2026-10-19 - City Council

05:40Good evening everyone and welcome to the

05:42October 19th meeting of the Ann Arbor

05:44City Council. If you're able, please

05:46rise and join us for a moment of silence

05:48followed by the pledge of allegiance.

06:03I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

06:05United States of America and to the

06:08republic for which it stands, one nation

06:11under God, indivisible, with liberty and

06:14justice for all.

06:18>> Would our clerk please call the role of

06:19councel?

06:25Council member Dish absent. Council

06:28Harrison

06:29>> here.

06:29>> Council Watson

06:31>> here.

06:31>> Councilor Malik

06:32>> here.

06:33>> Council Medina

06:34>> here.

06:34>> Councilor Gazi Edwin

06:36>> here.

06:36>> Mayor Taylor

06:37>> here.

06:37>> Coun

06:38>> here.

06:38>> Council Aman absent. Council Briggs

06:41>> here.

06:42>> Council Cornell

06:43>> here.

06:43>> We have a qu for quum.

06:44>> Can I have a motion please to approve

06:45the agenda? Moved by council member

06:47Readina. Second by council member Gazi

06:48Adam. Discussion of the agenda. Council

06:50member Redina. Uh, mayor, I move to uh

06:53move DC6 to after the closed session.

06:56DC6 to after the closed session. Is

06:58there a second? Seconded by council

06:59member Malik. Discussion. Friendly of

07:02the body. All in favor of the agendas as

07:05amended. I'm sorry. Is there another

07:07one? Oh, council member. Thank you,

07:13>> mayor. I move to I would like to

07:16postpone. So, move to postpone.

07:20What is it?

07:24D.

07:28Sorry, there's [laughter] This is such a

07:30huge agenda.

07:31>> B2.

07:32>> B2. Thank you.

07:33>> Is there a second

07:34>> for the assist?

07:35>> Second by council Briggs. Pardon?

07:37>> Public hearing.

07:38>> Yeah. And along with the public hearing.

07:40Yeah.

07:41>> Second by council member Briggs.

07:42Postpone to

07:44>> postponed to.

07:45>> Yes.

07:46>> Oh, next meeting.

07:47>> Very good.

07:48>> Y our next meeting.

07:48>> November 5th. Uh is that friend of the

07:51body? Friend of the body. All in favor

07:54of the dis uh further discussion. Thank

07:56you. All uh further discussion of the

07:58amenda of the agenda as amended.

08:02All in favor? All opposed? The agenda is

08:05approved. We have communications today

08:06from our city administrator.

08:10>> No, mayor.

08:10>> Thank you. We do have the pleasure of an

08:12introduction today from the Ann Arbor

08:14Area Transportation Authority, Mr.

08:15Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter, here they

08:17come.

08:22Good evening, member, Mr. Mayor, members

08:24of council. It's a pleasure to be with

08:26you this evening. I'm going to do my

08:28best to stay more on script than my last

08:30visit, but it's a pleasure to be with

08:32you this evening. I have a couple of

08:34operational announcements to share with

08:36you. First of all, we're excited to be

08:38moving forward with uh the county board

08:40of commissioners on a proposal they

08:42brought to us about suspending fair

08:45collection on November 3rd, election

08:47day. So, we will be operating without

08:49fairs on election day uh this coming uh

08:52November. So, we want to thank the

08:54county. It was a great idea they brought

08:56forward. Um we're also going to be

08:59working with them to explore

09:00opportunities to

09:03uh provide transportation at low or no

09:05cost uh for folks experiencing

09:07homelessness during some of the coldest

09:09months of this upcoming winter. So, our

09:11partnership with the county is going

09:13really well and we appreciate their

09:14leadership on the transportation issue

09:16for the entire uh service area. Another

09:20item I'll share with you, you may have

09:21seen an announcement. We were successful

09:23in winning a $6.6 million grant uh from

09:26the state for uh advanced planning for

09:30bus rapid transit or BRT on the Avenue

09:33corridor between Ann Arbor and

09:35Ipsellante. This funding is going to

09:37allow the ride to collect and analyze

09:38data, evaluate potential improvements,

09:41conduct preliminary engineering, and

09:43advance the federal review process to

09:45help determine what BRT might look like

09:47here in our community. There are no

09:50final decisions been made by this, and

09:52it'll be a while yet before we get into

09:53it, but there will be extensive

09:56opportunities for community and

09:57stakeholder engagement as well as public

09:59input throughout the process. We're

10:01incredibly grateful to Governor Gretchen

10:03Whitmer and the Michigan legislature for

10:05their continued support and investment

10:07in public transit. We received strong

10:10support from our state legisl

10:12legislative delegation, particularly

10:14Senator Jeff Irwin, Representative Jason

10:16Morgan, as well as letters of support

10:18from leaders here at the city of Ann

10:19Arbor, as well as county.

10:23Uh very operational update. As some of

10:25you are aware, uh the Blake Transit

10:27Center had temporarily closed to

10:29facilitate the construction of 4th

10:30Avenue and the exciting new building on

10:33350 South Main. Uh we then moved the

10:36terminal to a temporary location on or

10:39excuse me on Washington Street. We app

10:42uh while the exact timeline for

10:44returning to the original Blake is still

10:46undetermined, we're very hopeful that

10:48it'll happen before the end of the year.

10:50We appreciate our riders uh patience

10:52with us as well as uh local merchants in

10:55the area. Uh and we were also pleased to

10:58be able to make space at the original

11:00BTC

11:01uh for the groundbreaking ceremony of

11:03the Adeline at 350 South Fifth uh the

11:06other day. A great investment in

11:08downtown.

11:10Uh over the last several years, we've

11:12been very successful in bringing

11:13competitive funding home to Ann Arbor in

11:16the last few years. And we wanted to

11:17reiterate our thanks to our federal

11:19delegation, Senators Peters and

11:21Slackkins, and especially Congresswoman

11:23Debbie Dingle. In addition to helping us

11:25secure $25 million in federal funds for

11:28low emissions buses, she also helped us

11:31secure a $7 million grant for the

11:33Ipsellandi Transit Center, adding to a

11:35$7 million earmark she had already

11:38secured for that facility. So, we're

11:40happy to begin moving into construction

11:41in Ipsellandi uh probably next year.

11:45And finally, in closing, uh, Mayor

11:47Taylor, I wanted to say thank you. Uh,

11:50this may be the last opportunity I have

11:52to address you formally in this

11:54position, and I wanted to say thank you

11:56for your years of service. Uh, it's hard

11:59being a city council member, and it's

12:00even harder being a mayor. The hours you

12:03guys put in is astounding. Uh, so, thank

12:05you for your service, and in the 11

12:08years you and I have had to get to work

12:09together. I've appreciated our

12:11conversations and I will remember your

12:13time here in this office for integrity

12:15and respect. Thank you very much. I hope

12:17you have a wonderful rest of your

12:18evening. Have a good night. Thank you,

12:20Mr. Carpenter. Well and truly.

12:22[applause]

12:25Uh we now come to public comment reserve

12:28time. Public comment reserve time is an

12:29opportunity for members of the public to

12:31speak to council and the community about

12:33matters of municipal interest. To speak

12:34at public comment reserve time, one

12:36needs to have signed up in advance by

12:38contacting our city clerk. Because we

12:40have had more than 30 people sign up for

12:43public comment, public comment speakers

12:45will have two minutes in which to speak.

12:47Two minutes in which to speak. So,

12:49please pay close attention to the time.

12:52Our clerk or the time clock will notify

12:54you when 30 seconds are remaining and

12:56when your time has expired. When your

12:58time is expired, please conclude your

13:00remarks and seed the floor. Uh according

13:03to our council rules, we reserve the

13:05first 45 minutes of our city council

13:08meeting for public comment. So what

13:10we're going to do is we're going to roll

13:11through as many speakers as we can until

13:13that 45minute mark. After that 45minut

13:17mark uh we will uh stop uh public

13:20comment at this time and resume public

13:22comment on the back end of the meeting.

13:24Our first speaker today is Norton Fogle.

13:32Uh hello. Um let's see. So I'm North

13:35Fogle. I live in uh the third ward. I've

13:38lived there for about 30 plus years. Um

13:41I've raised three kids there. I have

13:43three all of them went to Michigan and

13:45most of and all of them actually lived

13:47in the area, the student village area

13:50around uh that we're talking about. So,

13:52I'm here very much in favor of the

13:54initiative to start the uh the z

13:57reszoning of that area. All of them will

14:00be sad to see some of their houses go,

14:03but all of them are very much in favor

14:05of uh of new housing and the expansion

14:08of the even they're even in favor of the

14:10expansion of the University of Michigan.

14:11They think that there should be more

14:13students there. And we know that having

14:15more students there puts a huge stress

14:18on the housing around that area and

14:20really throughout the town. I mean, I

14:22know there's a lot of thought about, you

14:23know, I'm in Burns Park. There's a lot

14:25of thought, oh no, it's going to take

14:26over Burns Park, but we know the

14:28expansion of housing as those, you know,

14:30as the university has grown by over

14:32about 50% since 19 since about 2000, it

14:36it puts pressure on all the communities

14:39and it increases prices. It keeps it

14:42keeps my kids from being able to come

14:43back here. I'd love to have them here.

14:45I'd love to have grandchildren here, but

14:46they're not able to because of housing

14:48prices. So, I'm very much in favor of

14:50that for those reasons. Um, I also I

14:54mean there's obviously the climate

14:55change and all of those things, tax

14:57revenue for the city. There's even the

14:59fact that the students, sure, they might

15:01like living on Morton Avenue, but they

15:03surely would rather live with other

15:05students near the uh near campus. I'm

15:08not really very good at any of the games

15:10they play or the cups that are scattered

15:12in the street as I ride by there. So,

15:16um, so anyways, very much in favor of

15:18that. I also want to give a quick shout

15:20out and I have no idea how much I have

15:2112 seconds for the bike lane. I have

15:24ridden north, south, east, and west

15:26commuting. I ride over 2,000 miles,

15:29probably about 3,000 miles, and I use

15:31that bike lane all the time. And the

15:33last quarter mile is hell and dangerous.

15:36Thank you. Oh,

15:38>> our next speaker is Daniel Foust.

15:45>> All right. Um, hello everyone. So, I'm

15:47Dan F. I live on Division Street on the

15:49block where the bike lane currently

15:51ends. So, from my front window every

15:53day, I watch cyclists deal with the bike

15:56lane ending and just spinning them out

15:58into the busy traffic. And I also

16:01watched pedestrians struggle to cross

16:03the street as cars coming down the hill,

16:05aren't looking for pedestrians, they're

16:07going fast, they don't yield to

16:09pedestrians, and it puts them in a

16:10dangerous, uncomfortable situation. And

16:13then on a personal note, I work only

16:15maybe four miles from my house on

16:16Division Street. But the most difficult

16:19and challenging part of my commute when

16:21I do it by bicycle is just immediately

16:24pulling out into traffic on Division

16:26Street and getting across the Broadway

16:28bridge. So, I support the initiative to

16:31change Kerry Street to oneway to improve

16:32the safety of that whole intersection.

16:36Thank you.

16:37>> Thank you. [applause]

16:39>> Our next speaker is Kathy Chow.

16:47>> Good evening, council. Uh Kathy Chow,

16:49Ward 4. I'd like to talk about two

16:51things tonight. First, I'd like to speak

16:53in strong support of the resolution to

16:55reszone the student rental area near

16:57campus so that more uses and more

16:58housing is allowed. I've lived in this

17:00zone as a student. Most of us didn't

17:03have cars, so we had to know someone

17:04with one, so maybe they'd help you get

17:06groceries. Um, my mom would drive an

17:08hour to visit me, and those visits

17:09always ended with a grocery trip because

17:11she knew how hard it could be to get

17:12food. So, a lot of more uses like stores

17:15and dining near housing would help

17:16people without cars get their needs met.

17:19and have more customers living near

17:20businesses can only help our businesses

17:22survive. So, this seems like a win-win

17:24to me and I hope you'll vote to approve

17:26that resolution. And then second, I'd

17:28like to speak in support of safer

17:29streets near the Broadway Bridge. I used

17:31to live at the corner of Division Kerry

17:34and High Street. And this intersection

17:36taught me what it sounds like for a car

17:38to hit another car. It actually sounds

17:40less dramatic than the movies. It's like

17:42a dull thud. Sometimes there's a honk,

17:44but it happened often enough that I

17:46learned what that sound meant. Um, I

17:49crossed division carry and high street

17:51by foot nearly every day. The crossings

17:53were in awkward spots and kind of scary.

17:55The sight lines were bad, traffic come

17:57from many directions, and the speeds

17:59down division were too great. Even

18:01though I was at a crosswalk, cars would

18:03not yield to me. I could either wait a

18:05long time while I had the right away or

18:08I could put my body in front of a

18:09speeding vehicle and hope for the best.

18:12Seeing the yield to pedestrian signs in

18:14the road battered by cars that had hit

18:16them did not make crossing Division any

18:18easier. So CA7 is a step towards a safer

18:21intersection with fewer points of

18:22conflict and extension of the Division

18:24Street Bikeway, which by the way I would

18:27love to use to frequent our awesome

18:28local businesses across the bridge. Um,

18:30we get to make room for other users of

18:32our roads while slowing speeds by design

18:36instead of praying. I hope today isn't

18:38the day I learn what it sounds like for

18:40a car to hit a human body. Thank you.

18:43>> Thank you. [applause]

18:45Our next speaker is Peter Hill.

18:51>> Hi, good evening. I'm Peter Hill, a

18:52resident of the fourth ward in Burns

18:54Park. And I'm here today to talk about

18:55the proposal to reszone the student

18:57rental village near campus. And it's my

18:59first time speaking to council, so this

19:01issue was too important for me not to

19:03speak up. reszoning that downtown area

19:06by camp is exactly the kind of change we

19:07need. We spent three years discussing

19:09this um and a vision for Ann Arbor and

19:11the comprehensive plan and moving first

19:13with this densest part uh of the city

19:16where the pressure uh for housing is the

19:18strongest is smart. So since 2008 we've

19:21seen the population grow by over 12,000

19:23students but the couple dozen highrises

19:26and dorms that we've built in that time

19:28have only added about 10,000 new student

19:30beds. So to actually meet this growing

19:32demand, uh we need to allow students

19:34where they can walk um to class and to

19:37work. So what would this look like for

19:39me? I'm a single family homeowner um

19:41about a mile south of campus. Last year

19:44we put up the new Packard Row apartment

19:46building um a few blocks from me, adding

19:49dozens of new apartments um to my

19:51neighborhood. I had two friends who were

19:54looking for a place to live and were

19:56planning to move to Ipsellante uh for

19:57the more affordable affordable housing

19:59and they instead decided they could

20:01split the rent in that new two-bedroom

20:02apartment. So now I'm glad the city

20:05granted the exception for that building

20:06to go up so my friends could walk to my

20:08house. Um, and we shouldn't need

20:10exceptions for new housing right

20:13downtown with the lengthy reviews, the

20:15additional cost and process that this

20:17resoning would create a standard to

20:19avoid. The student mental village is

20:22already trying to become a denser

20:23downtown neighborhood. So, it's a great

20:25idea to let that happen and ease the

20:26pressure. Thanks for your continued

20:28leadership on this.

20:29>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Steph

20:32[applause] White.

20:41Hi, I'm Steph White and I am speaking

20:44today in support of DC5, the Bill of

20:46Rights for people experiencing

20:47homelessness. I'm speaking both as a

20:49resident of Ann Arbor in the mighty

20:51third ward. Um, and as the director of

20:54development and policy for Ozone House,

20:56which is all county shelter for homeless

20:59young people aged 10 to 24. Thank you so

21:02much for your proactive approach uh to

21:04protecting our residents who just happen

21:06to be without housing for some period of

21:08time. As you note in the resolution,

21:10homelessness is driven by a variety of

21:12factors. Many of them are beyond a

21:15person's control. And for young people,

21:17they are impacted by all those factors

21:19as well. Rising rent costs and inability

21:22to um make a living wage, etc. But in

21:25addition to that, young people have

21:27extra pressures that cause them uh to

21:30experience homelessness. One is uh they

21:32often suffer from uh family abuse or

21:34neglect or I should say family abuse or

21:36neglect often leads to homelessness. Um

21:39and for some young people it's just

21:40exiting foster care. At the end of

21:42foster care they no longer have realize

21:44they no longer have the resources to

21:46support themselves.

21:48um when they seek housing, they are

21:50struggling like many people, but they're

21:52particularly struggling with little to

21:54no credit history as they're just

21:56beginning their work um careers. Without

22:00a family network, they don't have uh

22:02co-signers for lease agreements. But the

22:04most important reason to focus on youth

22:06is because when they lack suitable

22:08housing, they are particularly

22:10vulnerable to human trafficking. And

22:12while Ozone House has seen a 12%

22:14increase in clients from fiscal year 25

22:17to 26, the real indicator of trouble is

22:20the 200% increase in young people on the

22:23county's waiting list. There were 31

22:25young people just about a year ago and

22:2793 as of today. So if we can't marshall

22:31the resources that these folks need, the

22:33least we can do is grant them basic

22:35human decency and protect what they need

22:37to thrive, which is a sense of

22:39belonging, not further marginalization.

22:43Thank you. I urge you to support it.

22:44>> Thank you. [applause]

22:47>> Our next speaker is Thomas Stalberg.

22:52>> Thank you. Good evening. Uh talked about

22:55DC2. This resolution will not achieve

22:58what it aims to achieve. We can molish

23:01housing that has lower rents than the

23:02luxury student towers and replace them

23:04with more luxury price units and new

23:07towers. Students wanting to rent houses

23:10that are less expensive than the towers

23:12will be a demandside pressure to

23:14increase the intrusion of student rental

23:17houses into the areas this proposal is

23:19trying to alleviate. There are many

23:22students that prefer the house with a

23:23porch and a beer pong table. that type

23:26of living experience. By demolishing

23:27more of those houses, landlords will

23:30then buy family occupied houses further

23:32from the core area and convert them into

23:35student rental houses. The exact

23:37opposite of the stated intent of this

23:40proposal.

23:41One might try to justify this proposal

23:43if it were getting some more affordable

23:45housing uh from a premium or a PUD or

23:48some other flexible development option,

23:50but we won't get that anymore

23:54in this area. The Verve, the Rambler,

23:57Five Corners paid many millions into the

23:58affordable housing fund to get their own

24:00zonings using planned unit developments,

24:02PUDS. Well, PUDS aren't the answer for

24:05everything, but it is one tool that can

24:07be used to achieve both increased

24:09density and affordable housing. We

24:12should be increasing such tools, but we

24:14are headed in the opposite direction.

24:16DC2's blanket up zoning proposal loses

24:19the affordable housing opportunities

24:21that we could get in this area from

24:23those type of community benefits that we

24:25get in exchange for the higher density.

24:27We're giving that away when we do a

24:29blanket up zoning. I'd also like to

24:31quickly mention on CA7 for Kerry Street,

24:33please postpone this until after the

24:35data for Broadway Park West, the massive

24:37development that's about to start is

24:39available and considered and until after

24:41the November 9th meeting showing the

24:43plans for the immediate area, the area

24:45immediately north of this on the bridge

24:47and further north. Thank you. Thank you.

24:49Our next speaker is Sanini Tolia.

24:59Sanji

25:00Sanjini Tolia.

25:09>> Hi, thank you for having me. My name is

25:11Dr. Sanini Tolia. I am a home homeowner

25:14and a resident of the lower town area of

25:16Ann Arbor since 2018.

25:19I moved here to complete medical school

25:20at the University of Michigan and I

25:22currently work as a physician at Trinity

25:24Health. I'm speaking today to urge city

25:26council not to approve the resolution to

25:29close Kerry Street. That corridor is a

25:31very busy area that's used by a lot of

25:33people for visitors to Kerry Town,

25:35patrons of the farmers market and other

25:37Kerrytown businesses, the lower town

25:39businesses, uh the University of

25:41Michigan hospital commuters and the

25:44residents of Lowertown and Kerry Town

25:45which includes students, young

25:47professionals and families. Uh the A20

25:50is a very important goal for our city

25:51and I agree and I support the overall

25:53mission. However, I think closing Kerry

25:56Street is going to be a big mistake or

25:58to turn it to one way. This short

26:01stretch is vital to move traffic off of

26:03Fuller Street and Fuller Road and it

26:05gets very busy during periods of high

26:07traffic very consistently twice a day

26:10with long backups of cars. It does not

26:12make sense to force cars onto a

26:14ciruitous route through Carry Town, Old

26:16Fourth Ward, and onto Maiden Lane. Um,

26:19it's going to cause it's going to really

26:21complicate routes and it's going to

26:23cause car backups elsewhere which will

26:25cause frustration for the residents of

26:27Kerry Town, Old Fourth Ward and Maiden

26:30Lane who are going to have a harder time

26:31getting in and out of their homes. It's

26:33going to increase car admissions from

26:35standing vehicles and it's going to make

26:37it difficult for people to get through.

26:39We get a good amount of snow here and

26:41that snow turns into ice and slush. it's

26:44difficult to clear that on the

26:46residential streets and it will make

26:48those already small and narrow streets

26:50more narrow and difficult to navigate. I

26:53say this as someone who spent a long

26:54time living in that area um both walking

26:58to get to the farmers market as well as

27:00driving on these [snorts] streets to get

27:02to businesses to work. Um I work in

27:04Livingston, Brighton, Chelsea and

27:07Leavonia as well and I have to drive to

27:09all those places.

27:12>> All right. Thank you.

27:14>> Thank you. [applause]

27:19>> Our next speaker is Priya Swani.

27:35If this caller is on Zoom, can you press

27:38star 9 to raise your hand?

