Yoru tax argument is tired, old and quite frankly stupid. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE MICHIGAN CONSTITUTION CHANGE IT. Oh, and when you do, watch every non=profit leave town. The post office, Concordia College, Ann Arbor Public Schools, the state court, fire departments do not pay property taxes either. I guess the VA hospital shoudl also get taxed for their huge complex as well? I guess you want to tax them too?Or do you just want to tax the largest employer in the city?
jpud
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 1:55 p.m.
Wonderful that a donor, Charles Munger, from outside Michigan is infusing 110 million dollars into Southeast Michigan's economy. Graduate dorms are an innovative concept, and the plans appear to improve on the first efforts at this type of housing at Stanford. This kind of housing is all about being leaders and best.
Nick Danger
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 1:54 p.m.
Let's just give the entire town to the University.This is a rich community we don't need a tax base.We can all live in Ypsi
NSider
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 12:48 p.m.
This has already happened... AA was once a very nice blue collar town. You will find those residents have relocated to Ypsi, Saline, Chelsea, Milan, Dexter, Pinckney and other outlying areas. They then converted the AA properties to rental units, covering taxes yet still providing a profit for them.
peter
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 5:32 p.m.
No thanks. I see the mess you've made of Ann Arbor. Go live in Saline.
djacks24
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 5:29 p.m.
Works for me. Happily residing in Ypsi township.
Chip Reed
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
@Kellie- Each of these houses is on 0.9 acres?
Chip Reed
Wed, Jun 12, 2013 : 11:01 a.m.
How about .09 acres?
Kellie Woodhouse
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 3:48 p.m.
According to property records, yes.
Kai Petainen
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 12:50 p.m.
It sounds like they came up with a happy agreement. Good. No eminent domain stuff. Good.
Kai Petainen
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 6:51 p.m.
Although eminent domain would have probably worked. I'm happy that it didn't resort to that. If it had, it would have reflected poorly not only on the University, but on the donation, Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett/Berkshire Hathaway as well. So this is a good thing. This story could have easily spun out of control. Warren and Charlie donate a lot of money and help a lot of causes -- if it came across that they were forcing people from their location... the public perception could have been quite bad. So this is excellent news that a solution was reached.
djacks24
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 5:28 p.m.
Sure, sell or else eminent domain. Looks like the owner of the property saw the writing on the wall and decided to at least get something out of it.
Brad
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 12:06 p.m.
Great job there university. Take out an Ann Arbor landmark and then bully the other residents. So how much in taxes are we losing when that entire block is taken off the rolls?
M-Wolverine
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 1:26 p.m.
@blue85 For someone complaining about others using "rhetorical flouishes" it's intellectually dishonest to then do the same thing with off-topic soothsaying about the University's existence in 500 years (like we can be sure anything will be around in 500 years) and even more laughable, that this dorm is going to bring in the student who cures heart disease. Because he wasn't going to enroll at Michigan unless THIS housing existed. Maybe you should save the personal attacks until you can prevent yourself from doing the same thing you're attacking other posters for. (And admit you're involved in some way with the University since you feel the need to defend this act over and over).
Brad
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 6:37 p.m.
Thanks, johnny. You continue your perfect record. Universities aren't police departments, post offices or SoS offices which serve EVERYONE. I won't even argue the church thing, but it has nothing to do with this. No, the university itself gets to decide that its desired use of that land outweighs any lost taxes to the city and all of its taxpayers. To build a dormitory. Nope, you're still a crank.
Brad
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 6:20 p.m.
Looks like I stirred up the English majors.
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:35 p.m.
"I'm with Brad. C'mon, you don't think Blimpy is a local landmark? Official status or not, this sucks." I understand that hamburgers are extremely rare in America. I understand that Blimpy holds a special place in the heart of locals. What makes you think that the owner will simply take the money and run, rather than relocate in a larger place with shorter lines? Either way, if Oxford/Cambridge are any guide, UM will be around for another 500 years or so and I doubt Blimpy would have that kind of staying power. How many butcher shops, saddle makers, candle makers and what not went the way of all flesh over the aggregate 1600 years those two institutions have been in business? Some kid that hasn't enrolled at Michigan yet may be the kid that whips up the first heart on a 3D printer to replace the hearts/arteries occluded by hamburger purveyors. That kid may end up enrolled in this new dorm. Yeah, far fetched, but only somewhat.
Ross
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:20 p.m.
I'm with Brad. C'mon, you don't think Blimpy is a local landmark? Official status or not, this sucks.
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:05 p.m.
"Great job there university. Take out an Ann Arbor landmark and then bully the other residents." As far as I am aware, none of the subject buildings have landmark status, so your comment is a mischaracterization. Is that mischaracterization a rhetorical flourish, or intentional dishonesty? What other residents are you referring to? Do you understand what the word "bully" means? Do you have a scintilla of evidence that this has occurred, or is this another rhetorical flourish utterly lacking in foundation?
Hugh Giariola
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 12:02 p.m.
Eminent Domain to swipe more properties from the tax roll. I would like to see that one play out in court.
Hugh Giariola
Mon, Jun 10, 2013 : 11:27 a.m.
@blue85, by your logic nothing would ever go to court. In this case, I feel that Blue is in the wrong and would like to see the property owner win.
blue85
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 3:08 p.m.
Watching it play out in court would mean higher costs and lower net return to the current owner. That is a loss to the owner that is a so-called dead-weight loss. The loss to the university is a higher price, which will be duly passed along to future generations of students under stand cost-accounting methodologies, so that would be a loss to future Michigan residents with higher loan debt to be paid off. Why would you want to see both the property owner and the students lose? Not very charitable or civic minded of you.
murphthesurf
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 11:30 a.m.
no sense in trying to fight the ALMIGHTY U.OF M ! their gonna get these properties one way or another !
jns131
Sun, Jun 9, 2013 : 4:01 p.m.
It is almost like another regime moving into the fore front. We take your property and if you don't like it? Tough.