AATA asks city to expedite review of plans to expand headquarters on South Industrial Highway
The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority has submitted a petition to the city of Ann Arbor, asking city officials to expedite the review of the agency's plans to expand its headquarters.
AATA's maintenance manager Terry Black wrote a letter to Wendy Rampson, the city's planning manager, on Sept. 22, apologizing for confusion surrounding the AATA's planned bus garage storage expansion at 2700 South Industrial Highway.
"Due to the time sensitivity of the above referenced project, we are requesting assistance with expediting the review process in order to begin construction this year," Black wrote.
According to plans on file with the city, the AATA's proposal includes constructing a single-story, 21,660-square-foot addition to the rear of the existing bus storage facility and paving a fire lane adjacent to the addition.
Black wrote in the letter that AATA officials recently became aware that governmental agencies may be exempt from certain provisions of the city's ordinances.
Records show Michael Vernich of DLZ Michigan Inc. in Lansing listed as the project manager.
The project to expand and improve the AATA headquarters was approved this month by agency's governing board as part of its 2012 work plan.
AATA records show the agency plans to spend $3.6 million on completion of the bus garage storage expansion, replacement of bus hoists, installation of a filling station for new buses and design upgrade of training and video rooms
Additionally, the agency is planning to undertake a $5.5 million project to rebuild the Blake Transit Center in downtown Ann Arbor starting in spring 2012 and finishing by spring 2013.
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 e-mail newsletters.
Comments
RUKiddingMe
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 11:19 p.m.
hut hut, money is cheap right now? Did you read the article about how they're "contemplating" a new property tax millage for AATA? That's OUR money, yours and mine, that you're calling cheap. My money's not cheap, hut hut, I have a hard time getting it and a hard time having more of it taken from me for unneeded expansions of money sucking organizations that have no immediate demand for said expansions.
Cici
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 9 p.m.
MORE projects rammed down our throats...err, up our wallets. I am fed up with these "projects" when the city won't even fix our roads (and by now it's just before winter!) or bridges. PLEASE, can we expedite THESE instead???
Macabre Sunset
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 7:55 p.m.
I don't think AATA will be happy until they have their own Versailles, complete with a garden full of expensive, wasteful choo-choo trains. Perhaps it's time to shut down the AATA kingdom and start over with a more reasonable bus plan.
hut hut
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 4 p.m.
Yeah, let's cut the training room so employees can't develop and improve their skills. That makes a lot of (non) sense. Money is cheap right now. It makes perfect sense to take advantage of low interest rates. Construction contractors are aggressive in their bids. It's exactly what smart businesses are doing, preparing now for the future. Businesses or governments who are not preparing for the future are only expediting their demise. There will be greater demand for transit alternatives to cars in the future. Get on board or get left behind.
average joe
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 4:40 p.m.
But all other developers and businesses are required to jump through many hoops, sometimes more than once. When was the last private developer allowed to 'expedite' review of any projects?
xmo
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 1:01 p.m.
What makes AATA so special? The City Council added the "RED TAPE" to slow down Business Growth and now the AATA (Which is Government) doesn't want to follow the rules! Why not just eliminate the "RED TAPE" for everybody?
RUKiddingMe
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 11:06 a.m.
Boy, there sure is a LOT of expansion and upgrading and improvement and broadening and building for the AATA bus system. It's like we've got money coming out of our ears. I wonder if the new video and training rooms are what one might consider critical needs in this economy and the dire straights our city is in financially. It's hard to marry the trumpeting the city does about the budget issues and how we have to have our water rates raised and get rid of cops and firefighters, but we're also expaning our bus routes, rebuilding bus stations, upgrading existing stations, etc. etc. What an odd time to put so much money into things. Oh yeah, aren't they "considering" trying for a new millage or millage increase for the AATA expansion? We sure must really have a very real, very easily proven DIRE need for this.
RUKiddingMe
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 11:15 p.m.
A2Lifer, are you saying that none of the property tax Ann Arbor residents pay goes to AATA? And that no money from City-captured property tax goes to AATA? What does this line, taken from a previous expansion-of-AATA article mean: "Hypothetical revenue sources include a 1-mill countywide tax eventually growing to 1.5 mills, layered on top of the 2 mills already levied in Ann Arbor?"
A2LIFER
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 1:27 p.m.
The city budget has nothing to do with AATA.