27:50Mayor, I don't see this caller online.

28:03Our next speaker is Will Leaf.

28:11>> [clears throat]

28:11>> Hello. I'm here to talk about the near

28:13campus resoning and to ask you to

28:16support it. Um, I lived as a student in

28:19that area for many years. Um, and lived

28:22in student housing for more than 10

28:24years. I now live in a home, a single

28:26family home that I own with my family

28:27that is a converted student rental. Um,

28:30it's really clear how connected those

28:31markets are. if you deal with it and you

28:33buy a house and the price of the house

28:34is based on the amount of rent you can

28:36charge uh students. Um so

28:42I'd like to look at an example cuz it's

28:45true that when you build new housing

28:47it's usually more expensive than the old

28:48housing replaces. So if you look at the

28:50five corners development I believe that

28:52destroyed nine houses and a small

28:55apartment building for about 65 bedrooms

28:57lost. Uh there's 1,200 bedrooms in the

29:00new building that replaces it. So I

29:02would ask where were those people

29:04otherwise going to live those 1,200

29:07students living there? I would guess

29:09that many of them were still going to

29:11attend the University of Michigan and

29:12live in older housing and out compete

29:15students who have less means and young

29:18families like myself for housing. So I

29:21think we have a supply shortage of

29:23housing and it makes perfect sense to

29:26make this measure as an interim measure

29:29while you consider the full UDC rewrite

29:31because it's particularly impactful this

29:34area. This is where there's a ton of

29:36demand. So I appreciate you considering

29:38this and would ask you to support it.

29:40Thank you.

29:41>> Thank you. [applause]

29:43Our next speaker is Clark Tranetski.

29:55Good evening. My name is Clark

29:58Turnetski. Uh with regard to the Kerry

30:00Street proposal, since the city will be

30:02conducting a public meeting in November

30:05regarding modifications to the Broadway

30:07bridges, the Cary Street proposal should

30:10be taken up at that time since it is a

30:13feeder to those bridges. I have special

30:16concerns about the effect of the

30:18proposed change on the ability of train

30:20and intercity bus passengers that use

30:22the Amtrak station long-term parking lot

30:26across the tracks from the station. I'm

30:28trying to find out whether or not

30:30passenger needs were taken into account

30:32in drafting this proposal. I've seen no

30:35report that this was done. The present

30:38process of driving from the Amtrak

30:39station to the parking lot using

30:41carriage street is rather

30:43straightforward. The alternative

30:45involves the following route. North

30:47Fifth Avenue south to East Summit. East

30:50on East Summit while crossing two lanes

30:52of Beaks to Detroit Street. South on

30:55Detroit Street. Make a U-turn on Detroit

30:58Street followed by a left turn onto the

31:01left lane of North Division and then

31:03across the bridge. How is the driver not

31:06familiar with the intricate street

31:07layout in that vicinity expected to find

31:10their way across the bridge to the

31:13long-term lot? I'm well aware of the

31:15safety issues involved in the present

31:18two-way road arrangement, but making it

31:20one way may introduce additional

31:23hazards. These defects should be worked

31:26out before the city decides to change

31:29the Kerry Street to oneway. Thank you

31:31very much.

31:32>> Thank you. [applause] Our next speaker

31:35is Nathan Cornwall.

31:38[clears throat]

31:44>> Good [snorts] evening, Mayor Taylor and

31:45members of city council. My name is

31:46Nathaniel Colin Cornwall and I've been a

31:48resident of Ward 1 for 11 years and I'm

31:50speaking tonight for the conversion of

31:52Kerry Street to oneway traffic. I

31:54navigate this intersection almost every

31:56day by car on my commute to and from

31:57work. I see over all my traversals that

32:00this intersection is a fatality waiting

32:02to happen. And that is why I'm

32:03wholeheartly in support of the measure

32:04to convert Kerry Street to oneway and

32:06extend the protected bike lane down

32:07division. We need to ensure that this

32:10area is truly safe for for pedestrians

32:11and bic bicyclists. Right now, vehicles

32:14travel down division at speeds that make

32:15the area inherently dangerous. The

32:18multiple marked pedestrian crosswalks in

32:20the stretch are where I regularly

32:21witness drivers ignore pedestrians and

32:23bikers because traffic is moving too

32:25fast and the roadway design encourages

32:27high speeds. Continuing the pedest uh

32:30protected bike lane down division will

32:31calm traffic, narrow the visual driving

32:33lane, and slow cars down so drivers can

32:35see and yield to people crossing on

32:37foot. I've personally been inspired by

32:40all the bicycle safety infrastructure uh

32:42that has been created in Ann Arbor.

32:44Because of this, when traveling within

32:45the city, I've almost exclusively

32:47transition to getting there by bike. I

32:49no longer choose to drive downtown and

32:50believe that traveling by bike is the

32:52more convenient option for me. But

32:53despite this, the Broadway Bridge

32:55Corridor is my main artery to and from

32:57downtown, and I fear it is a safety risk

32:59every time I traverse it. I'm hoping

33:01that you'll take my story as an example

33:02of someone who is inspired to change

33:04their methods of transportation based on

33:06the biking infrastructure initiatives in

33:08our city. Tonight, you will likely hear

33:10arguments against this proposal, claims

33:11that will cause catastrophic gridlock or

33:13hurt local businesses. I've seen these

33:15same arguments raised nearly every bike

33:17lane and road right sizing project uh

33:19across Ann Arbor. And time after time,

33:21traffic studies and real world results

33:23have proven these fe fears to be be

33:25completely false. If an Arbor is truly

33:27serious about reaching its uh vision

33:29zero goals, executing road rights

33:31policies, and fulfilling our broader

33:33land use plan, these are precisely the

33:34kinds of decisions council needs to

33:36make. We cannot claim to prioritize

33:38safety and sustainability while backing

33:39down the moment a necessary road design

33:42change comes up for a vote. Thank you.

33:44>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Peter H.

33:47[applause]

33:52Hi, council members and mayor Taylor.

33:54I'm Peter Hal. I'm on the transportation

33:57commission and I was part of that body's

33:59unanimous vote in favor of reconfiguring

34:01Kerry for one-way traffic. Um, but today

34:04of course I'm speaking only for myself.

34:07Um, the bikeway and by extension the

34:09necessary conversion of Kerry Street.

34:11Uh, it supports our climate goals, our

34:13transportation goals, and our vision

34:15zero goals. uh reducing VMTs, adding a

34:18crucial link in the all ages and

34:20abilities network, improving bike

34:22ability, improving walkability.

34:25Those are the things that this project

34:27will make possible. Um those are the

34:29kinds of improvements that all of our

34:31plans are intended to bring. Um I also

34:36want to note that in this case, our our

34:39city staff are identifying a serious

34:42hazard at this location with the current

34:44design. Um and they're telling us and

34:46you that this dangerous location needs

34:48to be fixed before someone gets hurt. Um

34:51this is exactly the kind of proactive

34:54planning and engineering that all of us

34:57need to support. Um this is how we will

35:00achieve vision zero. So please vote yes

35:03and on the uh

35:06on the resoning

35:08also please vote yes. Thank you.

35:11>> Thank you. [applause]

35:12Our next speaker is Ralph McKe.

35:21>> Good evening, Ralph McKe. Fifth Ward.

35:24Let's start with DC2.

35:26UN andCPC promised hundreds of times to

35:29have robust, detailed neighborhood

35:30discussions before resoning, and you

35:32just hired a consultant for 800 grand to

35:34work on that process, including public

35:36engagement. None of that can be

35:39reconciled with having CPC whip this up

35:41in 180 days. What Dharma correctly

35:44applied to oppose the Woodbury Gardens

35:46resoning at first reading apply to this

35:48too. Simply put, it's a betrayal and a

35:51couple of check the box public hearings

35:53where we each get to speak for 3 minutes

35:54each doesn't change that. CA7, I oppose

35:58this. The proposed change should be

36:01postponed until the entire project,

36:03including the intertwined Broadway

36:05bridge project, has a final design

36:06proposal. Making carry oneway has a

36:09profound and final effect on potential

36:12redesigns of both sections. It would

36:14prevent consideration of some potential

36:17redesigns before the public meeting on

36:19that section even happens. That's just

36:20wrong. I appreciate the council members

36:23here who asked detailed questions. The

36:26staff answers were detailed, but they

36:28contained some spin. They minimized the

36:30impact of traffic congestion because

36:32they failed to cons consider at all the

36:34future impact of Broadway West. Safety,

36:37as Mr. Hul indicated, they're being

36:39proactive. And I want to say I have

36:40great respect for Mr. Hulk. I happen to

36:42disagree with them on this one. I think

36:45what we should do for safety is actually

36:47take the 30 locations where we had

36:49serious accidents and analyze those

36:51before doing one. This one, according to

36:54the staff, staff didn't report one

36:56single pedestrian crash here in 14

36:59years. None. Zero. Two bike crashes in

37:03in between 2014 and 18. Both of those

37:06were minor. And the descriptions don't

37:08say that the people coming out of Kerry

37:11caused them. So, and there's no in the

37:15answers there's no reference to

37:16potential fixes which have been

37:18suggested. One good one, oneway track on

37:21division and the other way goes down

37:23fifth street at 7. Anyway,

37:26>> thank you. [applause]

37:29>> Our next speaker is Jeff Crockett.

37:32>> Good evening. My name is Jeff Crockett.

37:34I've lived several blocks from the Kerry

37:36Street North Division intersection at 50

37:40506 East Kingsley for 46 years. I have

37:43never seen an accident at this location,

37:46nor have I heard about one. I

37:48[clears throat] have safely made this

37:49turn many times over the years and today

37:52I watched uh the interception for 30

37:54minutes and saw 20 cars coming up carry

37:56and enter the bridge safely. No problem.

37:59I urge you to pull CA7 for the following

38:02reasons. Number one, while limited

38:04lights [clears throat] limited line of

38:06sight has been cited as a primary safety

38:08concern, no metrics have been provided

38:11such as the current line line

38:13[clears throat] of sight length or what

38:15an acceptable line of sight would be.

38:18Regular gaps in traffic due to the

38:20traffic light at East Kingsley reduce

38:22the risk of an accident and radar

38:25control speed indicators on both sides

38:27of the division would further reduce the

38:29risk. These and improved signage should

38:32be considered and costed out as options

38:34before closing the Kerry Street

38:36southbound ramp. Number two, a

38:38birectional bike lane is clearly

38:40dangerous to the residents and tenants

38:42on North Division who may have to back

38:44out across the two-way bike lanes at

38:46night when trees and trash cans block

38:48the view of southbound bike. The easy

38:50fix would be to move the southbound bike

38:53lane to north north fifth. Number three,

38:55the alternative routes would affect UVM

38:58hospital employee commuters, St. Thomas

38:59Church parishioners, school parents, and

39:02Elena's daycare center on beaks. There's

39:04been no outreach to these stakeholders.

39:06No one has considered the traffic impact

39:08of the Broadway Bridge development on

39:11this l ramp closure. And number four, in

39:14the past 3 weeks, we have collected

39:161,030 petition signers opposing the

39:18reduction of a traffic lane on carrying

39:21traffic lanes on the Broadway Bridge.

39:23Given the explosion of social media

39:25posts on this subject, which many of you

39:27have seen, it seems public sentiment

39:29strongly impos uh opposes eliminating

39:32the southbound ramp. Thank you for your

39:34consideration.

39:36>> Thank you. [applause]

39:37Our next speaker is Ramon Harris.

39:44>> Good evening, Mayor Taylor and esteemed

39:46city council members. Um, for those who

39:47don't know me, my name is Ramon Harris

39:49and I'm the associate state director for

39:51community outreach here in Ann Arbor

39:53with AARP Michigan. I'm joined by Cassie

39:55Thefelder somewhere lost in this crowd.

39:57There she is. Um, we are here tonight to

40:02sorry, state ARP support for the

40:04proposed virtual currency kiosk

40:06ordinance and I want to thank council

40:08member Ayer for her leadership on this

40:09important issue. Um, ARP has 1.3 million

40:13members in Michigan and protecting the

40:15financial security of older adults is

40:17central to our work. Through ARP's fraud

40:20watch network, we see how quickly scams

40:22evolve and virtual currency kiosks have

40:24become an effect an effective tool for

40:26criminals to steal significant amounts

40:29of money. These scams often rely on fear

40:31and urgency. Someone is convinced their

40:34they owe money, their account has been

40:35compromised, or a loved one is in

40:37trouble. They're directed to withdraw

40:39cash and deposit it into a crypto kiosk.

40:42Once that crypto kio currency is

40:44transferred, receivering the money can

40:46be extremely difficult if at all

40:48possible. While anyone can be

40:49victimized, the consequences can be

40:51particularly devastating for older

40:53adults who may lose retirement savings.

40:55They simply don't have time to rebuild.

40:58That's why this ordinance matters.

41:01We support the warning notices and

41:03receipt requirements, but the $1,000

41:06daily transaction limit is especially

41:08important. It creates meaningful

41:09safeguards uh that can limit the

41:12financial damage before someone loses

41:13tens of thousands of dollars. This

41:15ordinance won't stop every scammer, but

41:17it can make it harder for scammers to

41:19financially devastate an Ann Arbor

41:21resident. AP Michigan respectfully

41:24supports this ordinance, and we

41:26appreciate the city council taking

41:27action to protect consumers. Thank you.

41:30>> Thank you.

41:32Our next speaker is Bruce Fields.

41:40>> Hi. Uh I'm Bruce Fields. I just biked

41:42here across the Broadway Bridge from uh

41:44W 2. Um but [laughter] uh when I first

41:47came back to Ann Arbor for school, um I

41:50actually uh lived in a uh building

41:53that's directly across Ash Street from

41:55this this building, an old house built

41:57in 1866 that had since been broken up

41:59into little apartments. Um it had no AC

42:02and you had to walk through the bathroom

42:03to get to the onebedroom, but it was

42:05cheap and it was within walking distance

42:07of campus and that's what we wanted. So

42:09it worked out well for us. Um, since

42:11then we've lived a bunch of other

42:13places, but they've all, uh, been on the

42:15old side, um, for the obvious reason

42:17that we're cheap skates. Um, and we like

42:20to like to be within, you know, walking

42:23or biking distance of downtown. So, um,

42:27[clears throat]

42:28despite that preference for older

42:29places, um, I'm a huge fan of new

42:33buildings because I understand, as Will

42:34Leaf explained earlier, that each time

42:36we built a big new apartment building,

42:39we're, uh, adding enough beds, um, to

42:42free up potentially hundreds of older

42:45houses for cheapkates like me. So, um,

42:50with this resoning of near campus, we

42:52have a particularly good, uh,

42:54opportunity to do this because we know

42:56that there are tons of, um, people

42:58living in that area or who will be

43:00coming to that area who place a very

43:03high premium on, um, living as close to

43:06campus as they can, uh, don't need a ton

43:08of space, and would support some more

43:10large um, large apartment buildings. And

43:14that's a potential for a huge win for

43:16for everybody. um for the people that

43:18are going to live in those new buildings

43:20and for the people that get to occupy

43:21the houses and co-ops and other

43:24buildings that they uh um leave leave

43:27behind. Um

43:30so I'm a big fan of DC2. I hope we pass

43:32it by my one is time. Um I hope that

43:34we're able to keep that to some sort of

43:35deadline and not let it slide too long.

43:38Uh the other thing I want to say is that

43:39I'm really thankful to for the staff

43:41work on the fact on uh Kerry Street.

43:44It's very informative and I'm a huge fan

43:45of that change as well. Thank you. Our

43:48next speaker is Mark Madonna. [applause]

43:57Hello. Uh my name is Mark. Uh I support

43:59DC2, but I want to talk about CA7. Uh a

44:03couple years ago, I decided I did not

44:06like driving around the city. Um and I

44:08went out and got a bike. The reason I

44:09did that is because I saw all of the

44:11bike infrastructure that the city has

44:12built and I realized it's going to be a

44:14lot easier for me if I just bike around

44:17and it is except when I have to go to

44:20North Campus. Uh once you get to that

44:23bridge the I remember the first time I

44:24biked up there I thought I must be doing

44:27something wrong because it just looks

44:29it's so unclear what you're supposed to

44:31do as a cyclist. Um, and you know, I've

44:34been doing it for a couple years, and I

44:36still always think like, am I even

44:38supposed to be on here with a bike? Am I

44:40am I supposed to be going to a different

44:42part of the city to go to the north part

44:45of the city because it is not very

44:46friendly to cyclists? And so, as a

44:49cyclist, I uh support CA7. Uh, but I

44:52also drive around and as a driver, I

44:54also support CA7. Driving up Cary Street

44:58is awful. Uh, I remember my memory of

45:01Kerry Street. will always be as a driver

45:03driving up in the winter, having my car

45:06stall, and having it slide all the way

45:07down the hill. Now, luckily, it's not

45:10like it is just not a very busy uh road

45:13going up there. And so, I didn't hit any

45:15cars, um but had there been another car,

45:18I would have crashed into them. And so,

45:20uh you know, and even when it's not icy,

45:23you have to get up there. You have to

45:24pull into the intersection because you

45:26cannot see the cars coming. Um, and so I

45:30would support making it a oneway for

45:31that reason. I understand there are

45:33traffic concerns, but the reality is you

45:36have to drive a couple hundred feet

45:39around if you want to get on the to get

45:42on the road. It takes about a minute. It

45:45is not that big of a detour. And so, uh,

45:48I strongly support, uh, passing CA7 and

45:51making it a one-way street. Thank you.

45:54>> Thank you. [applause] Our next speaker

45:56is Jenny Rogers.

46:04Hello. Uh, hi Jenny Rogers, resident of

46:07Ward 4 in the lower Bruns Park

46:08neighborhood. I'm speaking tonight in

46:10support of the resolution to initiate

46:12zoning amendments as well as the

46:14resolution to convert Kerry Street to

46:16oneway. Um, [snorts] I live in the

46:18boundary of the study area that's

46:19included in the zoning resolution and my

46:21immediate neighborhood is a mix of owner

46:23occupied homes and student rentals.

46:26Since 1995 when we moved in, more and

46:29more nearby homes have been converted to

46:31rental properties. As the um uh um

46:34student population continues to grow

46:36year after year, I think that the

46:38pressure uh that [clears throat] it will

46:41um be I think that we should um make it

46:46easier to build apartment buildings near

46:48campus where there is a lot of demand

46:49for housing. There are many benefits to

46:51this. It will relieve pressure on the

46:53existing supply of owner occupied homes.

46:56And for example, the apartment building

46:58under construction at state and Packard

47:01will house as many people as would fill

47:03approximately 300 single family homes.

47:07It will also help relieve our critical

47:09housing shortage. More housing units,

47:12whatever the variety, will reduce the

47:14scarcity that drives up housing prices

47:17and forces renders to accept poor

47:19conditions. Additionally, will allow

47:21more people to live close to jobs and

47:24school, thereby reducing transportation

47:26emissions.

47:28More density along with mixeduse zoning

47:31will allow for more businesses within

47:33our neighborhoods, making them more

47:34vibrant and livable. Due to our housing

47:37shortage, I think it's important to make

47:39these changes now rather than waiting

47:41for the complete UDC rewrite um or on a

47:45projectby- project basis. I urge you all

47:48to support this. I'm also strongly in

47:51support of converting Kerry Street to

47:53one way. The convenience of drivers

47:57should not have a higher priority than

47:59the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.

48:02I regularly bike down division and over

48:04the Broadway bridge and I'm eager to

48:06have the division bike way extended to

48:09make it safer.

48:10>> Thank you. [applause]

48:12>> Our next speaker is Lisa Jevans.

48:17>> Hi, Lisa Jevans. 1054 Martin Place

48:20speaking on uh DC2.

48:23This resolution is a shocking and

48:26blatant attempt to circumvent the public

48:28reasonzoning process that we just paid a

48:31consulting firm over $800,000 to do for

48:34us over two to three years. Instead, it

48:37asked the planning commission to write a

48:39new zoning code for the central city and

48:41campus area in the next 180 days. It is

48:45also shocking because it is sponsored by

48:48a lame duck mayor who was voted out of

48:52office for putting developers over

48:54residents. [applause]

48:55This is the same mayor and council who

48:58promised us over and over again that

49:01rewriting the zoning would take years

49:03and involve the public. Were you lying?

49:06>> Yes.

49:07>> The map of the Rush zone area is across

49:10the street from North Burns Park and

49:12Lower Burns Park. These neighborhoods

49:14suffer disproportionately from adjacent

49:17overdevelopment with increased car

49:19traffic, student foot traffic at all

49:21hours, construction traffic, noise,

49:23deliveries, litter, theft, and partying

49:26spilling over into residential. So why

49:28don't campus adjacent neighborhoods

49:30deserve an equal say, and what directly

49:32impacts them? Why shouldn't developers

49:35have to follow the timeline in the

49:37consulting agreement like everybody else

49:40and wait for the rewriting of the UDC?

49:43Declaring some sort of development

49:45emergency in this area defies reality.

49:48There are multiple highrises going up

49:51right now with more in the pipeline.

49:54They will house multiple thousands of

49:56people very soon. So will the new dorms.

50:00A special exception like DC2 should not

50:02even be considered at this time with new

50:05leadership coming in very soon. We

50:08expect the consulting firm to lead the

50:10resoning under the new mayor and council

50:14using the process that we were promised

50:16for the last two years.

50:19>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Donna

50:22Babcock. [applause]

50:32Thank you.

50:34I'm Donna Babcock. I'm in Ward One Uland

50:38Drive.

