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 ordinance establishes a tenants bill of rights including the right to organize. (Legistar)
- Enumerated rights include the posting and distribution of information, contacting tenants, meeting or attempting to meet tenants on premises, and other actions related to operating a tenant organization. A landlord is prohibited from interfering (or allowing others to interfere) with those activities. The ordinance includes a list of activities that will not be considered interference, e.g. exercising “reasonable limitations on time, manner, and place of activities” or reducing services “as part of a pattern of service reductions applicable to each tenant at the premises and the reduction is unrelated to a tenant’s exercise of their rights.”
- A draft of this ordinance was presented to the Renters Commission earlier this year, as proposed by the Ann Arbor Tenant Union (AATU). (Legistar)
- The AATU draft included a more general prohibition that a landlord not “Threaten, Penalize, discriminate or retaliate against a tenant that exercise the tenants right under this act. Discriminatory or retaliatory conduct includes, but is not limited to, intentionally delaying maintenance services, revoking access to community amenities, refusing to renew a lease, or taking frivolous adverse actions against a tenant.”
- Both the AATU draft and the Council ordinance include penalties as civil infractions. The AATU draft proposed a fine of $1,000 for the first violation and fines of $2,000 for subsequent violations. The ordinance proposed this week includes a fine of not less than $500 for a first violation and up to $1000 for each additional or subsequent violation.
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2026/09/new-law-would-give-ann-arbor-renters-expanded-protections-to-organize.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2026/09/what-you-need-to-know-about-ann-arbors-latest-renter-rights-law.html
APPROVED: Resolution to allocate proceeds from the sale of 309 S. Ashley (Kline’s Lot), transfer $9,700,000 from the General Fund, and establish a strategic property acquisition fund. (Legistar)
- At their last meeting (9/8/26), City Council unanimously approved the sale of the City property known as the Kline lot. (Legistar)
- The proceeds from that sale are expected to be approximately $17.4 million. By resolution this week, Council will direct the use of all of these proceeds. The sale has not yet taken place, so the proceeds do not yet exist. The largest allocations require transfers from existing budget until the proceeds materialize:
- $4,600,000 (25%) will establish a new Governmental Fund for “strategic property acquisition purposes.” This fund is overseen by the Economic Development Director, other city staff, and “an EDC Board representative” (Council Members Jen Eyer and Jen Cornell serve on the EDC)
- $2,600,000 (15%) will be allocated to the Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU)
- $2,500,000 (14%) will be allocated to the Affordable Housing Fund
- The resolution clarifies that the allocations “shall remain available until expended, without regard to fiscal year” and that “any future adjustments to these allocations shall require City Council approval.” The timing of these allocations— prior to the availability of funds— happen less than seven weeks before the seating of a new Council, including a new Mayor.
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2026/09/12-ways-ann-arbor-plans-to-divide-and-spend-millions-from-downtown-property-sale.html
APPROVED: By resolution, City Council would direct the City Administrator to develop recommendations for a regional deer management program. The City Administrator will provide a written report to the Sustainability Commission within 180 days. His report will include population data, various impacts, regulations and permits, methods, potential costs, consulting needs, available funding, and other considerations. (Legistar)
APPROVED: An amendment to the brownfield plan for “The Village” increases the amount of reimbursement by about $7.6 million. This change is in response to more stringent environmental standards and other cost increases related to additional infrastructure. The Village is a 77 acre development on Pontiac Trail, originally approved to be 564 housing units. The number of units has now increased to 613. The original brownfield plan for the Village included $31.4 million in tax increment financing. As amended, that amount would increase to $39 million. (Legistar)
APPROVED: An amendment to the brownfield plan for 300-312 E Huron (AC Hotel) increases the amount of reimbursement by $338,590. This change is in response to unforeseen conditions, delays and additional regulatory requirements. The AC Hotel is now built, but suspending work to address this amendment would have caused delay and financial risk. The original brownfield plan (limited by what could be captured by local millage) reimbursed the developer $749,529 in costs. As amended, the developer is reimbursed a total of $1,088,119. (Legistar)
APPROVED (First Reading): Approximately 41.292 acres at Woodbury Gardens would be rezoned to Transit Corridor with conditions, to allow for three seven-story buildings containing 342 dwelling units, and a five-level parking garage. The redevelopment will not be directly located on the transit corridor of Stadium Boulevard, but rather one block in. Frisinger City Park sits between Woodbury Gardens and Stadium Boulevard. (Legistar)
- The TC-1 zoning district already exists on the Stadium corridor 1.2 miles to the east (including Washtenaw) and 2.3 miles to the west (including Maple). Those rezonings were theoretically designed to address the inefficiencies of large parking lots and single use commercial districts, to expand mixed use including residential. This will be the first application of TC-1 zoning in a district that is already higher density residential.
- In 2022, a rezoning on the western end of Stadium boulevard was explained with these objectives:
- Locating higher residential densities near mass transit routes and in proximity to commercial, employment, and activity centers (LUE Goal B, Objective 1)
- Providing a full range of housing choices (size, price, design, accessibility, etc.) that meets the existing and anticipated needs of all City residents (LUE Goal C)
- Encouraging a variety of housing types within new and mixed-use development projects (LUE Goal C, Objective 2)
- Supporting mixed-use, “village” centers in existing commercial areas that are designed to provide new residential opportunities, increase pedestrian activity and reduce the total number of vehicular trips (LUE Goal E, Objective 1)
- Encouraging developers to design commercial and office centers where the parking lot is not the dominant feature from the road (LUE Goal E, Objective 2)
- https://a2gov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=11255902&GUID=37309436-5B2A-4538-A4D8-2AE6CDDDC2FE
- In 2024, a rezoning on the eastern end of Stadium/Washtenaw included this justification: “The TC1 district makes converting single-purpose developments, such as shopping centers or office complexes, into mixed-use centers easier by focusing standards on building form rather than floor area to lot area ratios.”
- https://a2gov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=13182842&GUID=BEE6ED21-58B1-4C04-AD8F-55118A2B6758
- The owner of Woodbury Gardens has offered zoning conditions for height and another condition that would limit permitted uses. The condition limiting uses means that a portion of the parcel cannot expand beyond those already allowed in R3 (multi-family) zoning district. I.e. the rezoning will not increase the mix of uses on-site.
- This week’s TC-1 zoning at Woodbury Gardens targets an existing residential district for rezoning even though it is not technically located on a corridor, not dominated by parking lots, and not going to result in mixed use. The zoning district seems to have been chosen to justify the redevelopment of low-level dense housing with more profitable units in seven story buildings. It is the first TC-1 rezoning request specifically designed to destroy and replace existing, moderately priced housing, which is in increasingly short supply.
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2026/09/higher-density-zoning-for-ann-arbor-apartment-complex-gets-councils-10-1-initial-ok.html
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