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.
CM Disch was absent.
CM Harrison was absent.
A2Council Update Video
Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary
APPROVED: Nine parcels at 554, 558 South Fifth Avenue; 201, 211 and 215 East Madison Street; 543, 547, 551, 553 South Fourth Avenue (one acre, total) will be rezoned from R4C (Multiple-Family Dwelling) and M1 (Limited Industrial) to D1 (Downtown Core), with conditions. The rezoning was requested by the developers of “The Dean”, a proposed 14-story residential building. Developers have offered the condition of a 10 foot setback from adjacent residential zoning. (Legistar)
- Adjacent property owners filed a petition of objection, which raised the threshold for approval to 8 votes, rather than a simple majority. Council easily met this requirement, with nine unanimous votes.
- Developers of “The Dean” held a public engagement meeting on June 26, 2025. https://a2council.com/558-s-fifth-ave-resident-participation-meeting-june-26-2025/
- The City Planning commission recommended approval of this rezoning at their meeting on December 2, 2025. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-december-2-2025/
APPROVED: A construction contract with Bailey Excavating will support Ann Street Improvements. (Legistar)
- Three companies submitted bids on this contract:
- Bailey Excavating $6,992,208.41
- Major Contracting $5,618,000.00
- Fonson Company $5,671,143.04
- The three bids were evaluated under the City’s “best value” contracting policy, approved as an amendment to the City Charter in 2020. (That charter amendment displaced the previous policy of “lowest responsible bidder”). Bailey Excavating’s bid scored highest under the “best value” policy, despite a cost $1.3 million higher than the other two bids.
- The $6,312,780.80 contract on this week’s agenda is less than Bailey Excavating’s original bid because their price exceeded the amount of money allocated to the project. (The other two bids were well within project budget.)
- Bailey Excavating was awarded the contract with a price in excess of the project budget and then, according to a staff memo “the City and DDA negotiated with Bailey to reduce the total project cost. Some scope of work was removed (decreased quantity) and some unit prices were reduced.”
- A2ELNEL: Three Million Dollars (or more?) and Counting
APPROVED: A $443,000 consulting contract will assist the Parks & Recreation Services Unit with the development of the 2028-2032 Parks and Recreation Open Space (PROS) Plan. This plan is prepared every five years, to maintain eligibility for state funding. The plan has previously included goal-setting and reporting but the new plan will include more comprehensive assessment to guide future investments and policy choices. (Legistar)
A2ELNEL Voting Chart