50:39I'd like to speak about a CA7. I'd like

50:42it removed from the agenda. Traffic flow

50:45must be considered within the broader

50:46road network. Kerry Street is one part

50:49of the division street bikeway extension

50:51and Broadway Plymouth [snorts] Road

50:53project. This is a DDA effort to connect

50:56downtown with the north side Pontiac

50:59Trail and Plymouth Road. My concern is

51:01that this plan is being advanced through

51:04the current city administration and city

51:06planning rather than a residentled

51:09initiative. Residents need a clear

51:12explanation of how public input has

51:15shaped this proposal and how it

51:17justifies the infrastructure costs and

51:20disruption to our roadways. Citing the

51:23Ann Arbor roadway right sizing does not

51:26resolve these concerns or establish

51:28public support for this specific

51:30project. I would like the city to

51:32explain how support has been assessed

51:35and whether a ballot measure is more

51:37accurate to ensure residents a direct

51:39voice.

51:44The convergence of arterial roads and

51:46historic streets, the limited space in

51:49this corridor, and the addition of a

51:50major development warrant thorough

51:53attention together. My concern is

51:55whether the proposed changes adequately

51:57address these combined pressures on

52:00traffic flow and access. The Broadway

52:02corridor with intersections at Gordon

52:05Street, Maiden Lane, and Swift Street

52:06with signals are considered by standard

52:09professional metrics to be, I've never

52:11heard this before, violently too close.

52:14The spacing edited is um cited is

52:17approximately 400 ft. A new traffic

52:19signal on the Broadway bridge to access

52:21Broadway Park will add to the pressure

52:24of an already constrained control

52:26corridor, including cues extending into

52:29other roadways blocking traffic, greater

52:32difficulty.

52:34Oh, sorry. Thank you.

52:36>> Thank you. [applause] Our next speaker

52:38is Mark Bhub.

52:46>> Hello, I'm Mark Brihub. I've been a an

52:48Arbor resident for 26 years. I live on

52:50Blue Avenue, northeast side of Ann

52:52Arbor, and I'm also your uh chair of the

52:54Recreation Activities Board, a

52:56commission. Um, so the current situ I'm

53:00talking about the uh change of Casey.

53:02The current situation is very dangerous.

53:04It's been something I've been dealing

53:05with for a long time. I So the comment

53:08has been made that there's not a lot of

53:09accidents. There haven't been many. I

53:11just avoid going there. It's just too

53:12dangerous. I am happy to go across the

53:14bridge uh coming into town, but I won't

53:16go back that way unless there's

53:18basically no traffic at that time of day

53:19I'm going. Um I also do drive that part

53:23of town on a mildly regular basis. I

53:25have to pick up my son from the train

53:27station regularly and I do take Casey

53:29and go up that fairly regularly and I

53:30recognize it's going to take me longer

53:32to do that and for me that's a a fine

53:34trade-off. Um I have been writing emails

53:36off and on about how bad that is. my

53:38friends and colleagues at work who do

53:40commute have the same problem. We've

53:42when we complain about biking, it's

53:43always the same spot. So, it's really

53:46very unpleasant. Um, I don't see another

53:48way to solve it other than Casey not

53:50having an exit to that road uh coming up

53:53that way. And so, I'd urge uh support of

53:55CA7. Thank you.

53:56>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Julie

53:59Ritter. [applause]

54:04Oh,

54:07>> just in case you don't know where the

54:09roads are.

54:10>> You want me to hold it?

54:11>> Yeah. Thank you.

54:14Thank you. Julie Ritter Road forth Ward.

54:18So, last week I sat on the Broadway

54:20Bridge for 2 hours from 3:30 to 5:30. I

54:23counted 14 bikes from 3:30 to 4:30 and

54:2617 from 4:30 to 5:30. Evenly distributed

54:29on both sides of the bridge. 2/3 going

54:31out, 1/3 coming in. also two electric

54:34scooters, two outbound ambulances, and

54:36an outbound firet truck.

54:42This plan is not going to lower

54:43emissions from cars. It's going to

54:46increase them due to the extended route

54:48here.

54:50Instead of this little street going

54:52here, going here, all these people are

54:54going to have to go on Kingsley. People

54:55coming in North Main wanting to go up

54:57Plymouth Road are going to have to come

54:58up to Kingsley.

55:02The increased bike traffic in the future

55:06that's going to be across the bridge

55:08will only come to pass once more big

55:10buildings are built out on Plymouth

55:12Road. And the bicycles bicyclist promise

55:15that more bikes will be coming, but

55:16they're not there now.

55:19>> [sighs]

55:20>> Not one of the analyses or explanations

55:23from any aspect of this project mentions

55:26or accounts for any of the additional

55:28traffic that will be coming online from

55:30Roxberry once it's built out. From my

55:33calculations based on the information

55:35available to me, anywhere from 500

55:37to,200 trips will be taking place in and

55:40out of that driveway right here onto

55:43Broadway. And the only way that people

55:45can get into and out of their houses is

55:47on the bridge.

55:49>> [clears throat]

55:50>> This plan will not lower the accident

55:52rates. The additional car trips will

55:54simply add to the existing congestion on

55:57Kingsley, which will bear the brunt of

55:59this plan along with division. You might

56:01not be adding more points of conflict,

56:03but you will be adding many more

56:05interactions at existing points. There

56:07are 15 crosswalks on this route here to

56:10division and eight on this route here to

56:13division.

56:17Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker

56:21is Greg Matthews. [applause]

56:33>> Good evening everybody.

56:35My name is Greg Matthews. I live in

56:36Lower Burns Park and thank you to the

56:40sponsors of DC2 tonight to reszone the

56:42student village. My Lower Burns Park

56:44neighbors and I have noticed homes that

56:46were once owner occupied have

56:48transformed into rentals. Is this a real

56:50trend and will it continue are some

56:52questions that people ask. Neighbors

56:55from our neighbors volunteers have

56:56reviewed all publicly available property

56:58tax data going back to 1999 and mapped

57:01it helpfully onto the parcels throughout

57:03the city. I encourage everyone to view

57:05that uh the maps and the slides we

57:07produced to see how the student village

57:09has changed over almost completely to

57:12non-owner occupied and how that

57:15conversion is continuing to move south

57:17every single year. Um I have student

57:20neighbors. I'm not complaining about

57:22them. But the choices that they make to

57:24live in neighborhoods like mine are

57:26partly based on the fact that the zoning

57:27near campus does not meet their needs.

57:30Better zoning would give students and

57:32everyone more choices about where to

57:34live, whether they prefer a high-rise

57:36apartment or a small apartment building

57:38or a house. There will still be houses

57:41for people to rent and for people to

57:43play beer pong on. And they uh may even

57:46get to live next to other students

57:48instead of people like me who might be

57:50called old or boring. So, um, some are

57:54asking why not wait for the full zoning

57:56rewrite. If the UDC is rewritten and

57:59adopted on schedule, which is not

58:01guaranteed, and if the university

58:03continues to grow, which almost is

58:04guaranteed, then we're looking at around

58:062,000 to 3,000 more students by that

58:09time. That means 2,000 to 3,000 more Ann

58:12Arborites may have to leave the city.

58:14Housing is a game of musical chairs.

58:16When we add people, but not housing,

58:18that many more people are displaced. So,

58:21this resoning would not negate public

58:23engagement for the full zoning rewrite.

58:25That will still happen and that new

58:26zoning will still come with the UDC. So,

58:29let's expand housing options. Let's

58:30allow for mixed uses, support walkable

58:32neighborhoods, and support DC2. Thank

58:35you.

58:35>> Thank you. [applause]

58:37Our next speaker is John Floyd.

58:57John Floyd, if you're online, can you

58:59press star six?

59:07Excuse me. Star nine to raise your hand.

59:09John Floyd.

59:22Mayor, I don't see this caller online.

59:30Our next speaker is Elliot Gossay.

59:35You know, last council meeting, I was

59:37the first person to get bumped to the

59:39public comment after the meeting. So,

59:40I'm really glad that that person missed

59:42their public comment. Uh anyway, I'm

59:45here to uh support the conversion to

59:47oneway traffic on Kerry Street. Uh I

59:49don't see it as too big of a detour and

59:51it's a pretty unpleasant intersection. I

59:53have driven through there safely. In

59:56fact, I haven't hit anyone, but that

59:58doesn't mean it's a safe intersection.

1:00:00It's not the most dangerous

1:00:01intersection, but it's still a dangerous

1:00:02intersection. and converting that to one

1:00:05way will be good for making sure we can

1:00:07put in a bike way going up to the

1:00:08Broadway bridge and really making North

1:00:10Side uh more easily bikable into

1:00:13downtown and the rest of the city. I

1:00:14used to live up in North Side and uh I

1:00:17was much less confident biker and I

1:00:18wouldn't consider biking down that way.

1:00:20Broadway Bridge was part of it. It

1:00:21wasn't all of it but it was part of it

1:00:23and making progress there would be good.

1:00:25Uh I also like to say I support

1:00:28reszoning [clears throat] student areas.

1:00:29We need more housing for students. And I

1:00:32heard people complaining about students

1:00:33partying or students like riding

1:00:35scooters or whatever. And like why are

1:00:37you living in a college town? It's like

1:00:38the students are what make it great.

1:00:39Like I get that they can be frustrating

1:00:41sometimes and like they they throw

1:00:42parties but like you know that's life.

1:00:45Like you know I'd rather live here than

1:00:48Jackson or like Brighton and like Yeah.

1:00:53[laughter]

1:00:54And like nothing wrong with those

1:00:55places, but like Ann Arbor is special

1:00:57and different because we have the

1:00:58university and that means students and

1:00:59that's why there are so many

1:01:00opportunities here and so many wonderful

1:01:02places here and so much culture here. So

1:01:05like we we should have places for those

1:01:07students to live so they can you know

1:01:10actually start to get ahead and not

1:01:12struggle just to find housing. Uh so

1:01:14please approve the upzoning. Please

1:01:16approve the closure of the bridge and

1:01:18thank you.

1:01:19>> Thank you. [applause]

1:01:21We've uh come to the end of our public

1:01:22comment period at the beginning of our

1:01:24meeting. The balance of public comment

1:01:26uh will be available at the back end of

1:01:28our meeting.

1:01:35Are there communications today from

1:01:36council?

1:01:45Council member Cornell.

1:01:50Thank you. Um, unfortunately due to a

1:01:54work commitment, I won't be at our next

1:01:56council meeting and so this is my last

1:01:58with some of my favorite people on the

1:02:00planet and I'm going to try and get

1:02:01through this really quickly and without

1:02:03a motion. Um,

1:02:06Council Members Watson, Gazi, Edwin,

1:02:08Aman, May Taylor, you are some of the

1:02:12smartest and

1:02:15compassionate and supportive people I've

1:02:17ever met. And serving on this side of

1:02:20the table is hard. It's really hard. the

1:02:23amount of work that it takes um to come

1:02:26to these meetings every other week

1:02:28prepared on a variety of topics that can

1:02:31range from glue traps to housing to

1:02:34pedestrian safety to cryptocurrency.

1:02:39It's it's truly um something that you do

1:02:42because you believe in our community.

1:02:45And I think what I've learned through

1:02:47this process is to believe in my

1:02:48colleagues.

1:02:50um

1:02:52the way that we're able to take a set of

1:02:55facts and come at a completely different

1:02:58conclusion sometimes and yet do that

1:03:01with

1:03:03care and humor and

1:03:06you know sometimes saying I don't like

1:03:08you right now like I really don't like

1:03:10you right now but I respect you and and

1:03:13I think if we as a collective human

1:03:16whole could get back to that as just a

1:03:18baseline we'd all be much better. So, um

1:03:23I've been inspired by each of you. I've

1:03:25learned so much from you. And

1:03:29in [laughter] in the words of Ted Lasso,

1:03:32you have all reminded me that to be more

1:03:35curious and led less judgmental is is

1:03:38really what having character and

1:03:41integrity is all about. So, thank you

1:03:42for the privilege of serving with you.

1:03:44Thank you for your service to our

1:03:46community and I can't wait to go shoot

1:03:49zombies and and go for long walks and

1:03:53maybe run into David Zen and eat cheese

1:03:56curds with a lot of extra ranch and

1:03:59council member Aman go uh hang out with

1:04:02your dog. You have all um

1:04:06served this community with honor and I

1:04:08think that we should all be grateful for

1:04:09that. So, thank you for the opportunity.

1:04:12>> [applause]

1:04:17[applause]

1:04:22>> Further communication from council.

1:04:27>> Council member Adena.

1:04:29I really hate following that. Um with

1:04:31with just an announcement that um fire

1:04:35station 4 will finally be reopening. Um,

1:04:38and there is a uh a ribbon I think a

1:04:42ribbon cutting a ceremony to do so on

1:04:44October 30th at 1:00. And so I just want

1:04:46to invite community members who are uh

1:04:48equally excited about about that uh

1:04:50building reopening to join us there for

1:04:52the celebration.

1:04:54Further communication.

1:05:00Uh, I'd like to recommend the following

1:05:01nominations for your consideration to

1:05:03the Ann Arbor Area Transportation

1:05:04Authority, Samuel Cultic, to the

1:05:06Downtown Development Residential

1:05:08Consultancy Council, Richard Ference,

1:05:10Curtis Davis, and Karen Park. May I have

1:05:12a motion, please? Uh, were these

1:05:13presented?

1:05:16No, these were not presented. Um, I'd

1:05:18like to request the following

1:05:19confirmation uh reappoint that was

1:05:21presented to council on October 5, 2026

1:05:24to the Leslie Science and Nature Center

1:05:25board of directors, uh, Theres Powski.

1:05:27May I have a motion, please? Moved by

1:05:29council member Watson, seconded by

1:05:30councelor Gazi had discussion.

1:05:32All in favor? Opposed? It is approved.

1:05:36I'd also like to request confirmation of

1:05:37the following appointments that were

1:05:38presented to city council on October 5,

1:05:402026 to the parks advisory commission.

1:05:42Ashley Hall and Rory Baker. May have a

1:05:44motion, please. Moved by council member

1:05:45Cornell. Second by council member Reda.

1:05:47Discussion. All in favor? Opposed? It is

1:05:51approved. Uh we now have before us the

1:05:54consent agenda. I have a motion please

1:05:56to approve the consent agenda moved by

1:05:57council member

1:05:59M. Second by council member Watson.

1:06:01Discussion of the consent agenda.

1:06:04[snorts]

1:06:07>> Council member

1:06:10CA7

1:06:11>> CA7 further discussion of the consent

1:06:13agenda.

1:06:20All in favor

1:06:22of this consent agenda with the

1:06:24exception of CA7. All in favor? All

1:06:26opposed. The consent agenda with the

1:06:28exception of CA7 is approved with nine

1:06:30council members present. all voting of

1:06:32the affirmative, thus satisfying the 8

1:06:34vote requirement with respect to CA 2,

1:06:37CA 4, CA5,

1:06:42CA1 13,

1:06:44CA 15, CA1 17, CA1 18, CA1 19, and CA

1:06:5120.

1:06:55CA7 resolution to approve the conversion

1:06:57to one-way traffic on Kerry Street.

1:06:59Moved by council member Dena, seconded

1:07:01by council member Cornell. Discussion

1:07:03please of CA7. I believe we have staff

1:07:06introduction. Mr. Doney.

1:07:16Mayor, we have uh two people to give an

1:07:19introduction. Uh Jordan Roberts and Miss

1:07:24Thompson. I would ask the clerk to

1:07:26promote them. Perfect.

1:08:32Okay. Good evening everybody. Uh Mora

1:08:35Thompson here um to kick off this staff

1:08:39introduction. Um so tonight council is

1:08:42considering a resolution to convert

1:08:44Kerry Street to oneway traffic. That's

1:08:47eliminating the lane heading up from

1:08:50depot. This change is necessary for the

1:08:52DDA's Division Street Bikeway extension

1:08:56to move that project forward.

1:09:01So, we recognize that long-term this

1:09:05broader area that you're looking at

1:09:07needs reconsideration. It's a

1:09:10complicated network of streets and it

1:09:12was designed to feel like a highway

1:09:14interchange in the middle of our city.

1:09:16However, what we're talking about today

1:09:19is what we can implement in the interim

1:09:22with the planned Division Street

1:09:24resurfacing project coming up this

1:09:26spring of 2027.

1:09:30So, what problem are we trying to solve?

1:09:34Uh, today we have a two-way separated

1:09:36bikeway on Division that ends at

1:09:39Catherine, leaving cyclists without safe

1:09:42access to the Broadway Bridge.

1:09:48We also have accessibility challenges.

1:09:51Uh those who rely on walking must

1:09:53navigate an indirect and inaccessible

1:09:56route. Not only dealing with the slope

1:09:59of division to the bridge, that red

1:10:01dotted line, but also the cross slope

1:10:04crossing Kerry Street. And for people

1:10:07who are using a wheelchair, a walker, or

1:10:10even pushing a stroller, this is

1:10:12incredibly challenging.

1:10:16So at a high level, we are recommending

1:10:18a shared use path on division street

1:10:21connecting to the Broadway bridge side

1:10:23path, converting carry to one way going

1:10:27downhill with on street parking and

1:10:30crossing improvements throughout the

1:10:32project area.

1:10:38There are longstanding site distance

1:10:40concerns at this location. Uh when the

1:10:43Broadway Bridge was reconstructed in the

1:10:46late 1990s, staff had recommended

1:10:50recommended closing Kerry Street. Um

1:10:53city council at that time directed staff

1:10:55to maintain vehicle traffic and

1:10:57integrate Kerry Street into the design

1:11:00of the bridge. We have heard through our

1:11:03public engagement process that many

1:11:05people walking and biking avoid this

1:11:08area altogether specifically due to the

1:11:11existing unsafe condition where Kerry

1:11:14Street turns on to Division.

1:11:18People driving uphill on Kerry have a

1:11:20limited sight distance around the curve

1:11:24of Division. Um the horizontal curve and

1:11:27the retaining wall in front of 544 North

1:11:30Division, which that one arrow is

1:11:32pointing to, can obstruct the sight line

1:11:34for the driver turning onto the bridge.

1:11:38This is particularly difficult to

1:11:40navigate with the increased speeds that

1:11:42are observed around that curve.

1:11:45There are multiple points of conflict at

1:11:48this intersection, including the

1:11:50pedestrian crossing immediately north of

1:11:52Kerry. Drivers turning right and

1:11:55watching for a gap in traffic from their

1:11:58left may not see pedestrians crossing

1:12:01before turning across that crosswalk.

1:12:05In addition, cars pulling up ahead of

1:12:08the carry stop bar to see around the

1:12:11curve create an obstruction, preventing

1:12:14vehicles on division from seeing

1:12:16pedestrians in the crosswalk just north

1:12:19of the intersection.

1:12:20>> [clears throat]

1:12:21>> Um we looked at um two hours of data um

1:12:26of this area. We recorded six near

1:12:29mississ incidents. Um in the AM peak,

1:12:33the morning peak, 10% of pedestrian

1:12:36crossings resulted in a near miss. In

1:12:39the PM peak, 25% of pedestrian crossings

1:12:44resulted in a near miss.

1:12:47In addition, there are illegal movements

1:12:50that were observe obser observed. Um,

1:12:53vehicles were observed cutting across

1:12:56division to get to be. Um, in that same

1:13:002-hour period, we recorded 11 of these

1:13:03wrongway movements.

1:13:05Because the extension of the two-way

1:13:07bikeway and the shared youth pa youth

1:13:09path will make an important low stress

1:13:11connection, it will encourage more

1:13:14walking and biking. This will create an

1:13:16additional point of conflict at the

1:13:18Kerry Division intersection um if that

1:13:21carry southbound lane is not closed.

1:13:27So our goal is to be proactive rather

1:13:30than reactive. We can design this area

1:13:33to prevent crashes rather than waiting

1:13:36for a crash to occur to implement

1:13:38change. This means recognizing patterns

1:13:42that may result in a crash, such as

1:13:45limited visibility, near misses, and

1:13:48unsafe or illegal movements.

1:13:51The elimination of the southbound lane

1:13:53of Kerry Street is necessary for the

1:13:55Division Street Bikeway Extension

1:13:57Project to proceed. After detailed

1:14:00consideration, the design team concluded

1:14:03that the turn from Kerry Street onto

1:14:05Division is not a safe condition today.

1:14:09Installing a bikeway extension and

1:14:11shared use path with this turn in place

1:14:14would add a conflict point between

1:14:17bikes, cars, and pedestrians at the

1:14:19Kerry inter intersection, increasing the

1:14:22risk for everyone traveling through this

1:14:24intersection. We will not pursue a

1:14:27project that decreases safety in any

1:14:30part of a project area.

1:14:33If Kerry Street remains two-way, the

1:14:35bikeway extension will be deferred until

1:14:38the time that the city and the DDA are

1:14:41able to completely reconfigure the

1:14:43Division Broadway interchange.

1:14:48So, we heard concerns um and questions

1:14:51about how people who currently drive

1:14:53uphill on Kerry will access the bridge.

1:14:57We recognize that the that this change

1:15:00does require some drivers to use

1:15:02alternative routes to access the bridge,

1:15:05but alternative routes do exist. Uh we

1:15:08arrived at limiting Kerry Street to one

1:15:11way and extending the division bikeway

1:15:14because it is a practical near-term

1:15:16solution to ensure all people have safe

1:15:20access [gasps] to and from downtown and

1:15:22the north side.

1:15:27So, we mapped some of these alternative

1:15:29routes and they are included on um the

1:15:32engage page and on the in the frequently

1:15:36asked question section of council in

1:15:38council responses. Um overall, we expect

1:15:42traffic to be dispersed among these

1:15:44multiple routes with an average increase

1:15:48in route time of about 1 to 2 minutes or

1:15:51an additional.2 2 to4 miles of travel.

