At present this parcel is an old apple orchard with 2 single family residences at the south end, trees between them and the orchard, and trees at the north end. The existing residences will be demolished. The post card sent to nearby residents states: “The proposed project is for 16 unit multi-family units. Each ranch style unit has, two bedrooms, its own entry and a single car garage.” Here is the revised proposed site plan.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Two Meetings

It really was a night where we should have been in two places at once.  My husband went to the city stormwater meeting at the Downtown Library, and I went to the meeting at Eberwhite with the architects, and after conversing with my husband I wonder if we all would have accomplished more to change the course of this development had we instead gone to the library.

My husband reports he seemed to be the only resident there who represented our neighborhood.  He did speak personally to two representatives from the office, and he did speak publicly about the conditions that already exist in our neighborhood with storm and rain water, and the negative impact that further development on Glendale will have.  He reported that Mike Anglin, our city council representative, spoke publicly about the need to handle this city problem with storm and rain water by preserving the present open spaces.  I think that Vince's comments about city purchase of the orchard property with greenbelt dollars is a real possibility, and our persistence with this issue of rain/stormwater issues is a way to turn this project.  

Our voices can still be heard even if we could not attend both meetings tonight.  I encourage all to personally email Jennifer Lawson, City of Ann Arbor Water Quality Manager at jlawson@a2gov.org with examples of water problems now present and how any new development will make them worse.  Lynn, your pictures specifically and other similar examples can be emailed to stormmodel@a2gov.org and the short stormwater survey can be found at https//:www.surveymonkey.com/s/A2storm.

As was indicated by Mr. Eaton and Mr. Caruso in their previous comments, the stormwater and watershed issues should be prominent in the planning commission discussions, and if we can show the problems we already have with these issues in our neighborhood, we may well be able to achieve the preservation of the orchard open space to mitigate those problems, not compounding them with further development on this property.

Marti Keefe
Abbott Street

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