This was the seventeenth regular Ann Arbor City Council meeting since Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency and stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting was held online via the Zoom application.

Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary

APPROVED: Amendments to the City’s sign ordinance clearly define standards for lighting, area size (relative to street frontage), larger non-conforming signs, non-commercial flags, window signs and temporary signs.(Legistar)

APPROVED: Site plan for Brightdawn Village, a development with four four-story buildings on 8 acres at 2805 Burton Road. It will include 120 units of housing at market rate with 284 parking spaces (located in garages beneath and in surface lots). The development will be accessed from Packard (via Burton Road). (Legistar)

• Note that rezoning of this development from R4B to R4D (moderate sized multi-family to higher density and high rise multi-family) was rejected at the June 3, 2019 City Council meeting in a 4-7 vote. The Planning commission also recommended denial in a 0-7 vote. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-june-3-2019/
• The site plan was amended at this Council Meeting to restrict access from Eli Road. A lockable gate will restrict vehicular access via Eli Road to emergency vehicles only, but will allow access for pedestrians and cyclists. The gate will allow for the possibility of more open vehicular access at a later date (if effective traffic calming measures are in place).
• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2020/12/developer-proposes-some-of-the-least-expensive-new-condos-in-recent-ann-arbor-history.html
• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2020/12/ann-arbor-requiring-locked-gate-as-temporary-traffic-solution-for-new-condos.html

WITHDRAWN: A resolution would have delayed the City’s communication to the Governor and delayed the City’s request for EPA/Federal intervention to clean up the Gelman Plume. The City’s request would have been delayed for several months, pending the results of a court decision. The resolution was added to the agenda on Friday (12/4) and removed on Monday (12/7) before the meeting started. (This item has been removed from Legistar)

• City Council passed a resolution on 11/5/2020 to send a letter to the Governor supporting EPA involvement (Legistar)
• The City sent the letter to the Governor on 12/11/2020
• A2ELNEL: Additional Thoughts (Dec 5, 2020) – Request for EPA Intervention in Gelman Plume Cleanup
• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2020/12/debate-flares-over-proposal-to-delay-seeking-superfund-cleanup-of-gelman-plume.html
• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2020/12/ann-arbor-washtenaw-county-officials-ask-whitmer-to-support-superfund-cleanup.html

A2ELNEL Voting Chart