1:15:59We also heard concerns um that this

1:16:02change will push significant amounts of

1:16:05traffic um or cause safety issues onto

1:16:08other streets. Our data show that this

1:16:11is just not the case. Average daily

1:16:14counts on carry going uphill are about

1:16:16815 vehicles with hourly counts peaking

1:16:20at about 100 cars per hour in the

1:16:23morning. We expect those 100 people will

1:16:26disperse using different alternate

1:16:28routes. This traffic volume does not

1:16:32warrant safety concerns, cutthrough

1:16:34concerns, or an expected increase in

1:16:37congestion or conflict.

1:16:39To put the volume on carry into context,

1:16:43uh, Division Street hosts about 8,600

1:16:47vehicles a day and the Broadway Bridge,

1:16:50um, over 18,000.

1:16:54So, finally, uh, another concern that I

1:16:57know council heard was related to

1:16:59emergency access to the Argo Dam. My

1:17:02colleague Jordan Roberts is going to

1:17:04speak to that concern. Thank you.

1:17:10Good evening, mayor and council. Um, I

1:17:12wanted to take a minute to address some

1:17:14of the concerns raised about the

1:17:17proposed conversion of Kerry Street to

1:17:19one-way traffic, uh, specifically as it

1:17:22relates to emergency access to Argo Dam.

1:17:27I reviewed the Argo Dam emergency action

1:17:29plan or EAP and spoke with water

1:17:32treatment services staff to better

1:17:33understand the role Kerry Street plays

1:17:35in that plan.

1:17:37What I've learned [clears throat] is

1:17:38that Kerry Street is identified as part

1:17:40of a secondary access route from the

1:17:43water treatment plant to Argo Dam. It is

1:17:46not the primary access route, nor is it

1:17:48a required route that must be

1:17:50maintained. It is simply one of the

1:17:52routes identified as part of the dam's

1:17:55emergency preparedness planning. We have

1:17:58the ability to identify an alternative

1:18:00secondary route if necessary.

1:18:04The Michigan Department of Environment,

1:18:06Great Lakes, and Energy or Eagle

1:18:09requires us to maintain and annually

1:18:11update the emergency action plan, and

1:18:14our next update is coming up shortly.

1:18:17We're also in the process of developing

1:18:19updated flood inundation maps. Those

1:18:22maps may lead us to re-evaluate some of

1:18:25the existing access routes anyway, so

1:18:27the timing is actually quite

1:18:29appropriate.

1:18:31I also want to clarify that this access

1:18:33route is intended for water in water

1:18:36utility technicians, not emergency

1:18:38response vehicles. The fire department

1:18:41has already reviewed and the proposed

1:18:43one-way conversion of carry with our

1:18:45transportation staff and and has

1:18:47approved it.

1:18:50So based on my review of the emergency

1:18:52action plan and conversations with

1:18:54staff, I do not see the plan as an

1:18:57impediment to converting Kerry Street to

1:18:59one way. We can accommodate the proposed

1:19:02change while maintaining appropriate

1:19:04access to Argo Dam. Thank you.

1:19:08>> Thank you both.

1:19:11Discussion.

1:19:13>> Council member Briggs.

1:19:17Thank you to for that staff

1:19:18introduction. That was great. Um many of

1:19:21the things I was going to mention were

1:19:23just articulated within um the context

1:19:25of your comments. So really appreciate

1:19:27that um and going into so much detail.

1:19:29This is one of the longest staff

1:19:32response memos that I think um I've seen

1:19:35in quite some time. So I know that we as

1:19:36a council really dug into this issue um

1:19:38and really appreciate all the thoughtful

1:19:40comments that staff provided back and

1:19:42all the data. um encourage folks to go

1:19:43and read it if they haven't um had a

1:19:45chance to and they're interested in this

1:19:47topic. Um so, as uh Miss Thompson

1:19:49mentioned, um this configuration on

1:19:51Kerry Street is a is a long-standing

1:19:53concern. Um it's been we've been

1:19:56considering reconfiguration since the

1:19:58late 1990s.

1:20:00Um

1:20:01again, I mentioned this at the table. I

1:20:03was in college at that time. I am now a

1:20:05grandma. Um I think that it is

1:20:09appropriate that we might consider those

1:20:11recommendations that staff recommended

1:20:13um so many years ago. Um at that time

1:20:15they suggested completely closing the

1:20:17street. We are just um suggesting moving

1:20:19to one way right now. Um so and that was

1:20:23recently um again reiterated during the

1:20:26downtown area circulation study. We know

1:20:28that the intersection is risky. Um um

1:20:31again um we have just as a refresher

1:20:35there there have been eight documented

1:20:36crashes within 100 ft of the Kerry

1:20:38Street division intersection in the last

1:20:402 years. Um I found the um data around

1:20:44the near misses in the wrong way illegal

1:20:46movements actually much more concerning

1:20:48than that. Um those are um to have 25%

1:20:53of the movements be near misses is

1:20:54incredibly concerning. We we just can't

1:20:56ignore that type of data. Um,

1:21:00I also think that it's, you know, it's

1:21:04important that we've heard that moving

1:21:06to one way is important regardless of

1:21:08whether or not a bikeway ends up being

1:21:10put on um division street. This is

1:21:12something that is um would be

1:21:14recommended regardless of whether or not

1:21:17um the division bike way was being

1:21:18considered. But um but the division bike

1:21:22way is being considered and we know that

1:21:24that will not move forward without this

1:21:26conversion happening. Um I completely

1:21:29agree with the commenter who said that

1:21:32when you are biking along that corridor

1:21:34um it feels like you have done something

1:21:36wrong. You are dumped into traffic um in

1:21:39a really um concerning way that feels

1:21:42feels really feels really scary and it

1:21:45is um quite dangerous even for somebody

1:21:47who's a very confident cyclist. um as

1:21:49I've become over um the decades of

1:21:51biking. But um that is not the type of

1:21:54experience we're looking for. It's not

1:21:55the safety we're trying to offer. It's

1:21:57not the access we're trying to offer. Um

1:21:59and we know that there are alternatives

1:22:01for folks who are driving. I would

1:22:03suggest and they're solid alternatives,

1:22:04but I would also suggest that um the

1:22:06detours that are presented are really

1:22:08not the only alternatives. Um, I know

1:22:11that if I were and I I bike, I drive, I

1:22:14walk um when we're driving from my home

1:22:16um on the west side, if we were

1:22:18considering making this trip across

1:22:20Broadway Bridge and you know, and

1:22:23previously we might have used the carry

1:22:25um carry to to make that little

1:22:27shortcut, we would just pick a different

1:22:29route that a little bit more direct.

1:22:32>> Further discussion.

1:22:35Council Cornell,

1:22:38>> I have a question, but I don't know if

1:22:39it's for Miss Thompson or Mr. Roberts.

1:22:42Um, as we look to uh switch up a traffic

1:22:46pattern in an area where we have already

1:22:48identified so many near misses and um

1:22:51potential conflict points, can you maybe

1:22:54one of you discuss uh how signage will

1:22:56change, directional signage and

1:22:58indicators for pedestrians, cyclists,

1:23:01and drivers alike?

1:23:05I if if Jordan's comfortable taking that

1:23:08question, that's great. If not, we have

1:23:11a couple of our consultants also

1:23:13available who might be able to address

1:23:16that question.

1:23:18>> Um if uh if the clerk can promote um our

1:23:22transportation engineer uh Cynthia

1:23:24Reinger, uh she would be the best one to

1:23:28uh articulate the changes. But what I

1:23:31can say in the meantime is that uh or if

1:23:34Cynthia is not available is that um we

1:23:38would obvious we would change sign

1:23:39signage to direct people and um I can

1:23:43certainly have somebody follow up with

1:23:45uh council if there are um with the

1:23:49specifics. Oh, I think Cynthia's here.

1:24:10Good evening, council. Um, I

1:24:13unfortunately missed the tail end of Mr.

1:24:17Robert's comments,

1:24:20but uh

1:24:23I can discuss in general what some of

1:24:26the changes are. Um I will preface that

1:24:29however by stating that where we are in

1:24:31the design, we have not gotten to the

1:24:35point where we are in detailed design

1:24:37for items such as what the actual

1:24:39signing plans would be. Uh what I can

1:24:43say that we have been focused on more

1:24:46recently is looking with our design team

1:24:50at what some of the geometric decisions

1:24:53we need to be making are in controlling

1:24:58turn speeds and items such as that. and

1:25:02looking at uh really focusing on those

1:25:06conflict movements

1:25:09and how are we uh controlling speeds as

1:25:12through geometric design as we are are

1:25:14looking at those conflict points.

1:25:17The some of our next steps will be to

1:25:20look at more detailed design items such

1:25:23as what does the signage look like and

1:25:26making sure that there is clear signage

1:25:28for motorists and for um all travelers

1:25:32so that cyclists understand what the

1:25:34expectations are of them as the two-way

1:25:37cycle track would be ending and that

1:25:39bikeway transitions from um a single use

1:25:42bikeway into a shared space with

1:25:45pedestrians as they're crossing bridge.

1:25:48Uh we would also be looking at, you

1:25:52know, pavement markings and using all of

1:25:55our tools to really have the most

1:25:58self-explaning roadway that we can

1:26:00create.

1:26:03>> Can you add to that a little bit? And

1:26:05Cindia, maybe this is the the part of

1:26:07the question that you missed. When we

1:26:09make changes of this nature, we

1:26:11typically have signs announcing the

1:26:13change. flags get attached to them to

1:26:15call attention to the signage. So that

1:26:18that's an interim solution while people

1:26:20adjust to the change.

1:26:25>> Thank you both.

1:26:28>> Is my time done?

1:26:29>> Your your time is done.

1:26:30>> Dang it.

1:26:31>> You you have another round, but

1:26:33>> it was worth it.

1:26:34>> All right, Council Member Malik.

1:26:36>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh I was initially

1:26:39pretty skeptical uh about making Kerry

1:26:41Street a one-way street when the idea

1:26:43first surfaced. It seemed overall

1:26:46unnecessary and in particular one of the

1:26:49original plans to make Kerry Street one

1:26:52way and to repurpose the other lane with

1:26:54a two-way bike track just did not make

1:26:56sense to me. Uh so I dug in and I

1:26:59started learning and having

1:27:00conversations as much as I could on it.

1:27:03I wanted to thank the many folks who

1:27:05weighed in tonight um as well as over

1:27:07email in the past week and I appreciate

1:27:09the conversations.

1:27:11I also made a point to drive both

1:27:13southbound and northbound on Kerry

1:27:15Street by vehicle in the last week and

1:27:17also traverse the area on a run

1:27:19yesterday to observe it from multiple

1:27:21perspectives. I know many of my

1:27:24colleagues and others in the room also

1:27:25went to observe the area firsthand as

1:27:27well. As many have noted tonight, it's a

1:27:30pretty unusual and unique intersection.

1:27:33Essentially a 180 degree turn in a very

1:27:36short distance, not to mention the

1:27:38crosswalks that seemingly come out of

1:27:40nowhere while driving south on Kerry

1:27:42Street. I had several questions about

1:27:44the proposal, many of which I'm sure

1:27:46others here tonight shared, too.

1:27:48However, I was impressed by the level of

1:27:50thought, analysis, and detail that went

1:27:53into this recommendation from our city

1:27:54staff, including the consideration of

1:27:57numerous alternatives, such as adding a

1:27:59traffic signal at the intersection or

1:28:01modifying nearby streets to accommodate

1:28:04traffic in different and better ways. If

1:28:06you haven't already, I encourage you to

1:28:08read the A2 Engage page for the Division

1:28:10Street Bikeway project, specifically the

1:28:12FAQ section as well as the agenda

1:28:15response memo as Council Member Briggs

1:28:17suggested as well. That's attached to

1:28:19tonight's agenda as AC1.

1:28:22Uh this uh agenda response memo provides

1:28:25exceptionally helpful and detailed

1:28:26background on the broader proposal.

1:28:29Regardless of what happens with Division

1:28:31Street or the Broadway Bridge in the

1:28:33future, I think tonight's resolution on

1:28:35Kerry Street makes sense and removes one

1:28:37of Ann Arbor's more unusual

1:28:38intersections that presents issues to

1:28:40all users of all types. I will plan to

1:28:43vote in favor tonight. Thank you,

1:28:46>> Council Member Harrison.

1:28:48>> Thank you, Mayor.

1:28:51Um, thank you to everyone who wrote to

1:28:53us about Kerry Street. Uh, the concerns

1:28:56are real. getting to the hospital,

1:28:58backups on Depot Street, more cars on

1:29:01neighborhood streets, uh, and losing a

1:29:04route that you rely on is a fair thing

1:29:06to push back on. Those questions drove

1:29:09mine to staff, and the answers matter.

1:29:12Fire reviewed the design and supports

1:29:14it. They don't use southbound carry

1:29:17today, so their response response routes

1:29:19don't change. Staff estimates about 725

1:29:22vehicles a day head south on carry and

1:29:25that is an estimate not a count. The

1:29:28detour adds 1 to 2 minutes or 2 to

1:29:304/10en of a mile. What decides it for me

1:29:34is this. Drivers coming uphill on carry

1:29:37can't see around the curve of division.

1:29:40They're watching for a gap in traffic

1:29:41while someone may be stepping into the

1:29:43crosswalk right in front of them. In two

1:29:46peak hours of video, six of the 23

1:29:49people crossing had a near miss with a

1:29:51car. Staff also logged 11 wrongway or

1:29:54illegal movements in that same footage

1:29:56as you just heard. Staff recommends

1:29:59closing this turn even if the bike way

1:30:02never gets built. Other fixes were

1:30:04considered including signs, lighting,

1:30:07and a signal. The retaining wall can't

1:30:10move, so none of them solve the sight

1:30:12line. To be accurate, there have been

1:30:15eight property damage crashes nearby in

1:30:18uh in two years and no serious injuries.

1:30:22I don't think that's the standard we

1:30:24should wait for. We can fix this before

1:30:26someone gets hurt.

1:30:29It also opens a safe, accessible path

1:30:32from downtown to the Broadway bridge,

1:30:34which many people on foot or on bikes

1:30:37avoid. Today, I'll be watching the

1:30:40follow through. staff has committed to

1:30:42tracking speeds, volumes, and crashes. I

1:30:46want that to include the neighbor the

1:30:48neighboring streets, and I'd like

1:30:50problems brought back to council. This

1:30:53is an near-term fix, and the larger

1:30:55interchange work is years away. I'll be

1:30:58supporting this tonight. Thank you.

1:31:02Further discussion

1:31:10uh for my pri I'll be supporting the

1:31:11resolution. I think it's proper to

1:31:13observe that you know not all of our

1:31:15decisions uh are 100 zero. Um all of our

1:31:18decisions for the most part involve some

1:31:21kind of trade-off. Uh we've heard today

1:31:24and we've heard uh communicated to us uh

1:31:26by email certainly that there are

1:31:27trade-offs to closing uh this uh

1:31:30southway traffic on on Kerry. People who

1:31:33currently use it will find another we'll

1:31:35have to find another route and that will

1:31:37be an inconvenience to them. Um in my

1:31:40view uh and you know we we need to

1:31:42acknowledge that uh in my view uh that

1:31:46inconvenience exists uh but it is offset

1:31:49by the opportunities associated with the

1:31:51closure. the opportunities associated

1:31:52with the closure in the first instance

1:31:54are an elimination uh as near as we can

1:31:58of uh of the safety threat. Um this is a

1:32:01street that has been uh identified by

1:32:05our engineers uh for decades now as one

1:32:08ripe for redesign. Uh and we are taking

1:32:11that opportunity. Um and as to

1:32:14opportunity, we do have the ability uh

1:32:17to now have a uh a bikeway that rolls um

1:32:21from

1:32:22the center of our town across the

1:32:25Broadway bridge connecting these areas

1:32:27of our community which right now uh are

1:32:30separated from one another by a bridge

1:32:32that um is uh by an intersection, an

1:32:34interchange, a traffic way that is

1:32:36perilous for cyclists, perilous for uh

1:32:39for pedestrians and perilous for

1:32:41drivers.

1:32:42This will give us an opportunity to to

1:32:44hit fix all those harms. Um and that is

1:32:46why I am supporting it tonight. Further

1:32:49discussion.

1:32:51All in favor?

1:32:53All opposed? It is approved.

1:32:57[applause]

1:32:59We now come to a set of public hearings.

1:33:02Public hearings are opportunities for

1:33:04members of the public to speak to

1:33:06council and the community [gasps] about

1:33:07the specific subject matter of the

1:33:09public hearing. To speak at a public

1:33:11hearing, one need not have signed up in

1:33:13advance, but your speech must relate to

1:33:16the specific subject matter of the

1:33:18public hearing. That is to say, the

1:33:20specific item on the agenda to which the

1:33:22public hearing relates. Speakers uh in

1:33:25all instances will have three minutes in

1:33:27which to speak. So, please pay close

1:33:30attention to the time. Our clerk or the

1:33:32time clock will notify you when 30

1:33:34seconds are remaining and when your time

1:33:36has expired. When your time is expired,

1:33:38please conclude your remarks and seed

1:33:40the floor. Public hearing number one, an

1:33:43ordinance to add chapter 98, glue trap

1:33:45ban of title 7, businesses and trades of

1:33:48the code of the city of Ann Arbor. Is

1:33:50there anyone in house who would like to

1:33:51speak at this public hearing?

1:33:53>> Yes. My name is Blaine Coleman and I

1:33:56note the extreme urgency and speed with

1:33:59which the city council has pushed for

1:34:02this resolution to protect mice, rats,

1:34:06rodents, and other small animals from

1:34:10cruel animal traps. And of course,

1:34:14that's a good thing. You want to protect

1:34:17animals from cruelty. Of course. Of

1:34:19course. But the same city council has

1:34:23refused for decades to approve any

1:34:26resolution to protect Palestinian human

1:34:28life

1:34:30for decades. So I don't believe them

1:34:33when they say they care about small

1:34:35animals because they've demonstrated

1:34:37such a callous disregard for Palestinian

1:34:40human life. And we still demand a

1:34:43resolution against military aid to

1:34:46Israel.

1:34:47>> Sir, your your speech must relate to

1:34:48this subject matter.

1:34:49>> Thank you.

1:34:50>> Please. Thank you. Is there anyone else

1:34:51in house who would like to speak in in

1:34:53this public hearing?

1:34:54>> Anybody wants to talk about rats? Come

1:34:56on up.

1:34:58>> You want to talk about rats? Go ahead.

1:35:02>> Ma'am. Yeah.

1:35:07>> Hello. Thank you. I'm a W three resident

1:35:11and I would like to thank you for your

1:35:13common sense leadership when it comes to

1:35:14animals in the environment. I'd like to

1:35:17thank um Council Person Gazi Edwin for

1:35:20proposing this and I'd like to thank you

1:35:23um Mayor Taylor on your leadership with

1:35:26other animal and environmental issues

1:35:29over the years.

1:35:30Um,

1:35:32as I won't rehash all the points that we

1:35:34made last time, but all kinds of small

1:35:36animals die slow, painful deaths on

1:35:39these traps um, as we know, including

1:35:42birds and squirrels and um, many wild

1:35:47species. The CDC um advises that they

1:35:50are a pathogen risk

1:35:53and the makers of glue traps instruct

1:35:55consumers to throw the traps in the

1:35:57trash when the animals are remain alive

1:36:01on the traps and um

1:36:05yeah as we know they suffer often for

1:36:08days whether in the trash or out in the

1:36:11open spreading disease. And it reminds

1:36:14me of a quote um that I'll paraphrase.

1:36:16Animals are not trash and humans are not

1:36:20gods. But too often we behave as though

1:36:23those things are true. And um I thank

1:36:26you all for for setting a good example.

1:36:30It's a national example that you're

1:36:32helping set um that um all creatures in

1:36:37our city deserve consideration. And um

1:36:41yeah, and I am an advocate of human

1:36:44rights also. I I worked many years, 10

1:36:47years for Amnesty International.

1:36:49Supporting human rights. They are not

1:36:51mutually exclusive issues and advocating

1:36:55for animal rights is not myopic or

1:36:58mutually exclusive. So I reject any

1:37:01implication that that's the case.

1:37:05>> Ma'am, ma'am,

1:37:08>> ma'am,

1:37:10>> ma'am, this is improper.

1:37:12>> Ma'am, it is improper. I'm going to be

1:37:14quiet but

1:37:15>> please ma'am be quiet.

1:37:18>> So it's countless animals lives will be

1:37:21spared of many species and it's easy to

1:37:24trivialize the issue but there's nothing

1:37:28trivial about considering our position

1:37:31in the universe visav other creatures

1:37:35other animals. We are all animals. We

1:37:38are all part of um the human um the the

1:37:44same um interconnected

1:37:48natural world and I appreciate your

1:37:50leadership in that area and thank you

1:37:52very much in advance for supporting

1:37:54this.

1:37:55>> Thank you.

1:37:57[applause]

1:38:00>> Hello Ann Arbor. down here because I

1:38:03really, really don't want rats and birds

1:38:06to die a painful, miserable death in

1:38:09those traps. I really don't want them

1:38:12to. But I also don't want Palestinian

1:38:15children to die a painful, miserable

1:38:18death which we, the United States people

1:38:22and government are inflicting on them.

1:38:25This is a genocide, Mr. Ma'am. This is a

1:38:28genocide. Ma'am, your speech must relate

1:38:30to the subject matter of the public

1:38:31hearing.

1:38:32>> I'm talking about the painful death of

1:38:34rats and mice. Consider Palestinian

1:38:37children rats and mice and spare THEM

1:38:40THE AGONY OF DYING in this way. Cut off

1:38:43the military aid of order. Ma'am,

1:38:46>> say we are against military aid.

