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 design is chosen for a new City flag. The new flag will be adopted via ordinance, official flags produced for City use, and additional souvenir flags produced for the community to purchase. The flag was designed by local resident Dennis Scherdt, and was selected by both the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission and a majority of community members in an online survey, following the announcement of five finalists earlier this year. (Legistar)
APPROVED: Fifty-nine (59) parcels in two areas along Washtenaw Avenue and East Stadium Boulevard (103 acres) will be rezoned to Transit Corridor district (TC-1), consistent with staff recommendation. The north side of Washtenaw Avenue between US 23 and Glenwood Road is proposed to be designated Transit Corridor. On the south side of Washtenaw Avenue, Transit Corridor designation is proposed between US 23 and Pittsfield Boulevard, and between South Huron Parkway and Platt Road. In the East Stadium Boulevard area, parcels generally between Washtenaw Avenue and St. Francis Boulevard will be rezoned to TC1 district. (Legistar)
- The City held a public engagement meeting about this rezoning on November 16, 2023: https://a2council.com/tc-1-washtenaw-ave-rezoning-public-meeting-of-november-16-2023/
- The Planning Commission approved these changes on June 4, 2024: https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-june-4-2024/
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/11/big-rezoning-plan-for-washtenaw-avenue-topic-of-ann-arbor-meeting.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/11/what-does-the-future-hold-for-washtenaw-avenue-ann-arbor-officials-discuss.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2024/09/high-density-downtown-style-zoning-okd-for-another-ann-arbor-corridor.html
APPROVED: Proposed amendments to the City Planning Commission bylaws will address outdated, potentially offensive, and gendered language with more neutral terms. Other amendments will reduce the number of votes required for approval. The current threshold of six votes will be reduced to five. The text of the resolution explains that this is needed due to the number of recusals that now happen due to conflicts of interest: “As the Planning Commission is comprised of many land use professionals, occasionally these members appropriately recuse themselves from discussion and deliberation, which can lead to challenges in achieving a vote or outcome.” (Legistar)
- In July 2023, the Planning Commission unanimously approved referring these changes to the City Attorney for review. According to the meeting minutes (link), the Planning Commission also asked the City Attorney for “The investigation of alternative ethics, conflicts of interest and recusal language as discussed and directed.” https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-july-18-2023/
- Note: the bylaw changes approved by City Council on September 3, 2024 do not include any “alternative” policies regarding ethics, conflict of interest or recusal.
- These amendments were approved by the Planning Commission in November 2023: https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-november-14-2023/
- The current chair of the Planning Commission is Wonwoo Lee who (according to LinkedIn) is the Chief Real Estate Officer for Oxford Companies. Since his appointment to the Planning Commission in November 2020, Lee has been recused from twenty votes: when Oxford Companies was the petitioner requesting policy changes or when Commission decisions would impact specific property holdings of Oxford Companies.
APPROVED: By resolution, Council directs staff and the City Planning Commission to study potential ordinance amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC) to allow more flexibility for home occupations in residential neighborhoods. (Legistar)
- This resolution was postponed from the August 19, 2024 Council meeting. Its sponsor, CM Linh Song, asked for a postponement so that it could be amended. This week’s version of the resolution (link to amendments) removed the directive that changes be “prioritized ahead of the Comprehensive land use plan.” This week’s version of the resolution also removed a directive to “include community engagement sessions in this effort to ensure that the voices of all residents are heard and considered.”
