Ann Arbor City Council: June 16, 2025

This Ann Arbor City Council meeting was held in person at City Hall. Members of the public can participate in public hearings and public comment either in person or via phone.

A2Council Update Video

Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary

APPROVED: A new “Green Rental Housing” ordinance requires that rental units be assessed by a “Home Energy Rater” and issued a score based on a checklist of qualified assets. (Legistar)

• By friendly amendment at the June 2, 2025 Council meeting, language was added clarifying that during the process of appealing a violation, penalties will not continue to accrue or apply retroactively.
• Multiple other amendments were attached to the June 2, 2025 Council agenda but not proposed at the meeting. Council Member Harrison requested that communications regarding those amendments be made public.
• This ordinance does not apply to owner-occupied, single-family attached and detached homes, homes for the aged which are licensed by the State of Michigan, and Short-term Rentals. However, it does apply to single-family attached and detached homes for rent.
• The Renters Commission discussed this ordinance at length at their meeting on March 20, 2025. Commissioners raised serious concerns about how challenging the ordinance would be to implement, particularly for small landlords who do not currently charge high rents and do not have staff or resources to support compliance.
• The commission discussed a resolution expressing their direction to Council that the ordinance include a one-year voluntary compliance period. The resolution expressed their support for the Green Rental Ordinance only if the City could commit to sustained and dedicated funding for financial assistance programs targeting older housing (pre-1980) and units priced below-market (80-85% of area median rent).
• In March, the Renters Commission did not have a quorum to approve that resolution. The resolution was on the agenda for their April meeting, which was cancelled. You can read the resolution here (Legistar)
• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/06/landlords-warn-rents-may-rise-as-ann-arbor-oks-green-rental-housing-law.html

APPROVED: An ordinance amendment eliminates both the City’s Environmental commission and the Energy commission and replaces both with a “Sustainability commission.” (Legistar)

• The Energy commission was established in December 1985 and its goals were similar to the Environmental Commission: opportunity for community members to address City policy, prepare reports, and make recommendations. The Energy commission’s purpose was restated in 2020 (link), giving “broader charge to the commission to advise on energy production and use.” 
• The Environmental Commission meets to “help set goals and policies for City and community to continuously improve the natural and built environment.” The Energy commission is similarly tasked with proposing, evaluating, recommending, reviewing and advising Council on energy efficiency and energy production topics.
• In recent years, the Environmental commission has discussed policy around the Gelman plume, biodiversity and consideration of natural features in updates to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Similarly, the Energy commission has discussed and offered recommendations to Council on policy related to solar energy infrastructure and the first feasibility study for municipal public power. However, the Energy commission was not asked to weigh in on the second feasibility study for municipal public power (rejected by Council on March 3, 2025). https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-march-3-2025/
• This amendment eliminates both commissions. In their place, a new Sustainability commission will not be generating its own work plan or bringing policy recommendations to Council. Instead, a Sustainability commission will be directed by staff and given “an annual work plan provided by the City Office of Sustainability and Innovations in coordination with the Public Services Area.” 
• Though this proposal was discussed at both the Energy Commission and the Environmental Commission, neither body took a formal vote on their own dissolution. This ordinance amendment to dissolve both commissions originated with City staff.
• The last official act of the Environmental Commission was a resolution asking City Council to direct the City Planning commission to incorporate natural feature protections into updates to the Comprehensive Land Use plan. Council Liaisons Mallek and Cornell did not bring the resolution to Council for a vote. Instead, this item was posted as non-voting item E-1 on page 11 of the June 16, 2025 Council agenda, among communications and meeting minutes in the Clerks Report. (Link)
• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/06/environmental-sustainability-carbon-neutrality-focus-of-new-ann-arbor-commission.html

APPROVED: Amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC) remove the requirement that property owners and residents within 300 feet are notified of a request for a land division. Amendments remove the opportunity for nearby residents to weigh in and “submit comments in person or in writing to the Planning Commission, and… file comments with the Planning Manager prior to the end of the review period.” (Legistar)

• These amendments are aligned with a resolution approved unanimously by Council on April 1, 2024 (Legistar) https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-april-1-2024/
• That resolution formally adopted the recommendations in an 82 page memo written by former assistant City Administrator John Fournier titled “A New Approach to Economic Development”. (link)
• From Fournier’s memo: “Amend city ordinance to eliminate land division notifications, since we are required under state law to approve these divisions anyway and the notifications serves no real purpose in the approval process”
• Fournier’s memo is an oversimplification that ignores several details. State law does not require that the city “approve these divisions anyway.” Rather, State law lays out the standard of review for local approval and specifically references what local discretion is permitted.
• From the Michigan Land Division Act MCL 560.109(5) “The governing body of a municipality or the county board of commissioners of a county having authority to approve or disapprove a division may adopt an ordinance setting forth the standards authorized in subsection (1)(b), (c), and (d)”
• In the subsections referenced above, state law authorizes some local standards that are objectively measurable, e.g. depth and width requirements or minimum area for a proposed division. However, state law also authorizes local standards that are more subjective, e.g. exceptional topographic or physical conditions and compatibility with surrounding lands.
• Land divisions in Ann Arbor are currently approved by City staff (“Planning Manager”) and the UDC includes additional process if a request is denied: the applicant may appeal to the City Planning Commission, a body of mayoral appointees. See UDC TABLE 5.27-1
• Prior to these amendments, a nearby resident (within 300 feet) was notified about a land division and had an opportunity to express concerns. Their concerns may be within local discretion and Staff may agree and reject the request. At that point, an appeal before the Planning Commission would include the public record of both a report from Staff and concerns raised by local residents. 
• These amendments will make it virtually impossible for local residents to be made aware of a requested land division within 300 feet of their property. These decisions are made internally and without any notice, residents would have no opportunity to raise concerns, some of which could be within local discretion. A resident would have to obsessively follow the agendas of the City Planning Commission to be aware of or offer any feedback on an appeal.
• These amendments were approved by the Planning Commission on March 18, 2025: https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-march-18-2025/