1:38:49>> Ma'am, your your speech must relate to

1:38:51the subject matter of the public

1:38:52hearing.

1:38:53>> Raise your HANDS IF YOU AGREE THAT

1:38:55POLICY IN CHILE.

1:38:57>> MR. MA'AM, she's ma'am.

1:38:59>> This is repeated disruption of meeting.

1:39:02>> Ma'am, if you wish to if you wish if you

1:39:04wish to be

1:39:05>> Ma'am, please take your please take your

1:39:07seat.

1:39:10>> Raise your hand.

1:39:11>> Ma'am, please take your seat.

1:39:19>> Is there anyone else in house who would

1:39:20like to speak at this?

1:39:23Ma'am, I'm going to ask you to be

1:39:24removed if you cannot control yourself,

1:39:29please.

1:39:36So, good evening. I actually did sign up

1:39:39to speak and I think I misunderstood. I

1:39:41wanted to just speak about my feelings

1:39:43about proposal E.

1:39:45>> Your that is that for public comment.

1:39:47You your public comment space is

1:39:49reserved for you, but it is at the end

1:39:50of the meeting at this point.

1:39:52>> I will wait. Thank you.

1:39:52>> Thank you very much.

1:39:53>> I appreciate you.

1:39:54>> You too.

1:39:59>> Good evening, Mayor, City Council. Um I

1:40:01just want to thank you for supporting

1:40:03the glue trap ban. Um a couple weeks ago

1:40:06I shared something very personal and um

1:40:08while I want it to be considered as an

1:40:11ethical decision. I want animals to

1:40:13always be considered ethically. Um it is

1:40:15a very practical decision too. Glue

1:40:17traps are not effective. um they're

1:40:19dangerous to other animals and they just

1:40:21flat out don't work. You have to close

1:40:22the entry point and get rid of the food

1:40:24source. So, I just want to thank you for

1:40:26your leadership um in support of that.

1:40:27Thank you for your service.

1:40:29>> Thank you.

1:40:35>> Hi there, city council. Uh my name is

1:40:37Michelle. I spoke last time. I'm here to

1:40:39thank you again for considering um and

1:40:42voting through this glue trap ban. Um,

1:40:44as everyone supporting this has said,

1:40:46uh, clue traps are animal torture

1:40:48devices. Uh, they cause hours, if not

1:40:50days, of suffering that we can try to

1:40:52end. Uh, this band will protect animals

1:40:55from agonizing, terrifying death, uh,

1:40:58protect human health and help make sure

1:41:00Ann Arbor is leading the way in

1:41:01compassion and showing the world that we

1:41:04can make a difference for all. So, thank

1:41:06you very much.

1:41:06>> Thank you.

1:41:12>> [cough]

1:41:13[clears throat]

1:41:17>> Okay, good evening everyone. Uh, my name

1:41:20is Crosnagna. I'm an Ann Arbor resident

1:41:22and animal advocate. Um, I also spoke at

1:41:25the last city council meeting and first

1:41:27of all, I want to thank you all for

1:41:29voting to advance the initiative to ban

1:41:31glue traps. Um, I think this is an

1:41:33extremely important measure that we can

1:41:35take to protect animals lives and

1:41:38protect the amazing biodiversity in our

1:41:41community.

1:41:43Um, I just want to reiterate a few

1:41:45points that have been made. Um, glue

1:41:47traps are an extremely c cruel way to

1:41:50catch animals. Um, they can suffer for

1:41:52hours or days while they suffocate. Um,

1:41:56and in addition to how cruel the glue

1:41:59traps are, they also cause a danger to

1:42:01all animals. Um, small birds can get

1:42:04attached to them. Um, even endangered

1:42:07species and some domestic animals like

1:42:09cats and dogs. Um, very small ones can

1:42:11also get injured by glue traps. Um,

1:42:14they're also not effective. Um, there

1:42:16are plenty of humane ways to catch and

1:42:19relocate rodents that work just as well,

1:42:22if not better. Um, so banning glue traps

1:42:25would be a step in the right direction

1:42:27toward making Ann Arbor greener and

1:42:29kinder and more sustainable. Um, so once

1:42:32again, please vote in support of a ban

1:42:34on glue traps. Thank you all.

1:42:36>> Thank you.

1:42:47>> Thank you, mayor and members of the

1:42:48council. Um, hello. I'm a professor of

1:42:51psychology who recently moved to the

1:42:53area and you don't have to live here

1:42:55long to know that Ann Arbor is quite

1:42:57special in terms of how progressive it

1:42:59is. Um especially towards animals. I was

1:43:03at a local hardware store this past

1:43:05weekend with my dog because this city is

1:43:08as animal friendly as it gets. Um and we

1:43:10were walking down the aisles and I

1:43:11noticed the glue traps uh and I'm a

1:43:14little new here and so that caught my

1:43:15eye because I thought that was extremely

1:43:17out of character for the city. Um, I

1:43:20really didn't expect to see that in Ann

1:43:21Arbor. I've heard it called the People's

1:43:24Republic of Ann Arbor. Um, and

1:43:26statistically the highest educated city

1:43:28in the US. Uh, so I didn't expect to see

1:43:30this kind of trap sold here. And as your

1:43:32own research shows, uh, glue traps are

1:43:34banned in many places already, including

1:43:37the progressive places you might expect.

1:43:39Uh, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Belgium,

1:43:43every Scandinavian country, as well as

1:43:45many US cities. Um, and so seeing those

1:43:49traps sold was really discordant about

1:43:51what I was hearing about Ann Arbor

1:43:53because in my head I imagine that Ann

1:43:54Arbor was at least as progressive as LA,

1:43:58California, at least as progressive as

1:44:01Austin, Texas. Um, at least as

1:44:03progressive as um, you know, all of

1:44:06those uh, municipalities I mentioned.

1:44:08And so that's why I want to thank the

1:44:08bill sponsors for suggesting adding this

1:44:11ordinance and showing that Ann Arbor is

1:44:12still at the front of these animal

1:44:14issues. Um, in psychology, we would

1:44:16never imagine using these kind of traps.

1:44:18Mice happen to be the second most

1:44:20studied mind in psychology. Um, we've

1:44:24learned that they've had that they have

1:44:26pain receptors. They have emotional

1:44:28centers that those receptors are

1:44:29connected to. Uh, they display all the

1:44:31behaviors associated with feeling

1:44:33conscious pain. And um, they have

1:44:36culture that they can teach and pass on.

1:44:39H it's it's really hard for a

1:44:41psychologist to accept in a civilized

1:44:42society that we would be okay with a

1:44:45device that is designed to provide slow

1:44:48and painful deaths. Uh nor would it seem

1:44:50fathomable that a city with the

1:44:51reputation of Ann Arbor would allow

1:44:53traps that are indiscriminate to other

1:44:55animals that we know can suffer. uh to a

1:44:59glue trap, um

1:45:02a song bird, a pet, uh a squirrel,

1:45:06they're all the same.

1:45:08Glue traps were invented in the 1970s,

1:45:10over 50 years ago. And so you have to be

1:45:12a little skeptical that this is the best

1:45:14that society can come up with in all

1:45:16those years. And indeed, for 20 years,

1:45:18we've had much more um modern catch and

1:45:21contain systems that don't cause

1:45:22suffering. um ways of dealing with uh

1:45:25urban populations that get the source of

1:45:27the issue um ways that don't cause

1:45:30suffering and are more effective. So in

1:45:33an enlightened society, you know, such

1:45:35as Ann Arbor, I'm happy to hear the

1:45:36council is embracing the science

1:45:38regarding the experiences of mice and

1:45:41the lack of effectiveness of glue traps

1:45:43and their desire to seek to be leaders

1:45:45in embracing modern uh approaches. Thank

1:45:48you.

1:45:49>> Thank you.

1:45:52Is there anyone else in house who would

1:45:53like to speak at this public hearing?

1:45:58>> I don't think I can say it better than

1:45:59he did, but uh yeah, I appreciate

1:46:02council's efforts to lead on this and

1:46:04hopefully this can lead to banning of

1:46:06these traps on like maybe a countywide

1:46:07level or a statewide level or even a

1:46:10national level. [snorts] Uh these really

1:46:12do just seem like a horribly uh cruel

1:46:15way to uh trap animals. And while you

1:46:19never want a rodent infestation inside

1:46:21your house unless it's a pet and I guess

1:46:23it's not really infestation like this is

1:46:25not a acceptable way to get rid of them.

1:46:28And I like you know when we've dealt

1:46:30with rodents we've never considered

1:46:32using glue traps even though they were

1:46:34legal because that's just like

1:46:36horrifying. So uh I would uh apprec I

1:46:41appreciate council's willingness to look

1:46:42at this. Thank you.

1:46:46>> [snorts]

1:46:49>> Is there anyone else in house who would

1:46:51like to speak at this public hearing?

1:46:59>> Good evening. My name is Angela Davis.

1:47:02Um I showed up and I didn't have an

1:47:03agenda. Um so I am very surprised to

1:47:07hear that this ban on um the blue,

1:47:11correct me, the glue trap is even here

1:47:14in Ann Arbor. And I say that because I

1:47:16used to live in in Houston uh about 12

1:47:18years ago and I had an incident where in

1:47:22a very nice plush uh apartment complex I

1:47:26had a rat and and it kept showing up. I

1:47:30was on the second floor. Couldn't figure

1:47:31out how to get rid of it. So the

1:47:33maintenance crew put a glue trap on my

1:47:37port on my deck

1:47:39and it didn't work. The rat got away.

1:47:42The rat come back. We put another one.

1:47:45He put another one there. And I thought

1:47:47that was kind of unusual to capture

1:47:51rodents. Um the area was clean, so it

1:47:54wasn't about um trash and whatnot being

1:47:57dispersed, easily accessible for any

1:48:00animal to access. But I thought it was

1:48:03un unusual

1:48:06because I'm used to actual traps, actual

1:48:10devices that would get rid of unwanted

1:48:13um rodents. So yeah, I do agree to have

1:48:18the glue trap uh banned. I don't think

1:48:21that would be um a service to the

1:48:24environment, especially to the animal

1:48:26environment and to other animals um that

1:48:31roam free. deers, birds, dogs, cats,

1:48:34what have you. So, I just wanted to add

1:48:36my two cents to that.

1:48:38>> Thank you.

1:48:43>> Is this for general comments or just

1:48:45>> This is comments related to the glue

1:48:47trap ban.

1:48:50>> Is there anyone else in house who would

1:48:51like to speak at this public hearing?

1:48:59Is there anyone online would like to

1:49:01speak at this public hearing?

1:49:03>> We do have a couple callers online.

1:49:08>> Betsy Stixs, do you have a comment?

1:49:11>> Yes. Can you hear me?

1:49:12>> Yes, we can.

1:49:14>> Oh, wonderful. Uh, hello, mayor and city

1:49:16council. My name is Betsy Sticks and I

1:49:19was the mayor of Ohhigh, California when

1:49:21OHigh passed the glue trap ban two years

1:49:23ago. I also grew up in Cincinnati and

1:49:26would drive up to Ann Arbor for a lot of

1:49:28fun. I have fond memories of your city.

1:49:31Thank you for the adventures.

1:49:33As Ohigh mayor, Oops.

1:49:37Sorry. As Ohigh mayor, I led the push to

1:49:40successfully adopt a city-wide glue trap

1:49:43ban and had the dual effect of educating

1:49:46the public on more humane and

1:49:47sustainable methods of dealing with

1:49:49wildlife, while also helping make sure

1:49:52that people were no longer using glue

1:49:54traps, which are both cruel to animals

1:49:57and dangerous for human health. My dog

1:50:00agrees, as you can hear. As we know,

1:50:02animals have feelings and experience

1:50:04pain. And here's an easy way to reduce

1:50:06suffering on the planet right away. The

1:50:08small changes add up. Since Ohigh passed

1:50:11the ban, we have had zero issues with

1:50:14it. People regularly thank me for

1:50:16leading the way to a kinder community

1:50:18and express pride in living in a city

1:50:21that is reducing needless suffering. I'm

1:50:23asking you tonight to join many

1:50:25countries around the world and several

1:50:27cities by banning glue traps. Ann Arbor

1:50:30can be the Midwest leader and get the

1:50:32movement going here or there rather.

1:50:35Please do it and yes to a federal ban.

1:50:38We are facing so many problems in the

1:50:41world today that we cannot solve easily.

1:50:44Here is one quick action that you can

1:50:47take to say no to cruelty. As the great

1:50:50Yogi Bara said, when you come to a fork

1:50:52in the road, take it. In this case,

1:50:55please choose compassion over profit and

1:50:59guide Ann Arbor and the world to

1:51:01becoming a more caring and ethical

1:51:03place. Thank you so much.

1:51:05>> Thank you.

1:51:16>> Julie Kovalars, do you have a comment?

1:51:18Go ahead.

1:51:20>> Hi. Uh, can you hear me?

1:51:21>> Yes, we can. Hi, I'm Julie Cobblars. I'm

1:51:25Mouse Tales online and I'm your local

1:51:27wildlife rehabber. Um, I actually built

1:51:30my following of I have six million

1:51:32subscribers online all about humane pest

1:51:36control that I built this platform right

1:51:37here in Ann Arbor because we had a mouse

1:51:40problem in our um rental home

1:51:42[clears throat] and I didn't know how

1:51:44how to fix it. So, you know, I figured

1:51:46it out and I've learned so much since

1:51:48then. It's been about 5 years and I just

1:51:51want to let anybody know that has any

1:51:53doubts or any um

1:51:56any inclination that this means that

1:51:59they can't that that we expect them to

1:52:02just let rodents run free. We don't. I

1:52:04there are so many other effective

1:52:08live and kill solutions that are much

1:52:10quicker and less um torturous than glue

1:52:13traps. So, I really appreciate this

1:52:16being brought up. Anybody in this town

1:52:18is more than welcome to reach out to me

1:52:21um about about their mouse problem for

1:52:24guide. I' I've tried methods that I

1:52:26guarantee nobody else on this planet has

1:52:29used and I can help you find the entry

1:52:32points, seal them up, get rid of the

1:52:35mice. I've been doing this for 5 years

1:52:38and I'm just so proud to be from a city

1:52:41that's um supporting such a progressive

1:52:44thing for animals. just, you know, we're

1:52:46the bigrained humans, right? I feel like

1:52:48we are more evolved than setting out

1:52:51glue for an animal to get stuck on. So,

1:52:54I'll just leave it at that. As humans, I

1:52:56feel like we have the responsibility.

1:52:59Um, and abil, you know, I think we're

1:53:02capable of finding better solutions than

1:53:05glue because there are so many. Um,

1:53:07[clears throat] but thank you guys so

1:53:09much. I appreciate it.

1:53:10>> Thank you.

1:53:12>> Mhm.

1:53:18or on the tone. Do you have a comment?

1:53:21Go ahead,

1:53:28Mora. Go ahead.

1:53:34>> Hello. Go ahead.

1:53:36>> Thank you. Thank you for taking the time

1:53:38to discuss the banning of glue traps in

1:53:41Ann Arbor. By now, I hope the scope of

1:53:43the issue with these devices is clear.

1:53:46Glue traps are indiscriminate and leave

1:53:48animals of any hapless species who get

1:53:51stuck to them left languishing in terror

1:53:54until they are killed or succumb to

1:53:55dehydration.

1:53:57For over a decade, I've worked for an

1:53:59animal protection agency who runs a

1:54:01nationwide 24-hour emergency hotline

1:54:04where we can advise people who come

1:54:06across animal emergencies. I cannot even

1:54:09begin to guess the number of calls I

1:54:11fielded from people who set out glue

1:54:13traps without realizing the horror that

1:54:16would await them once an animal did get

1:54:18stuck. By company instructions, user

1:54:21users are often advised to throw live

1:54:23animals in the garbage. Uh our perceived

1:54:26issues with wildlife are so much better

1:54:28handled by using common sense approaches

1:54:30to limiting interactions such as

1:54:33securing food and trash and sealing

1:54:35entryways into homes and other

1:54:36structures. I sincerely hope to see Ann

1:54:39Arbor make the compassionate decision to

1:54:41land ban glue traps. Thank you.

1:54:45>> Thank you.

1:54:53>> Allison, do you have a comment? Go

1:54:55ahead.

1:54:56>> I absolutely do. Can you hear me?

1:54:57>> Yes, we can.

1:54:58>> Yes, we can.

1:54:58>> Great. I just really wanted to express

1:55:00my incredibly heartfelt gratitude to you

1:55:03and to the council members, to the mayor

1:55:05for your uh votes to advance the

1:55:06initiative for a ban on glue traps. I

1:55:09have worked in wildlife rehabilitation

1:55:11for more than 20 years and seeing

1:55:14animals on glue traps is 100% the most

1:55:16heartbreaking thing that I encountered

1:55:18during my time. And I just want to say

1:55:21that by implementing this ban, you are

1:55:25creating you're a shining beacon across

1:55:27the country for people to see that the a

1:55:31ban can be implemented. That this is a

1:55:34that this way of dealing with pests,

1:55:36with rodents doesn't have to be a way

1:55:38that is acceptable. And you are just

1:55:41bringing in a more humane a better me a

1:55:46message that is more humane and just a

1:55:48better way of dealing with people with

1:55:50with animals and allowing people to you

1:55:53know really be more humane. I've just

1:55:56kind of lost my train of thought for a

1:55:57second but I've watched uh you know the

1:56:00animals stuck to traps and it is

1:56:01absolutely horrifying. And I've also

1:56:03watched my fellow workers dealing with

1:56:06animals that are struck to start to glue

1:56:08traps in the wildlife hospital and

1:56:11watching them in tears trying to rescue

1:56:14a song bird or a baby oposum or a lizard

1:56:17or even a rat or a mouse that's stuck to

1:56:20one of those traps. It's something no

1:56:22one should ever have to see. And it's

1:56:24it's something that this ban will

1:56:26prevent. It means our people don't have

1:56:29to suffer. It means the animals don't

1:56:31have to suffer. And I just want you to

1:56:33know you're making a difference by

1:56:35implementing this ban. You're making a

1:56:37difference. I'm in California and I'm

1:56:38watching from across the country and I'm

1:56:40so impressed with Ann Arbor, with your

1:56:43city council, with the the move that

1:56:45you're making to implement a ban on glue

1:56:48traps and and you will make a big

1:56:50difference and we're so grateful. So,

1:56:52thank you.

1:56:53>> Thank you.

1:57:02Mayor, I don't have any other callers

1:57:03online with their Oh, one more.

1:57:07Jacob Shaw, do you have a comment?

1:57:10>> Go ahead.

1:57:12>> Hi, council. I'll keep this brief

1:57:14because I know you've heard from a lot

1:57:15of people about this. Um, my name is

1:57:16Jacob Shaw and I'm just calling to speak

1:57:18on behalf of People for the Ethical

1:57:20Treatment of Animals and our more than

1:57:223,500

1:57:24members and supporters in Ann Arbor. Um

1:57:26really just to thank council member Gazi

1:57:28Edwin and all of the co-sponsors on this

1:57:31ordinance including Mayor Taylor and

1:57:33really all of the other council members

1:57:34for voting at the last meeting to

1:57:36support this. Um you know you've heard

1:57:39all of the reasons why blue traps are

1:57:40are cruel, why they're indiscriminate,

1:57:43pose such a intense risk to non-target

1:57:46species and why they're dangerous to

1:57:48human health. But one point that I

1:57:50really just want to emphasize is that

1:57:52all of these things are true about glue

1:57:54traps no matter who is using them. So

1:57:56whether we're talking about an

1:57:58individual homeowner or you know a quote

1:58:00unquote pest control company, I mean

1:58:03they are are really using glue traps in

1:58:05an equally irresponsible manner because

1:58:07there is nothing in a glue trap that is

1:58:09capable of killing an animal. I believe

1:58:11this statistic is in in the staff report

1:58:13already, but 85% of mice and rats that

1:58:17get stuck to glue traps are still alive

1:58:19and suffering after 24 hours. 85% after

1:58:2324 hours. That is just such a staggering

1:58:25statistic. And that really gets to the

1:58:27root of what makes blue traps so

1:58:29uniquely dangerous for human health

1:58:32because the fear response that the

1:58:34animal experiences when they're caught

1:58:36trying to escape but being unable to do

1:58:38so causes them to produce excess urine

1:58:40and feces. And that's just a phenomenon

1:58:43and a risk that is not present with any

1:58:45other type of trap. That's why the CDC

1:58:48tells people to not use glue traps.

1:58:50That's why state public health agencies

1:58:51around the country say the same thing.

1:58:54So, just in closing, I know you you've

1:58:56already heard this point many times, but

1:58:58there is nothing that a glue trap does

1:59:01that can't be accomplished by more

1:59:03effective and more humane means. So,

1:59:06thank you again to the council for your

1:59:07leadership on this issue, for protecting

1:59:10animals in Ann Arbor and just helping to

1:59:12guide us towards a better future for

1:59:14everyone. Thank you so much.

1:59:16>> Thank you.

1:59:26caller with the phone number ending in

1:59:28469. Press star six to unmute your

1:59:30phone.

1:59:32>> Go ahead.

1:59:35>> Good evening. Um, a glue trap is

1:59:38definitely a strange cruelty because the

1:59:41animal does everything right. It walks

1:59:43where the ground looks like ground. And

1:59:46then every move it makes, every struggle

1:59:49tightens the hold. We talk about

1:59:51internal locus of control a lot. The

1:59:53belief that our choices shape our lives.