- Possible amendments:
- Increase the maximum permissible floor area
- Increase the number of customers per day
- Increase the number of customers at a time
Increase the allowed number of non-resident employees - Allow uses that are not customarily incidental and secondary to a residential use
- In September 2021, this section of the City code was amended to increase flexibility for home occupations when staff proposed changes to the Ordinance Revisions Committee of the City Planning Commission. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-september-7-2021/
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/09/ann-arbor-gives-final-ok-to-relaxing-rules-for-home-based-businesses.html
- The 2021 amendments were unanimously approved by the City Planning Commission. City Council removed reference to specific uses but included these terms:
- Occupation can consume no more than 25% of gross floor area of a dwelling unit
- Occupation is limited to a maximum of 2000 square feet in an Accessory building
- No more than 24 client visits per day
- No more than four clients at a time
- Hours of operation limited from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m
- No more than one nonresident employee permitted
- Heavy vehicles (more than 10,000 pounds) may not be regularly parked on-site
- Uses may be terminated if they present a safety hazard
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2024/08/granny-flats-where-granny-can-sell-some-jam-among-ideas-ann-arbor-is-discussing.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/2024/09/former-home-based-cafe-among-types-of-businesses-ann-arbor-council-wants-to-see-again.html
APPROVED: A grant agreement will transfer $181,000 in Marijuana Excise Tax funds to Michigan Medicine for staffing and supplies related to opioid addiction prevention and treatment services through the Rewrite the Script: Comprehensive Pain & Recovery Collaborative program. (Legistar)
- Michigan Medicine launched this program in 2021 to meet the needs of patients in UM health systems: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/pt-experience/faculty-staff/bright-spots-patient-experience-posters
- The funding agreement on this week’s agenda explains the allocation of City funds:
- $56,000 for Ambulatory Peer Recovery Coach Support
- $50,000 for Buprenorphine microdosing kits
- $75,000 for Ambulatory Nursing Care Navigator support
- These allocations were included in the FY25 City budget and prompted one comment/question (link). Council Member Cornell asked: “For the substance use programming, is U-M able to provide these services as a low-cost community service, as a partner of the city vs a vendor to the city? I assume the city isn’t paying market rate for these services. It seems absurd we are paying U-M to support our community in this way… $200k is a drop in the bucket for its budget compared to the city’s.”
- In explanation, City staff described the expansion of services that could be provided in an “ambulatory setting,” i.e. on an outpatient basis at UM medical offices in addition to the UM hospital itself.
- The purpose of the program is to “improve access and resources for patients with substance use disorder, and to find ways to improve pain management across the enterprise and in the Ann Arbor Community.”
APPROVED: By resolution, Kimberly Buselmeier is appointed as Interim Controller and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Effective September 1, 2024. The regular CFO, Marti Praschan, is currently acting as Interim Deputy City Administrator since the departure of former Deputy City Administrator John Fournier. (Legistar)
- Former Deputy City Administrator John Fournier accepted a job as county manager for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
- https://www.a2gov.org/news/Pages/article.aspx?i=1085
- https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2024-08-14/allegheny-county-executive-selects-john-fournier-county-manager
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2024/08/ann-arbors-deputy-administrator-leaving-for-new-job-in-pennsylvania.html
APPROVED (First Reading): The Unified Development Code (UDC) will be amended to change standards in the Transit Corridor (TC-1) zoning district. (Legistar)
- Proposed amendments will:
- Increase allowable number of curb cuts
- Increase allowable building dimensions
- Eliminate minimum building frontage
- Remove prohibition on housing within 100 feet of signaled intersections
- Remove requirement for active first floor use on streets
- Eliminate requirement that larger sites be designed as two or more blocks
- The last of these changes refers to a site larger than 62,500 square feet, which is a little over 1.4 acres.
- All of these changes were specifically requested by developers Crawford-Hoying and Oxford Companies in a letter dated March 22, 2024 to the Planning Department (link)
- The chair of the Planning Commission, Wonwoo Lee, is the chief real estate officer of Oxford Companies. Lee was recused from voting on these amendments when they were considered and approved unanimously by the Planning Commission. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-july-16-2024/
APPROVED (First Reading): The Unified Development Code (UDC) will be amended to improve “clarity and efficiency.” (Legistar)
- Proposed amendments will:
- Exclude elevator/stairwell enclosures from the calculation of FAR relative to permissible height.
- Remove site plan review when interior construction increases the number of dwelling units
- Remove County stormwater review except for sites in their geographic jurisdiction
- Change formula for calculating “finished grade”
- These amendments were approved unanimously by the Planning Commission in July 2024. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-july-16-2024/
APPROVED (First Reading): Amendments to the ordinance regulating gas powered leaf blowers will add permissible uses: “to prepare or conduct a lawful controlled or prescribed burn for ecological maintenance or ecological restoration” and “when necessary to maintain public facilities”. (Legistar)
- The original ordinance regulating gas power leaf blowers was approved in December 2023. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-december-18-2023/
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2024/09/ann-arbor-carving-out-new-exception-to-gas-leaf-blower-ban.html
A2ELNEL Voting Chart