APPROVED: To date the City has spent approximately $75,000 on analyses related to the Arbor South Development. The contract amount with PFM Group Consulting LLC in increased by $100,000, allowing “a total contract amount not-to-exceed $175,000.00” and “the option to renew the agreement for a one-year period.” (Legistar)

• City-subsidized parking decks would require the issuance of an estimated $146 million in bonds. The City would purchase land from the private developer, cover the cost of construction, and assume ownership of the decks. City ownership will reduce future tax liability for the private developer. The City would be responsible for an estimated annual cost of $1.9 million to operate the decks, potentially covered by whatever income might be generated from user fees.
• In April 2025, Council directed the City Administrator to prepare the issuance of City-backed bonds and develop a plan for a special assessment districts to divert tax revenue from Arbor South toward the cost of the parking decks. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-april-7-2025/
• Developers Crawford Hoying and Oxford Companies held a public engagement meeting for Arbor South in January 2024. https://a2council.com/777-e-eisenhower-oxford-resident-participation-meeting-january-9-2024/
• The site plan for the Arbor South development was approved by the Planning Commission on June 17, 2025.
• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/06/massive-469-million-arbor-south-development-plan-gets-green-light.html
• The idea of City-subsidized parking decks was first presented at a working session of Council in November 2024. You can watch highlights of that meeting (with background) here:

APPROVED: By resolution the City Administrator and City Attorney will be authorized to finalize a good faith offer to purchase an easement from Woodbury Gardens, for the purpose of establishing a sewage lift station at the western end of South Boulevard. This infrastructure is necessary to improve water quality and create gravity sewer flow. The City has gotten an appraisal of “just compensation” for the easement but the resolution does not name the amount of that appraisal. The resolution authorizes the City Attorney to “initiate condemnation proceedings” if necessary. (Legistar)

APPROVED: A budget amendment allocates an additional $121,000 toward the semi-portable THRONE bathrooms, currently ten locations downtown. Moving forward, the City anticipates reducing the number of locations to eight. In the most recent budget, the City allocated $500,000 toward these facilities. A contract anticipates possible administrative extensions for up to five years if funding is budgeted. (Legistar)

• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/06/throne-public-restrooms-to-stay-in-ann-arbor-under-541000-contract.html

APPROVED (First Reading): A 5.9 acre property, recently annexed into the City will be rezoned R4E (Multiple Family) for a townhome project by Robertson Brothers. (Legistar)

• According to the staff report (link) “The developer is proposing to construct 75 townhomes in twelve three story buildings. The buildings will be all electric, with no natural gas connection.”
• The developer held a resident participation meeting on February 22, 2024: https://a2council.com/scio-church-townhomes-robertson-resident-participation-meeting-february-22-2024/
• This rezoning was approved by the Planning Commission in January 2025: https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-january-7-2025/
• https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2024/02/dozens-of-townhomes-proposed-for-development-in-southwest-ann-arbor.html

APPROVED (First Reading): Proposed amendments to the Unified Development Code will remove public hearing requirements from numerous reviews. (Legistar)

• These amendments will eliminate public hearing requirements for:
  • Area plans
  • Site plans
  • PUD site plans
  • Land divisions
  • Wetland use permits
• Amendments allow for public hearings only in cases of rezoning and tentative or preliminary plat. Amendments also remove a requirement that area plans, site plans, PUD site plans, and preliminary plans under review be accessible and viewable at City Hall prior to approval at public meetings.
• These changes were approved by the City Planning Commission in March 2025: https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-march-18-2025/

APPROVED (First Reading): Proposed amendments to the Unified Development Code will remove the requirement for public meetings of many development projects, and other modifications. (Legistar)

• Resident participation meetings are currently required for larger development projects. Developers are required to send postcards to all property owners within 1000 feet of the location of proposed building and meet with them to share details about a planned development.
• These amendments will remove current requirements for resident participation meetings for:
  • Developments of more than 80 units
  • Developments taller than 65 feet
  • Developments larger than 50,000 sq. ft. of floor area
• The amended ordinance will require neighborhood information meetings only in cases of a request for Planned Unit development (PUD) zoning, other rezoning, or a request for a special exception permit. In other cases, the need for a neighborhood information meeting will be determined at the discretion of the City Planning Manager.
• When these neighborhood information meetings do occur, developers are relieved of any responsibility to report on who was sent notice of the meeting or who attended the meeting.
• These changes were approved by the City Planning Commission in March 2025: https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-march-18-2025/

A2ELNEL Voting Chart