1:59:56But look who has it here, not the one

1:59:59stuck. The one who set the floor. The

2:00:03one who decided what counts as a test

2:00:05and who never has to watch. So I've

2:00:07asked us to widen the lens. Anytime we

2:00:10build a surface that punishes movement,

2:00:13anytime a whole sentient

2:00:16species are told the ground isn't theirs

2:00:19and every struggle is counted as proof

2:00:21they are the problem. We should ask who

2:00:24is setting the traps and why some get to

2:00:27look away. Mercy starts with refusing to

2:00:30design the trap, whether it's under a

2:00:32stove in Ann Arbor or across the ocean.

2:00:36Thank you.

2:00:36>> Thank you.

2:00:49I don't have any other callers with

2:00:50their hands up for this hearing.

2:01:00Seeing no one, this public hearing is

2:01:01closed. Uh I will note again that public

2:01:04hearing number two has been postponed

2:01:06until our next meeting.

2:01:08Public hearing number three, an

2:01:09ordinance to amend chapter 55 zoning

2:01:11reszoning of approximately 41.28

2:01:14292 acres from R3 multif family R4

2:01:18multif family and PL public land

2:01:20districts to TC1 transit corridor with

2:01:22conditions 1310 Wisteria Drive. Is there

2:01:25anyone in house who would like to speak

2:01:27at this public hearing?

2:01:34>> Yes. Uh, good evening, Mayor Taylor and

2:01:36members of city council. A recent caller

2:01:39referred to me as a big brain human, and

2:01:41that is one of the nicest compliments

2:01:42I've received all year. As a result, I'm

2:01:45feeling great this evening, and I hope

2:01:46you all are, too. My name is Jack

2:01:49Benson, and I've lived on Place for the

2:01:51past 8 years. Uh, first, I want to

2:01:53sincerely thank you all for your

2:01:55leadership in developing Ann Arbor's

2:01:57comprehensive land use plan, or the

2:01:58CLUP. It's a landmark achievement for

2:02:01our city. It represents years of

2:02:03thoughtful planning, community

2:02:04engagement, and a bold vision for Ann

2:02:06Arbor's future. You should all be proud

2:02:08of what you have accomplished. I also

2:02:11want to commend your commitment to

2:02:12expanding housing. Ann Arbor desperately

2:02:14needs more homes, and I wholeheartedly

2:02:16support your efforts to make the city

2:02:18more affordable and accessible to

2:02:20families and individuals. But tonight,

2:02:23I'm concerned that the proposed Woodbury

2:02:25Gardens resoning is not properly taken

2:02:27into account both the scope of the area

2:02:29being reszoned or the consequences of

2:02:32what this resoning will be for the

2:02:34future development. Let's first consider

2:02:36the scale of what we're discussing.

2:02:38[snorts] Woodbury Gardens encompasses

2:02:40over 41 acres. To put that in

2:02:42perspective, that's more than 30

2:02:44American football fields, 2 and a half

2:02:48Brierwood malls, over 350

2:02:52NBA basketball courts. This is an

2:02:55enormous piece of land lived in by a

2:02:58community of young families, students,

2:03:01medical professionals.

2:03:03This community is surrounded by

2:03:04established residential neighborhoods,

2:03:06and its resoning deserves an

2:03:08extraordinary degree of care. We need to

2:03:11get this right. Yet, we're considering

2:03:13reszoning this entire 41 acre property

2:03:16to TC1. The proposed development is for

2:03:195 acres. 5 acres, that is 12% of

2:03:24Woodberry Gardens. We are going to take

2:03:2635 acres and upzone them to hub

2:03:28classification for the building of 5

2:03:30acres.

2:03:32I'm not asking city council to oppose

2:03:34housing. I'm asking to protect the

2:03:36integrity of the comprehensive plan you

2:03:38created. A plans isn't

2:03:40>> kid yourself.

2:03:45You're committing a genocide.

2:03:47>> Ma'am,

2:03:47>> I'm also in support of that.

2:03:51>> So, who can I see you?

2:03:55>> A plan's value isn't just in its

2:03:57adoption. Uh, it's in the decision that

2:04:00we make afterward to uphold it. Please

2:04:02take the same thoughtfulness and

2:04:04consideration that was put into the club

2:04:06and apply that to Woodberry Gardens. 41

2:04:09acres is far too significant to get

2:04:11wrong. I respectfully ask you to vote no

2:04:14on this resoning and pursue pursue a

2:04:17zoning designation that truly reflects

2:04:20the Woodbury Gardens and the surrounding

2:04:22area. Thank you for your time.

2:04:24>> Thank you. [applause]

2:04:31Good evening. Eric Lipson. I live on

2:04:33Rosewood Street. First, I'd like to

2:04:35thank council people Aman and Air for

2:04:38getting our street repaved this year.

2:04:39That was uh had been delayed, but they

2:04:42made it happen. I'm uh upset about this

2:04:46reszoning. I Woodbury Gardens. I live

2:04:47right around the corner from it. It's a

2:04:50lovely, dense, familyfriendly, diverse

2:04:55community. It's got a park, tennis

2:04:58courts, a pool. It is affordable. It is

2:05:01affordable housing. Has have the people

2:05:04of this area come to you and said,

2:05:05"Please reszone us. We need more

2:05:07density. You know, neighbors for more

2:05:10neighbors." Well, how about neighbors

2:05:12for neighbors who exist right now?

2:05:14You're going to displace all those

2:05:16people who live in that housing right

2:05:18now. This is an absolutely ridiculous

2:05:22overextension

2:05:24of the use of zoning. You're going to

2:05:27reszone something which was already at

2:05:30the maximum density for the time, but

2:05:34that's not good enough for you. You got

2:05:35to keep making it denser and denser and

2:05:38denser. No, the the community, sure, we

2:05:42all want to have more humane housing.

2:05:45The university is addressing this by

2:05:46adding thousands of new uh beds. This

2:05:51doesn't do anything except disrupt the

2:05:52neighborhood. Look at your attempts to

2:05:55uh upzone

2:05:57the corner of state and Stimson. How did

2:06:01that work out? You got this. You you

2:06:03eliminated you and the developers who

2:06:05are your many of had donated to many of

2:06:08you uh upzoned that destroyed a

2:06:13neighborhood of affordable housing a

2:06:15whole city block and then are in the

2:06:17process of going bankrupt because it was

2:06:19such a ridiculous uh attempt. Let the

2:06:21developers here build there. Let the

2:06:23developers who want to expand Woodbury

2:06:26Gardens buy that. I bet they could get

2:06:27it for a song and build what has already

2:06:30been approved on that site. But the idea

2:06:33of destroying another neighborhood for

2:06:36for what is it really for more

2:06:38neighbors? For more neighbors? No. I'll

2:06:40tell you what it's about. And the people

2:06:41of Ann Arbor are sick of it, which is

2:06:43why they voted out Mayor Taylor by such

2:06:45a resounding margin. It's all about

2:06:48money. It's not about the humanity. It's

2:06:51not about great neighborhoods. It's not

2:06:53about making a humane place for people

2:06:56to live. It's all about money. More

2:06:58money. More money. More money. and and

2:07:02people are sick of it. They're catching

2:07:03on. And everybody here who votes for it

2:07:06is going to be at risk of the same fate

2:07:08that befell Mayor Taylor because people

2:07:11are catching on. That unlimited

2:07:13development paid for by out of town

2:07:16developers who have nothing invested in

2:07:19the in the uh neighborhood except for

2:07:22their ability to make money thanks to

2:07:24being empowered by this council. So I

2:07:28say vote no on that. Thank you. Thank

2:07:31you.

2:07:37Hi, Adam Duskegevich, fourth ward. I was

2:07:40glad to see discussion in the agenda

2:07:42response memo about the situation

2:07:44regarding the utility easement the city

2:07:45is pursuing in order to loop water mains

2:07:47and allow for gravity flow of sewage. I

2:07:50understand this is separate from the

2:07:51zoning question, but I hope to see it

2:07:53move forward soon and I would like to

2:07:55express to the petitioner that this is a

2:07:57very reasonable concern from their

2:07:59neighbors. I think we can all recognize

2:08:01that our zoning code is a barrier to

2:08:03building muchneeded housing in our

2:08:05community and this is a prime example.

2:08:07The petitioner has jumped through a lot

2:08:09of hoops to try to make this project

2:08:11possible under our current zoning code

2:08:13rather than waiting years for the code

2:08:14to catch up with the needs of our city.

2:08:16During discussions about where in our

2:08:18city TC1 zoning would be appropriate, I

2:08:21suggested the area around industrial and

2:08:23stadium would be a great place to apply

2:08:24TC1. It's [snorts] on bus lines. It's

2:08:27near the athletic campus and near

2:08:28employment. And it's an area that I

2:08:30think could support higher density and

2:08:32mixed use. So, I would have supported

2:08:34this even before the new comprehensive

2:08:36land use plan. Under the new plan,

2:08:38however, I think there's it's even more

2:08:39clear that this is the appropriate

2:08:41zoning. TC1 in combination with the

2:08:43conditions offered by the petitioner

2:08:45allows for the height envisioned for

2:08:47transition and this exactly fits the

2:08:50intent and development style described

2:08:51for transition. Variety of building

2:08:53types near transit, redevelopment of

2:08:56larger lots, conversion of suburban

2:08:58multif family residential patterns to

2:08:59greater floor area and intensities. It

2:09:02all fits. One thing I would like to see

2:09:05is better pedestrian circulation between

2:09:07the site and the rest of the

2:09:08neighborhood. Walkability is an

2:09:10important part of TC-1 and better

2:09:11connections to Packard without heading

2:09:13all the way up to stadium would help

2:09:15that as well as increase transit access.

2:09:18I hope some of those details can be

2:09:20approved either as part of this

2:09:21redevelopment plan or in the near

2:09:23future. Please approve this tonight.

2:09:25Thank you.

2:09:26>> Thank you.

2:09:34>> Uh hello, my name is Sam Hman. I live on

2:09:37Coler Road which is just at the east end

2:09:39of Woodberry Gardens. I walk through

2:09:42Woodberry Gardens every day with my dog.

2:09:43So I've had lots and lots of time to

2:09:45think about this. Uh and the conclusion

2:09:47I have come to is I'm fairly agnostic

2:09:49about it. Uh the site plan they

2:09:51presented is fine. It's not great. It's

2:09:54not terrible. Uh where I do have

2:09:55concerns though is the underlying zoning

2:09:57that's being proposed and specifically

2:09:59moving it from a residential area to a

2:10:01mixeduse area. Uh I have concerns about

2:10:03kind of what happened on Henry Street.

2:10:05Uh specifically, I think the area that

2:10:07will be zoned for 10 stories along

2:10:10Industrial there is likely or it's quite

2:10:12conceivable that you could see a

2:10:1410-story hotel there because this is

2:10:15quite close to the stadium. It fills up

2:10:17for stadium parking. So, uh do go into

2:10:22this with open eyes about what you're

2:10:24zoning this for, not just the site plane

2:10:26that's in front of you. Uh thank you.

2:10:29Thank you.

2:10:33[snorts]

2:10:33>> Ralph McKe, Fifth Ward. Uh, I oppose

2:10:36this. Uh, I I sent a long email. I maybe

2:10:39you happen to read that. I'll try to

2:10:41unpack a lot of technical DU detail in a

2:10:43short time. First, uh, as council member

2:10:47Aman said last time, uh, Woodberry

2:10:49Garden resoning here would break the

2:10:51promise that we talked about earlier

2:10:53today with respect to DC2.

2:10:56Next, several of you correctly noted

2:10:58that that the uh zoning here would do

2:11:01the whole parcel. Uh and that flaw is

2:11:05fatal because the the conditions only

2:11:08apply to some of it. And that the whole

2:11:11point of that was to justify it by

2:11:13saying it's more like transition than

2:11:15hub. That doesn't work if it's not, you

2:11:17know, if they don't apply to the whole

2:11:18parcel. Next, the uh the staff

2:11:24identified a whole bunch of zoning

2:11:26language that prevents this uh and or at

2:11:30least is problematic is what the report

2:11:33said. The I've heard arguments on social

2:11:36media from planning commissioners that

2:11:38the that language isn't binding. But the

2:11:40standard that's there which just says if

2:11:42there's changes in the city or or the

2:11:45area or a change in policy that you have

2:11:48to somehow you lose all your discretion.

2:11:51That's crazy because that would mean you

2:11:53could arbitrarily and capriciously

2:11:55approve or reject anything. So you've

2:11:58got to look at the other [clears throat]

2:11:59language and the other language bars

2:12:00UCTC1 here pure and simple as staff

2:12:04identified. And so all of those reasons

2:12:09mean that that uh it this can't be done

2:12:13here with this zoning. And I I think I I

2:12:16I that leaves me about half my time to

2:12:18focus on the the another what I'd call

2:12:22emperor new clothes moment, which is the

2:12:26entire concept of having a reszoning of

2:12:30what is now residential, changing it to

2:12:33hub or transition. that somehow that

2:12:36eliminates the fact that it's now

2:12:38residential and you only have to do

2:12:40these step downs to the next adjacent

2:12:44uh property means that you could build

2:12:47in any established neighborhood. Just

2:12:49call it transition and then you can put

2:12:51a big buildings right in the middle of

2:12:53it. These people right now who live

2:12:55there, just because they're renters and

2:12:58the and the property owner owns the the

2:13:00parcel does not mean that that's not a

2:13:03residential neighborhood. it is. So you

2:13:06cannot do this if you're going to stay

2:13:08true to the this the setback it or the

2:13:11the step downs you you could build right

2:13:14here people living in a beautiful

2:13:17neighborhood as as Mr. home and said

2:13:20they will have a sevenstory building.

2:13:22Why should they get less rent less

2:13:24rights that the the people living on

2:13:26earoy have just because they're renters?

2:13:30That's a real problem here and it exists

2:13:32the use of transition or hub anywhere in

2:13:35the city that needs to be addressed and

2:13:37not in a let's just do this right now.

2:13:40>> Thank you.

2:13:46>> Hello Ellie again. Uh so I've got a

2:13:49couple thoughts on this one, I agree

2:13:51that this is not a perfect uh reasoning.

2:13:54Uh and I'll come back to that later. Uh

2:13:57first off, uh I think we should be very

2:14:00clear that we don't want to punish uh

2:14:03property owners for doing good things

2:14:04with their property. So I generally say

2:14:06renting out like a relatively affordable

2:14:09units on your property is a good thing.

2:14:10uh especially when this naturally

2:14:12occurring affordable housing and we

2:14:14shouldn't deny a reasonzoning because a

2:14:16developer like the owner is currently

2:14:18using their property for that. Whereas

2:14:20like if this was a brown field or just a

2:14:22parking lot, we'd accept that because

2:14:23that's basically saying, hey, if you

2:14:25want to, you know, make sure you can do

2:14:27what you want with your property, don't

2:14:28rent it out for cheap. And I think

2:14:30that's the wrong message to send.

2:14:32Secondly, uh I

2:14:35don't think this is a question of like

2:14:36do renters have more rights than people

2:14:38in established neighborhoods. I think

2:14:40this is really a question of context.

2:14:41This is already a somewhat dense area

2:14:43and it makes sense to allow more density

2:14:45there. Uh

2:14:47I would also agree that perhaps we

2:14:49should allow more density across all

2:14:51neighborhoods which I'm very glad the

2:14:52club has taken great strides towards

2:14:55that and hopefully more will be

2:14:56forthcoming soon. Uh third, [laughter]

2:15:00uh I agree this is imperfect in the

2:15:02sense of like this isn't necessarily

2:15:05like the area the particular area that

2:15:08would be redeveloped here is not exactly

2:15:10TC like it's not exactly on the transit

2:15:12line. So we'd have to resone the whole

2:15:13property to TC1 to be compliant. But I

2:15:15think the broad idea I came up way away

2:15:17with is like this is letting like if we

2:15:20let those concerns prevail, this would

2:15:21be letting bureaucracy get in the way of

2:15:23building homes that are really urgently

2:15:25needed. And yes, this would be imperfect

2:15:28zoning, but the current zoning is

2:15:29already imperfect. It's blocking homes

2:15:31that we should allow to be built. So,

2:15:33I'd rather focus on the outcome, which

2:15:35would be allowing more houses to be

2:15:36built rather than, hey, is this the

2:15:38right zoning category? Did we wait 2

2:15:40years for consultations like no, like

2:15:43just get it built. Uh

2:15:47so, I would uh urge council to approve

2:15:50this. It's not perfect. There could

2:15:52certainly be improvements and I hope you

2:15:54know this is not the only uh you know

2:15:58resoning that's looked at and this isn't

2:16:01the final like this isn't the only state

2:16:03this project will ever end up in. Uh

2:16:05[snorts] and I do hope that this results

2:16:07in more dense more affordable housing in

2:16:10the future. Uh thank you for your

2:16:12consideration.

2:16:13>> Thank you.

2:16:21Uh, good evening. Uh, my name is Anne

2:16:23Marshall and I live at 1341 HARP Street

2:16:27and I'm asking you to vote uh, no on

2:16:29this resoning princ proposal. Uh, I

2:16:32commend city council for your hard work

2:16:34on the comprehensive plan and for

2:16:37recently passing the tenants right to

2:16:39organize ordinance. Uh, HARP Street is a

2:16:42combination of renters and homeowners

2:16:45um, and also green spaces. Um, I'm

2:16:48concerned about the loss of green space

2:16:51with this project. Um, we have at least

2:16:54a dozen neighbors on Harp Street adding

2:16:57uh pollinators to their yards. And as

2:17:00just one example, um, I overheard a

2:17:04nearby new Packard Place um, resident

2:17:07commenting uh, not about all the great

2:17:10restaurants on Packard, but uh, about

2:17:13how much they liked the sound of the

2:17:14crickets. So, um, before having my own

2:17:18home, I was a renter for 15 years. And

2:17:22renters also want green space. Um, a

2:17:262010 NORC survey found that green space

2:17:29was a top amenity for many renters. Um,

2:17:33we know that a lack of green space is

2:17:36not good for our stress levels

2:17:39um or for our physical health.

2:17:42Uh once a green space becomes gray space

2:17:47uh it's very hard to undo.

2:17:49And at a recent A20 event I learned that

2:17:54uh Ann Arbor already has census blocks

2:17:57with serious green space inequities.

2:18:01We can't let transition zones, including

2:18:04this location, uh, Ann Arbor's prior

2:18:08botanical gardens, be at risk of being

2:18:11yet another urban heat island.

2:18:15In addition to green spaces, we also

2:18:18need what has been called the missing

2:18:20middle housing.

2:18:22Um the joint center for housing studies

2:18:24at Harvard argues we need to support

2:18:28middle housing that is neither single

2:18:32family or largecale apartment buildings.

2:18:36Uh these in the middle housing

2:18:39developments are triple- decker

2:18:42smallcale multifamily apartments. And

2:18:45I'm concerned that this development is

2:18:48replacing such middle housing with a

2:18:51single landlord who is going to have how

2:18:54many units? Um I'm asking city city

2:18:57council to make a commitment to middle

2:19:00smallcale triple- decker multifamily

2:19:02apartments and we need city council to

2:19:05be resolute on these issues. Um please

2:19:09take the time you need to get this right

2:19:12and vote no. Thank you.

2:19:14>> Thank you.

2:19:16>> [applause]

2:19:29>> I'm Donna Ainsworth. I live at um I've

2:19:33lived on South Boulevard since 1991.

2:19:36My husband Joe Summers spoke at the

2:19:38first hearing and shared our concerns

2:19:40and challenges um that we've navigated

2:19:43for the past 35 years with the owners of

2:19:46Woodbury Gardens and the city and

2:19:49Woodberry's inability to follow through

2:19:51on their commitment to grant the city an

2:19:53easement to complete a water loop at the

2:19:56end of South Boulevard.

2:19:59I understand that the city has

2:20:01repeatedly tried to work with Woodbury

2:20:03to gain access to the property in order

2:20:06to complete the water loop and Woodberry

2:20:09has been silent and or uncooperative.

2:20:13The rust and the debris in the water

2:20:16lines have been a problem since at least

2:20:17the 1990s when we moved there. Our

2:20:20bathrooms, our bathtubs and sinks are

2:20:23discolored. The sprayers stop working.

2:20:25Toilets need to be replaced often

2:20:27because they stop flushing due to the

2:20:29rust and sediment buildup. The city does

2:20:33has provided our homes with water

2:20:36filters and daily waterline flushing.

2:20:39Yes, daily waterline flushing. This is

2:20:42still happening. Back in the '9s, our

2:20:46water would be turned off for half an

2:20:47hour every Tuesday morning around 9:00

2:20:51so a city worker could come and flush

2:20:53the line. Fast forward 30 years later

2:20:57and the city has installed a pump that

2:20:59automatically turns on every single

2:21:02morning and lets the water flow for an

2:21:05entire hour wasting hundreds of gallons

2:21:08of water. While we appreciate the city's

2:21:12help, they're doing a great job, you

2:21:14all. Um, it's not a permanent solution.

2:21:18The city resolved in 2023 and 2025 to

2:21:21use eminent domain to insist Woodberry

2:21:24Gardens allow it to complete our water

2:21:27infrastructure. And here we are at the

2:21:29end of 2026 still waiting. I caution you

2:21:34if you approve this resoning request for

2:21:36all 41 acres when the de developers

2:21:40reach phase two of the project this will

2:21:44not come back to city council. This is

2:21:47not speculation. The owners of Woodbury

2:21:49have failed to follow through on verbal

2:21:51agreements for decades. I've listened to

2:21:54my neighbors voice their concerns and

2:21:56strongly encourage you to vote no

2:21:58tonight. Please keep the control to

2:22:02define the requirements for this entire

2:22:04site. Don't delegate it to the

2:22:07developers. If Woodbury had been a good

2:22:10neighbor and worked with the city on

2:22:12this water problem, I believe it would

2:22:14have been solved. decades ago. Thank

2:22:17you.

2:22:18>> Thank you. [applause]

2:22:32Good evening. Uh, mayor and city

2:22:34council. My name is Katie Davodto. I am

2:22:37a member of Ward 4 and I live on

2:22:39Irakquay. Um, I've spent a fair amount

2:22:42of time reflecting after uh the first

2:22:44hearing, um, specifically on this

2:22:47resoning request. And I'll admit, when I

2:22:49first received the postcard, it was an

2:22:51emotional response. But they're building

2:22:54three sevenstory buildings followed by,

2:22:58doesn't isn't this already an

2:23:00established community? And I realized

2:23:03that I needed to educate myself because

2:23:06it wasn't going to be effective to come

2:23:08from an emotional place. Um, and so from

2:23:11here I researched and I needed to have

2:23:13an informed point of view. Um, I never

2:23:16imagined that I would be so educated on

2:23:18zoning um, in Michigan or Ann Arbor. Um,

2:23:23which has led me to have a deep

2:23:24appreciation for the work that you have

2:23:26done on the club and I think believe it

2:23:29took 3 years um, to reach that. And so

2:23:32I'm coming here today not from an

2:23:35emotional plea. I am coming here to be a

2:23:38partner, to be a collaborator. You are

2:23:41being asked to reszone 41 acres. 41

2:23:45acres that was zoned R3 R4 PL. 41 acres

2:23:51for a site plan for 5 acres. 41 acres

2:23:57that the club has identified as

2:23:59transition, not hub identified through

2:24:02that 3 years of work that this is

2:24:05transition. It requires thoughtful

2:24:07planning and you have assured city

2:24:10leaders and many of you that transition

2:24:13zone doesn't mean automatic upzoning. Um

2:24:16a separate careful process would happen

2:24:18later and I'm not saying drag this out.

2:24:20I I hear that. Um and actually Jen when

2:24:23you were talking you said listen there

2:24:25are times where we're going to disagree

2:24:26but we can respect one another.

2:24:28Absolutely. That is absolutely okay and

2:24:30I encourage I hope all of you debate and

2:24:33figure out what is best. Um, so I'm

2:24:36coming to ask you to vote no, but I

2:24:39realize that I can say that and go sit

2:24:41down, but I want to come forward with

2:24:43ideas, with what are we saying? What

2:24:46should we consider? What is transition?

2:24:48Um, and I did not know. So I researched

2:24:51further. Who else does this? Madison,

2:24:54Boulder, St. Paul, what have they done

2:24:56to have effective transition zoning? And

2:24:59things came up of how do we prevent a

2:25:01wall effect? What do we envision for

2:25:04commercial use? Um, do we want

2:25:07operational limits? What about the

2:25:09placement of loading docks? Um, open

2:25:12space, which we've heard. Traffic access

2:25:15control points, parking placement,

2:25:17should that have its own visual

2:25:18screening. Transition zone is a very

2:25:21necessary zone. And I'm not saying that

2:25:24Woodbury doesn't have opportunity to

2:25:26evolve. It does, but this is 41 acres. A

2:25:30site this huge deserves a real plan.

2:25:34Thank you.

2:25:35>> Thank you. [applause]

2:25:45>> Is there anyone else in house who would

2:25:46like to speak at this public hearing?

2:25:53>> Oh, I'm sorry.

2:25:57>> Uh my name is Richard Ryan Smith. I live

2:25:59at 1420 iron koi place. Um I uh took a

2:26:04different tact and I have contacted

2:26:07local developers who are willing to come

2:26:10up with site plans for sevenstory

2:26:12buildings behind each of your homes

2:26:18and um and think they can do quite well

2:26:22with that. Um, and perhaps take the

2:26:26transition and move it into your

2:26:28neighborhood.

2:26:32I've lived on your quo for uh 35 years

2:26:36now.

2:26:39I don't think any of you would like

2:26:40this. What you have currently are

2:26:44discussing approving today. I don't

2:26:46think any of you would like it behind

2:26:49your home. and what you're building a

2:26:51sevenstory building behind my home.

2:26:57That's all I have.

2:26:58>> Thank you.

2:27:00[clears throat]

2:27:08>> Hi there. I'm Peter Hill. Um, and I live

2:27:10a block away from Woodbury. And so this

2:27:12is exactly thinking about what is in my

2:27:14backyard and the opportunity to have

2:27:18more housing and more density, more

2:27:20businesses there is really exciting for

2:27:22me. I think this fits the comprehensive

2:27:25plan with the height limits. And so it

2:27:27allows that kind of transition zone um

2:27:31especially as we go down south

2:27:32Industrial where we want more businesses

2:27:34and more density and more people to be

2:27:35able to um go to those businesses. It's

2:27:38transit accessible. I drive regularly

2:27:39down South Industrial to drop my dog off

2:27:41at the Arbor Daycare. Um, and I see on

2:27:45the corner every morning probably about

2:27:4710 15 people waiting for the bus there.

2:27:48Those people are walkers um and bus

2:27:51takers to downtown and building more

2:27:53density there would be very helpful. Um,

2:27:56I think there's a slice of this that is

2:27:59public land. [snorts] Like it's not the

2:28:01park. It's across the street from a very

2:28:03underutilized park that is almost always

2:28:05empty. So, it would be great to have

2:28:06more people there and to use that part

2:28:08that is privately owned for rows or

2:28:10something else. Um, and we should seize

2:28:12the moment here. I think there are a

2:28:14couple things that folks have said that

2:28:15are also um worth noting. This proposal

2:28:17doesn't change the owner. It just

2:28:18changes um what's there. And um you

2:28:22know, I have butterflies in my backyard

2:28:24cuz I cuz I planted the right things

2:28:26like my mother told me. Um and

2:28:27monoculture grass in front of a bunch of

2:28:30rental houses is not a positive

2:28:31pollinator ecosystem. So, we shouldn't

2:28:34romanticize sort of lawns and parking

2:28:35lots um as the kind of space that we

2:28:38want to create. Um and we should do the

2:28:41kind of density that would create um

2:28:43more use of those parks and those

2:28:45corridors. Um so, I'm excited about this

2:28:47being transitioned. I know there are

2:28:49problems with this plan. I would love

2:28:51better connection on Coler over to

2:28:53Packard where it's currently a sort of

2:28:55overgrown pedestrian path that could be

2:28:57a public street. Um but that's for the

2:28:59future. So, I think this will go into a

2:29:01resoning longer term. Um, but I think we

2:29:05should look at the opportunity to seize

2:29:06housing when we have a real plan for it.

2:29:09So, thanks.

2:29:09>> Thank you.

2:29:16>> Good evening, city council. My name is

2:29:18Brad Moore. I'm one of the architects on

2:29:19the project. I have here uh with me

2:29:21tonight an ownership uh representative

2:29:24from the Woodbury uh gardens uh and uh

2:29:27also uh our civil engineer and uh a

2:29:30representative from the lead architect's

2:29:32office to answer any questions uh that

2:29:34you may have on the project. Um I just

2:29:36wanted to make a a few remarks uh based

2:29:39on some of the comments that I've heard.

2:29:41Um this is uh not TC1. This is TC1 with

2:29:45conditions and the conditions are being

2:29:46applied over the entire parcel. Uh so

2:29:51[clears throat] that the height is being

2:29:52uh significantly restricted over what

2:29:54would be allowed otherwise under TC1.

2:29:57Um there also restrictions that are

2:29:58applying to the north and the east

2:30:00sections where the existing town houses

2:30:02are to preserve that use in that

2:30:04location. So there won't be commercial

2:30:06there so there won't be taller buildings

2:30:08there. a much wider buffer than was

2:30:10created under the TC1 zoning when it was

2:30:13created. Um we there is a a prop a

2:30:17commitment from the Woodbury Gardens

2:30:19ownership not to displace people um from

2:30:22phase 2. That is to say they're going to

2:30:25uh eat the cost of moving people into

2:30:27comparable units on the property. There

2:30:30are uh 538 existing units on the

2:30:33property of which only 33 will have to

2:30:36be removed and only in phase two. So

2:30:38there are plenty of uh other apartments

2:30:41that are of the same floor plan and the

2:30:42same rental structure as the units that

2:30:44would be developed would be removed

2:30:46during the second phase of the

2:30:47development. Um and so no one can be um

2:30:51um displaced uh outside the property who

2:30:54who doesn't want who wants to stay on

2:30:56the property. Um the open space uh is

2:31:00such that um generally speaking the the

2:31:03current open space runs between 61 and

2:31:0566% depending on the parcel within that

2:31:08um development. And the one parcel

2:31:11that's being site planned uh for the new

2:31:13proposed new development would have 56%

2:31:16open space. So still a tremendous amount

2:31:17of open space, more than half of the

2:31:19open space. Um so uh we're here to

2:31:22answer [clears throat] any of your any

2:31:23of your questions any any details. Um, I

2:31:25would note that in the report from the

2:31:27city administrator's office answering

2:31:29council questions, they indicated that

2:31:31the water main easement is still a work

2:31:33in progress and my client is not opposed

2:31:35to having that water man installed. It's

2:31:37just [clears throat]

2:31:37a slow process and a detailed process

2:31:39and there are certain steps that have to

2:31:41be followed and those are ongoing. Thank

2:31:42you.

2:31:43>> Thank you.

2:31:54Is there anyone else in house who would

2:31:56like to speak at this public hearing?

2:32:03Is there anyone online who would like to

2:32:04speak at this public hearing?

2:32:08>> Mayor, we do have a couple callers

2:32:09online. [snorts]

2:32:12>> Mark Pearlman, do you have a comment?

2:32:15>> Yes. Hello. Uh, good evening, Mayor

2:32:17Taylor and members of council. My name

2:32:19is Mark Pearlman. My wife and I have

2:32:21lived on Iraquoy Place for 36 years.

2:32:25We've seen a lot of councils come and

2:32:27go. The zoning they passed is still

2:32:29here. Tonight's vote isn't really about

2:32:33a few building. It's really about

2:32:35whether TC1 with conditions belongs at

2:32:38Woodbury Gardens. I don't think it does,

2:32:41but that's my opinion. Your plans matter

2:32:45more. The comprehensive plan puts TC-1

2:32:49in exactly one category. Hub. Same plan,

2:32:53same council. Unanimous vote. And the

2:32:57ordinance that created TDC1 says it's

2:33:00meant for commercial and office sites

2:33:02with big parking lots. Woodbury Gardens

2:33:05is a neighborhood. Even with the

2:33:07developer conditions, and I appreciate

2:33:09Mr. remorse comments. TC1 with

2:33:12conditions still applies and it applies

2:33:14to all 41 acres and for decades.

2:33:19The plan says transition areas like this

2:33:21one need building heights that step down

2:33:24as they get closer to neighborhoods.

2:33:26TC-1 does have a step down, but is it's

2:33:30written for commercial commercial

2:33:31corridors up to 55 feet right next to

2:33:34home. The gentler limits here exist only

2:33:37because the developer offered them. That

2:33:40protection belong that protection

2:33:41belongs in zoning written by the city

2:33:44planners, not in conditions written by a

2:33:47developer. So make transition zoning the

2:33:51priority. Put the experts on it and get

2:33:53it done. Do it once. Do it right. And it

2:33:57won't just serve Woodbury Gardens. It

2:33:59will serve every transition neighborhood

2:34:01in the city. And it gives developers

2:34:03what they want most, clear rules, so

2:34:06they know exactly what Ann Arbor is

2:34:08asking for and can plan to build it. In

2:34:12medicine, I'm a physician. We say first,

2:34:15do no harm. Carpenters say measure

2:34:19twice, cut once. Tonight, both apply.

2:34:23Please vote no on this reasonzoning and

2:34:25make transition zoning the next thing

2:34:27you build. Thank you.

2:34:29>> Thank you.

2:34:38Louise Vasquez,

2:34:40>> do you have a comment?

2:34:42>> Uh, yes. Greetings, uh, mayor and

2:34:45council. Um, I'm offering my support for

2:34:50this resolution uh, for the resoning.

2:34:53Uh, Mr. Algos and Mr. Jessica who spoke

2:34:57before brought out all the points that I

2:34:59would have raised. Um but uh yeah, I I

2:35:04think it's time we uh build the needed

2:35:08housing uh in Ann Arbor that we need.

2:35:12The only thing that I oppose is the

2:35:15height restrictions. I think we should

2:35:17be building 10story buildings on on this

2:35:20property and not just sevenstory.

2:35:24Um, and yeah, I would like uh to see

2:35:28some 7 and 10 story buildings in my

2:35:31neighborhood uh on the north side

2:35:34someday. Uh hopefully that happens. And

2:35:38um to close out, thank you, Mayor

2:35:40Taylor, and uh the the council members

2:35:43who are uh leaving council. Uh thank you

2:35:47for your leadership uh and all you've

2:35:50done to push Ann Arbor forward. Um and

2:35:54uh I'll talk to you next time. Thanks.

2:35:57>> Thank you.

2:36:08>> Caller with the phone number ending in

2:36:10644.

2:36:12Press star six to unmute your phone.

2:36:16Go ahead.

2:36:18>> My name is Kathy Boris. I live at 1726

2:36:21Charlton in Ward 5.

2:36:25It's a bad idea to tear down Woodbury

2:36:28Gardens.

2:36:29Existing affordable housing should have

2:36:31something that protects it. That

2:36:34something would be zoning. So, I urge

2:36:37you not to reszone Woodbury Gardens for

2:36:40the benefit of a developer who will

2:36:43knock it down in order to build housing

2:36:45that is more expensive.

2:36:49Exactly what we don't want.

2:36:52So, please vote no. Thank you.

2:36:56>> Thank you.

2:37:12caller with the phone number running in

2:37:13534. Do you have a comment?

2:37:18>> Thank you. This is Tom Stalberg calling

2:37:21again. Uh Woodbury Gardens is not only

2:37:23highly inappropriate, but it defies the

2:37:25letter and intent of our zoning code. It

2:37:28defies court rulings on the type of

2:37:30zoning conditions used and at a minimum

2:37:33cheats us out of about 50 units of

2:37:35affordable housing.

2:37:37DC1 with or without conditions is not

2:37:40appropriate for that location. DC1 does

2:37:43not fit. There is a choice of three

2:37:45things in the order of what is most

2:37:48appropriate. Number one, deny the

2:37:50application because this development

2:37:53should not be allowed at this location

2:37:54with this zoning. the developer will

2:37:57have to return with something different.

2:37:58It happens.

2:38:00Two, if city council does want this

2:38:02development, they can deny the

2:38:04application and tell the developer to

2:38:05return with the same development as a

2:38:07PUD, a planned unit development, which

2:38:10is what is used when there is no

2:38:12appropriate zoning category that would

2:38:13permit a development at this location.

2:38:16The height conditions would be legal as

2:38:18part of a PUD. And the PUD will control

2:38:20the heights on the rest of the site as

2:38:22well.

2:38:23and the PUB will give us 15% of the

2:38:26units as affordable housing or a payment

2:38:28in LO approximately $5 million. This has

2:38:31happened. We have sent things back and

2:38:33said come back to us as a PUD or three

2:38:36approved the development as applied for

2:38:38define the letter intent of our zoning

2:38:39code define the courts and cheating us

2:38:41out of the affordable housing. By the

2:38:43way, a PUD would allow a mechanism for

2:38:46the um easement for the water main loop

2:38:48as well. Some people might not like

2:38:50option two, the PUD, understandably

2:38:52because they don't want this development

2:38:53at all. But if a developer is going to

2:38:56be approved, the the option two is a

2:38:58legal method to achieve what option

2:39:01three does not do appropriately.

2:39:06When you take zoning conditions for

2:39:08height and they're not the maximum

2:39:10height of the zoning that you're zoning

2:39:12it to, but they're taller than the

2:39:13existing zoning, the courts don't like

2:39:15that. Part of the reason why is another

2:39:17developer could come in and ask for that

2:39:19same type the same zoning category but

2:39:21be silent on the conditions. And since

2:39:24conditions must be volunteered, the city

2:39:26would not be able to ask developer

2:39:28number two to put those same height

2:39:30limits on or any height limits

2:39:31whatsoever. So you would get the maximum

2:39:33height of that zoning being allowed if

2:39:36they approve that um application. And

2:39:39the courts have looked at that and said

2:39:41the city gives up their police power. If

2:39:44that developer is turned down by being

2:39:46silent, the only reason is because it

2:39:49won't offer the same conditions that

2:39:50must be voluntary. Then the court will

2:39:53honor that developer's lawsuit against

2:39:54the city and say, "City, you forfeited

2:39:57your police powers because you did it

2:39:59wrong. You didn't follow the law. I'm

2:40:00sorry."

2:40:01>> 30 seconds.

2:40:02>> Be the Thank you.

2:40:05>> Thank you.

2:40:10>> [snorts]

2:40:14>> caller with the phone number ending in

2:40:15469. Do you have a comment?

2:40:18>> Go ahead.

2:40:21>> Hi. Um,

2:40:23right now this is framed as two sides

2:40:27and this endless binary war that always

2:40:30ends in zero sum. this it feels like

2:40:33kind of like a sociopathic status quo

2:40:36because everyone loses and wins in this

2:40:38thing and we're a college town and it's

2:40:42home to a university that helps pioneer

2:40:46intergroup dialogue. You can literally

2:40:48get certified in intergroup relations in

2:40:50Ann Arbor and I think that's a resource

2:40:53that's not being leveraged. I understand

2:40:55electeds are tied to all sorts of

2:40:58Robert's rules of order and the

2:41:00vulnerability required to really

2:41:03facilitate the dialogue among neighbors,

2:41:07counties, current residents, students,

2:41:09future students and really attach that

2:41:11conversation, a creative, messy,

2:41:14vulnerable ongoing conversation. Perhaps

2:41:17a community council

2:41:19that is committed to what comes out of

2:41:21it. A right of return and relo

2:41:24relocation support for current

2:41:26residents. Traffic and buffer conditions

2:41:28and also really co-designing what does

2:41:30this transition look like? Maybe we

2:41:32don't want the same stores that are all

2:41:35over. What does it look like to really

2:41:37play on what Europe and other places are

2:41:39doing really well and bring some of that

2:41:41here. So I think if we invite the people

2:41:42who uh feel like they're losing

2:41:44everything, that sort of old guard, if

2:41:47you invite them to the conversation and

2:41:48let them see the future as something

2:41:50that includes them instead of leaves

2:41:52them behind in the dust for students

2:41:53[clears throat] that are ever growing, I

2:41:55think you might actually get somewhere

2:41:56because this is not a binary zero issue.

2:41:59Thank you.

2:42:01>> Thank you.

2:42:03[snorts]

2:42:23security. Ross, do you have a comment?

2:42:27>> Go ahead.

2:42:27>> Yeah. Um, yeah, Ros Smith in the fifth

2:42:30ward. Um, the sport zoning. I wish there

2:42:33wasn't restrictions on it. Um, we should

2:42:36be building higher.

2:42:38Uh, having retail in neighborhoods is

2:42:40good. People love Jefferson Market.

2:42:43Should be allowing more things of that.

2:42:46And furthermore, if we're if uh noted

2:42:4930-year uh slord is against it, you're

2:42:52probably doing the right thing. Please

2:42:54vote for this.

2:42:57>> Thank you.

2:43:08I don't have any other callers with

2:43:09their hands up.

2:43:15Seeing no and this public hearing is

2:43:16closed. Public hearing number four,

2:43:18resolution to prove a brownfield plan

2:43:19for university in redevelopment project

2:43:21at 2424 East Stadium Boulevard. Is there

2:43:24anyone in house who would like to speak

2:43:25at this public hearing?

2:43:38Thank you, Mayor Taylor and Council. Ken

2:43:39Garber, second ward. Wow. I commend your

2:43:42stamina. Um, I'm like speaker number 38.

2:43:46I I hate to tax it more, but this is Ann

2:43:48Arbor's first for-profit MISTA

2:43:52tiff housing plan. So it really I think

2:43:57requires uh your attention even on such

2:44:00a crowded agenda. Um the 300 units are

2:44:04market rate housing that includes the 55

2:44:07units at 120% AMI to meet the mission

2:44:10minimum market rate. Bezac argues that

2:44:14those rents may stabilize over time

2:44:15compared to future market rents. Maybe

2:44:19um the seven studios at 80% AMI. um our

2:44:23token offering not affordable either. So

2:44:25what public benefits do we get for our

2:44:27$35 million in tax relief, a $2.5

2:44:31million payment to the affordable

2:44:32housing fund which is required paid in

2:44:35installment starting year five possible

2:44:38moderation of rent growth over time for

2:44:41the income restricted units greater

2:44:43density than possible absent the tiff.

2:44:46Some improvements to the road

2:44:48intersection.

2:44:49Um, is this worth forgiving $35 million

2:44:52in taxes? That's the question. Uh,

2:44:56Besttech says that they could still

2:44:57build without the tiff, but to a lower

2:44:59density. So, we're basically subsidizing

2:45:02the developers market rate profits for

2:45:04those extra units. Uh, we get a fraction

2:45:07back with the affordable housing in

2:45:08payment. Um, now, um, big point about

2:45:12sustainability. The apartments will have

2:45:14electric heat most likely VRF but the

2:45:17common areas typically about 30% of

2:45:19total floor area uh will have a gas

2:45:22heated DOA system um that's dedicated

2:45:25outdoor air system um as with your

2:45:28approvals last month of the village and

2:45:30the AC hotel across the street uh those

2:45:33brownfield plants we are not only

2:45:35allowing but subsidizing with

2:45:37non-environmental tiff

2:45:40new construction that adds major fossil

2:45:42fu rule infrastructure.

2:45:45I don't understand why we keep making

2:45:46these fully discretionary approvals

2:45:49without conditions of tax capture plans

2:45:52for project that projects that add

2:45:54decades of new carbon emissions and

2:45:56undermine our A20 goals. For this one,

2:45:59staff should have insisted on something

2:46:01like VRF with the RV, which is an

2:46:03efficient all electric heating and

2:46:05cooling system that's very appropriate

2:46:07for multifamily developments like this

2:46:09one. Um about parking, um $12 million of

2:46:13the tiff will go to the parking

2:46:16structure,

2:46:18$417 total spaces is far too much

2:46:21parking for 307 rental units in a

2:46:24transit zone, and we're paying for most

2:46:26of those spaces with our tax dollars. Um

2:46:29in closing, this project as it stands is

2:46:33both unaffordable and unsustainable. We

2:46:35want higher density, but not at any

2:46:38cost.

2:46:39We need deeper affordability or

2:46:43all electric design or less taxpayer

2:46:46funded parking

2:46:48um to justify this level of tax capture.

2:46:50You know, I'd settle for one out of the

2:46:52three. I think that's a completely

2:46:54reasonable ask. Um so, please reconsider

2:46:58this plan as it uh exists on on the

2:47:02table um and ask for some modification

2:47:05along those lines. I appreciate it.

2:47:07Thanks. Thank you.

2:47:10Is there anyone else in house who would

2:47:12like to speak at this public hearing?

2:47:22>> Good evening. Jeremy Haley, Ipsy

2:47:23Township. Just wondering what kind of

2:47:26brownfield is this transformational

2:47:28special brownfield or just a brown field

2:47:32because any I mean is there

2:47:33[clears throat] something wrong with the

2:47:34property in the ground or is it just

2:47:38something that the developers say hey

2:47:40it's a brownfield and everybody say hey

2:47:42it's brownfield and

2:47:44I just want to know what's wrong with

2:47:46the property itself

2:47:49cuz you know the all the tax cuts and

2:47:51everything you guys are giving these

2:47:53developers and stuff is come going to

2:47:55come up and bite you guys in the butt in

2:47:57the end. It's not going to be good cuz

2:48:01uh the economy is not getting any

2:48:02better. The CPI has gone up and

2:48:06everybody is not going to be able to

2:48:08live if you guys keep giving away your

2:48:11bank and the money that you guys need to

2:48:12function off of. Thank you.

2:48:15>> Thank you.

2:48:19[clears throat]

2:48:24Is there anyone else in house who'd like

2:48:25to speak at this public hearing?

2:48:29Is there anyone online who'd like to

2:48:31speak at this public hearing?

2:48:32>> Mayor, I don't have any callers online

2:48:34for this hearing.

2:48:40>> See no one, this public hearing is

2:48:42closed. Public hearing number five,

2:48:43resolution to vacate a portion of the

2:48:44South University Avenue public rideway,

2:48:46325 South State Street. Is there anyone

2:48:49in house who would like to speak at this

2:48:51public hearing?

2:48:56>> Good evening, mayor and council. Uh Mike

2:48:58Grain, U ofM government relations. Um I

2:49:00think the planning staff report kind of

2:49:02lays out nicely the whole history and

2:49:05the situation, but I'll be available for

2:49:06any questions. Thank you.

2:49:08>> Thank you.

2:49:15>> Is there anyone else in the house who'

2:49:16like to speak at this public hearing?

2:49:22Is there anyone online who'd like to

2:49:24speak at this public hearing? Mayor, I

2:49:26don't have any callers online for this

2:49:28hearing.

2:49:37See no one, this public hearing is

2:49:38closed. Let's take a short break. It's

2:49:409:45. Let's reconvene at 9:55.

3:00:48Welcome everyone. We are back after a

3:00:51short break. Uh we have before us the

3:00:54regular meeting minutes of October 5,

3:00:562026. May I have a motion please to

3:00:57approve these minutes? Moved by Council

3:00:58Member Watson, seconded by Council

3:01:00Member Medina. Discussion please, of the

3:01:02minutes.

3:01:05All in favor? All opposed? They are

3:01:08approved. B1, an ordinance to add

3:01:11chapter 98, glue trap ban of title 7,

3:01:14businesses and trades of the code of the

3:01:15city of Ann Arbor. Moved by Council

3:01:17Member Gazi Edwin, second by Council

3:01:18Member Cornell. Discussion, please, at

3:01:20B1. Council.

3:01:22>> Yeah, I'll keep it brief. I just want to

3:01:23thank everyone who um called in and

3:01:26spoke in support. Um, and thank you Jeff

3:01:30Sik and others from PETA. Really

3:01:32appreciate your work and your help and

3:01:34just leading with empathy on this um,

3:01:36and what's practical and what makes

3:01:38sense. So, thank you.

3:01:40>> Further discussion.

3:01:46>> Uh, I just like to echo the community.

3:01:47Thanks to Council Member Gazi Edwin uh,

3:01:49for taking the charge on this. uh you

3:01:51know as has been observed glute traps

3:01:53are are inhumane and uh and

3:01:58a cruel uh they are a cruel practice

3:02:01that has no place in our society. Uh and

3:02:04uh I'm uh so pleased and that you were

3:02:07you brought this forward uh and grateful

3:02:09for the support of community members uh

3:02:10PETA the uh the humane society and so

3:02:13many folks uh from and around Ann Arbor

3:02:15and elsewhere who recognize that this is

3:02:17indeed the right thing to do. Further

3:02:20discussion.

3:02:23All in favor? All opposed. It is

3:02:26approved. B3. An ordinance to amend.

3:02:29Thank you. An ordinance to amend chapter

3:02:3155 zoning reszoning of approximately

3:02:3341.292 acres from R3 multif family R4

3:02:38multif family and PL public land

3:02:40districts to TC1 transit corridor with

3:02:42conditions 1310 Wisteria Drive. Moved by

3:02:47council member Malik. seconded by

3:02:48council member uh Briggs. Discussion,

3:02:51please of B3,

3:02:53council member Malik.

3:02:56>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh I appreciate the

3:02:58significant effort that went into this

3:03:01proposed resoning in the associated new

3:03:03housing as well as the creative

3:03:05conditions offered to make TC1 more

3:03:08appropriate in this area. Uh, however,

3:03:10the result feels like a bit of a zoning

3:03:12Frankenstein, an attempt to force TC-1

3:03:15into a location where it simply isn't a

3:03:18fantastic fit. This site is not directly

3:03:21on a transit corridor, and the proposal

3:03:23aims to replace housing rather than

3:03:25surface parking lots, a core intention

3:03:27of TC-1. I am generally supportive of

3:03:30added density, but I'm not sure this

3:03:32plan in this location is the right way

3:03:35to achieve it. Thank you,

3:03:36>> Council Member.

3:03:40Thank you, mayor. Um, I want to start by

3:03:42saying that I absolutely support adding

3:03:44housing throughout the city. I strongly

3:03:47supported the direction of our new

3:03:49comprehensive land use plan because Ann

3:03:50Arbor needs more housing. We desperately

3:03:52need it now. We need more diverse

3:03:54housing choices and we need

3:03:56opportunities to accommodate growth for

3:03:58people of all income levels throughout

3:03:59our city. I voted yes at first reading

3:04:02to advance this proposal for resoning in

3:04:04my ward uh to second reading, although I

3:04:06had concerns about it. Since then, I've

3:04:09spent time exploring alternatives and

3:04:10working with colleagues and city staff

3:04:13uh to determine whether there was a way

3:04:14for me to support this resoning. I

3:04:17wanted to find a path to yes, but I

3:04:20haven't been able to resolve those

3:04:21concerns. TC1 was created to allow for

3:04:24higher density mixeduse redevelopment

3:04:26along transit corridors, particularly on

3:04:29commercial and office properties with

3:04:30large parking lots and substantial

3:04:32setbacks. Woodbury Gardens is an

3:04:34established residential community, not

3:04:36the type of property TC1 was really

3:04:38designed to redevelop. [snorts] Our land

3:04:40use plan envisions greater density and

3:04:42transition areas, but it does not

3:04:44designate those areas for necessarily

3:04:46for TC1 zoning. [snorts] We have not yet

3:04:48adopted the zoning standards intended to

3:04:50implement the trans the transition

3:04:53designation, and that's the central

3:04:55problem with this proposal. We are

3:04:57applying an existing DO zoning district

3:04:59to a property it wasn't designed for

3:05:01rather than establishing regulations

3:05:03appropriate for this type of

3:05:04redevelopment. And the scale of this

3:05:07decision matters. We're not simply

3:05:09considering the proposed 342 apartments.

3:05:12We're reszoning more than 41 acres. The

3:05:16zoning we approved tonight will govern

3:05:17future redevelopment across the entire

3:05:19property.

3:05:20The developers offered conditions that

3:05:22substantially reduce allowable building

3:05:24heights near surrounding residential

3:05:26properties. And um and I appreciated

3:05:28that those cons conditions address one

3:05:31concern, but they don't resolve the

3:05:33broader mismatch between TC1 zoning and

3:05:35an established residential community.

3:05:38The existing zoning includes substantial

3:05:40open space requirements. TC1 does not

3:05:42maintain those same requirements. While

3:05:45TC1 has other development standards, we

3:05:47haven't determined what open space,

3:05:48building separation, and site design

3:05:50standards should govern redevelopment in

3:05:51our transition areas.

3:05:55So, increasing density will require

3:05:57changes, and I'm not suggesting we

3:05:58preserve every existing requirement. But

3:06:00I do believe we should establish the

3:06:02standards appropriate for our transition

3:06:04areas before making those changes across

3:06:0641 acres. I hope to be able to support

3:06:09this proposal at second reading, but I I

3:06:11just can't get there tonight. And I will

3:06:12be voting no. Council Member Redino.

3:06:19>> Thank you, Mayor. Um, I'll try to be

3:06:21brief. Um, you know, I've spoken with

3:06:23people who live nearby who oppose this.

3:06:25Uh, and I've spoken to some who live

3:06:26nearby who support it. I think we heard

3:06:28some good arguments in support of it

3:06:29tonight. And I think we heard some good

3:06:30arguments against it tonight. Um, but

3:06:33ultimately I have not gotten to a place

3:06:35that I can support this. Um, you know,

3:06:37several years ago when this project was

3:06:39first being envisioned, I shared that I

3:06:40did not believe that TC1 was appropriate

3:06:42here. Um, it's not an area that we

3:06:45identified as TC1 when we created the

3:06:46zoning category. It's not an area that

3:06:48we identified as hub in the

3:06:50comprehensive plan. Um, and to the point

3:06:52of several public commenters tonight,

3:06:54this isn't TC-1. It is a request for a

3:06:56substantial resoning request of 41 acres

3:06:58to TC1 with conditions, a substantial

3:07:01benefit to the property owner for a

3:07:03project that will occupy just five of

3:07:04those acres. If this were before us

3:07:07tonight as a PUD, not only do I suspect

3:07:08that it would be a request more in scale

3:07:10with the proposed project, but at least

3:07:12then it would also come with community

3:07:14benefits. Um, I believe, as uh, council

3:07:17member Ayer just pointed out uh that we

3:07:19should proceed with in uh the process

3:07:21envisioned in the comprehensive plan to

3:07:22establish the zoning requirements for

3:07:24transition districts and I will not be

3:07:26supporting this tonight. Council member

3:07:27Briggs.

3:07:31>> Um

3:07:33many of my colleagues have articulated

3:07:35uh my concerns around this as well. We

3:07:37um discussed this at first reading,

3:07:39learned that we you know it wasn't

3:07:41appropriate to break this apart. Um uh

3:07:44the 5 acre site that's there's a um the

3:07:47development is proposed for. The reality

3:07:48is that this is 41 acres. Um and um it's

3:07:5341 acres of

3:07:56maybe not perfect land use but providing

3:08:00the type of type of housing that we

3:08:04desperately say we want more of in our

3:08:06community. Um this is missing middle

3:08:08housing. Um and so to reszone this to

3:08:13TC1. Um and

3:08:18when we when this was um envisioned to

3:08:22be transition and transition is more

3:08:26than simply a reduced density of housing

3:08:31from

3:08:33hub. It's not just about the density. Um

3:08:36it's about a whole lot of other uses

3:08:38that we really haven't had the

3:08:39opportunity to discuss. And this

3:08:43neighborhood presents some of the more

3:08:47difficult um challenges with transition.

3:08:50Transition is uh is something that we're

3:08:52going to have to um think through. Um

3:08:56and in the context of this neighborhood

3:08:58in particular, um it presents a lot of

3:09:01challenges around, you know, what what

3:09:02are we thinking about around uses and

3:09:05green space and all those things that um

3:09:08this existing 41 acres deserves for us

3:09:10to take the time figuring it out. So,

3:09:12I'll be voting no.

3:09:14>> Further discussion?

3:09:21Uh I will be uh joining my colleagues in

3:09:23uh in declining to approve uh uh this uh

3:09:26this proposal. In my view, the Woodbury

3:09:28resoning fails to meet a specific

3:09:30purpose of TC1. Uh that is to say the

3:09:32replacement of office uh re uh or else

3:09:36C2B uh C3P uh public land um R5 and the

3:09:41M1 districts. Um in my view uh

3:09:45the scale of the request is uh is also

3:09:49fatal. Um I don't have a problem uh

3:09:53considering uh creative use of existing

3:09:56discourse in other contexts but the fact

3:09:58that we have a uh a limited site plan a

3:10:01limited articulated vision for the uh

3:10:04very large parcel that's being uh for

3:10:06which reasonzoning is sought uh also um

3:10:09creates a stumbling block that I can't

3:10:10get over. Um I I will yield to no one in

3:10:13my commitment to uh to the need for

3:10:16housing um in the city and the the uh

3:10:19the the need to take action to bring

3:10:21that to um uh bring that to realization.

3:10:24Uh but that does not mean a yes in each

3:10:26and every context.

3:10:29Further discussion?

3:10:32All in favor?

3:10:34All opposed.

3:10:37Uh it is defeated.

3:10:40C1, an ordinance to add chapter 8 83,

3:10:43visual currency kiosk to title 7 of the

3:10:46code of the city of Ann Arbor. Moved by

3:10:47council member, second by council member

3:10:50Cornell. Discussion, please of C1.

3:10:53Council member Ayer.

3:10:55>> Thank you.

3:10:56Um, so I'm pleased to bring this forward

3:10:59tonight with my colleagues because

3:11:01cryptocurrency kiosks have become a

3:11:03serious consumer protection and public

3:11:05safety concern, particularly for older

3:11:07residents who are being targeted by

3:11:09increasingly sophisticated scams. These

3:11:12machines allow people to deposit cash

3:11:14and convert it to cryptocurrency that

3:11:17can be transferred almost instantly.

3:11:19Once that money is sent, recovering it

3:11:21can be extremely difficult, if not

3:11:23impossible.

3:11:24And this isn't just a problem that's

3:11:26happening somewhere else. We have

3:11:28learned it's happening right here in Ann

3:11:29Arbor. In preparation for this

3:11:31ordinance, our police department

3:11:32examined cryptocurrency related crime in

3:11:35our city, and the numbers are actually

3:11:37alarming. Between 20 uh January 2024 and

3:11:41October 6 of this year, the police

3:11:43documented 83 incidents involving

3:11:45Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies,

3:11:47including at least 77 reported crimes.

3:11:50Of those, 64 involved fraud and eight

3:11:54involved extortion.

3:11:56Many of the victims are older adults.

3:11:58Scammers impersonate police officers,

3:12:00federal agents, court officials, bank

3:12:02employees, technical support

3:12:04representatives. They convince people

3:12:06that their money is at risk, that they

3:12:08owe money to avoid arrest, or that they

3:12:09need to transfer funds to protect

3:12:10themselves. In one particularly [snorts]

3:12:13disturbing case, a scam a scammer

3:12:15actually impersonated our own police

3:12:16chief and instructed [snorts] a victim

3:12:18to deposit $8,000 to supposedly

3:12:21safeguard their funds.

3:12:24Our police department reports that many

3:12:25of the cryptocurrency ATMs associated

3:12:27with these cases were located at gas

3:12:30stations in or near Ann Arbor. So that

3:12:33is all why this ordinance is necessary.

3:12:35It establishes licensing and oversight

3:12:38of cryptocurrency kiosks and requires

3:12:40meaningful consumer protections

3:12:42including fraud warnings, identifi

3:12:44identity verification, transaction

3:12:46limits, and tools to help identify

3:12:48suspicious activity. The transaction

3:12:51limits are important. Um, they're

3:12:53limited to $500 per day with a $1,000

3:12:57daily limit. Um, I'm sorry, that's for

3:13:00the first time and then for other users,

3:13:02a $1,000 limit. This can make an

3:13:05enormous difference when someone is

3:13:06being pressured by a scammer to deposit

3:13:08thousands of dollars. We also explored

3:13:10whether we should limit the total number

3:13:12of machines operating in Ann Arbor. Um

3:13:15we don't have data yet for a defensible

3:13:18cap on that, but we are going to um

3:13:22continue gathering the data. We've asked

3:13:24for annual reporting on crime uh

3:13:28cryptocurrency related crime and um

3:13:31we'll be able to evaluate in the future

3:13:32whether these regulations are working or

3:13:34whether additional measures are needed.

3:13:37I appreciate the work of our city

3:13:39attorney's office, our police

3:13:40department, and city staff in developing

3:13:42this ordinance and examining how it can

3:13:44be enforced. Our responsibility is to

3:13:47protect residents from preventable

3:13:48financial harm. And we can't eliminate

3:13:50every scam, but we can make it harder

3:13:52for criminals to use these machines to

3:13:54steal people's savings. And that's what

3:13:57this ordinance is intended to do, and I

3:13:59hope my colleagues will support it.

3:14:00>> Council member Redeema.

3:14:05>> Um, thank you, Mayor. Um, I am fully

3:14:08supportive of this. Um, but I also know

3:14:10I have, uh, in in conversation with, uh,

3:14:13some of the ARP folks here tonight, um,

3:14:16know that they would also support this

3:14:18going even further. And so I guess I

3:14:19just I have a question for I don't know

3:14:21if it's sponsors members a member of

3:14:23staff. Um I know that uh you know our

3:14:25state senator Jeff Arman has sponsored

3:14:27Senate Bill 980 which would be a full

3:14:29ban on cryptocurrency kiosks uh due to

3:14:31the increasingly common fraud and scams.

3:14:34Um did we explore similarly banning

3:14:36these kiosks outright here in Ann Arbor

3:14:39instead of placing a limit on them? And

3:14:41I guess I just wondered if so if there's

3:14:43a reason we didn't pursue it or um

3:14:48not to suggest it's wrong that we start

3:14:50here but just wondering if that was

3:14:52explored.

3:14:58>> That was explored. Council member Rodina

3:15:01[clears throat]

3:15:01we opted to go with um allowing the ones

3:15:04that exist for several reasons. Some of

3:15:07them are privileged which I can discuss

3:15:09with you if you would like separately in

3:15:11close session and some of them are

3:15:12practical. Um these are existing

3:15:16enterprises.

3:15:18We shouldn't presume they're all illegal

3:15:21and gather the data to go um further.

3:15:26Understood. Thank you. Um so I will

3:15:28support this tonight. I think it's a a

3:15:29great first step. Um and uh you know I

3:15:33will you know continue in my position on

3:15:35the policy committee to advocate for the

3:15:37passage of the full ban at the state

3:15:38level. Um and uh hope that we can get

3:15:41this done here in an art. So thank you

3:15:43to the sponsors. Um and I would be happy

3:15:44to be added as a co-sponsor please.

3:15:46Thank you.

3:15:46>> Further discussion. Council member

3:15:48Cornell.

3:15:51>> Yeah. Very quickly. Um [laughter] this

3:15:53is one of those things I mentioned

3:15:55earlier where I didn't know crypto

3:15:56romance scams was a thing but you learn

3:15:58a lot in this job. Um, one of the things

3:16:01I really appreciate council member I

3:16:03working on and staff working on was um I

3:16:05think what you were just talking about

3:16:07um council member Dena is

3:16:09>> we don't really I don't think we

3:16:11understand are we at the start of what

3:16:15is um you know a a scam that will grow

3:16:18over time. Um what's our role as a city?

3:16:21Um I'm hoping that the metrics that we

3:16:23um added into this resolution um

3:16:26specific reporting so that we could

3:16:27consider it in the future is also

3:16:29something the state will look at. So I'm

3:16:31I'm hugely supportive of this being a

3:16:33state ban. Um Indiana, Tennessee, and

3:16:36Minnesota have all um instituted

3:16:38outright bans and I think that that's

3:16:40probably the right direction and earlier

3:16:42somebody said um about the glue traps.

3:16:44Maybe the state will be watching and

3:16:45maybe they'll be watching this

3:16:47conversation and and what happens here

3:16:48in the city too as a model to follow.

3:16:54>> Further discussion?

3:16:57All in favor? All opposed? It is

3:17:00approved. C2, an ordinance to amend

3:17:03section 961 and 962 of chapter 108,

3:17:06disorderly conduct of title 9 of the

3:17:08code of the city of Ann Arbor. Moved by

3:17:10council member, second by council

3:17:11member. discussion please of C2.

3:17:14Council member Medina.

3:17:17>> That's all good. You can go.

3:17:20>> Um, thank you. Uh, first and foremost, I

3:17:23want to thank you, Mayor Taylor, for

3:17:24your leadership and collaboration moving

3:17:25this forward. Um, I am proud to

3:17:28co-sponsor and support this amendment to

3:17:29our disorderly conduct ordinance to add

3:17:31further protections for local places of

3:17:33worship and to better shield worshippers

3:17:35from assaulting, threatening, harassing,

3:17:37or intimidating activity that place them

3:17:39in reasonable risk of fear. reasonable

3:17:42fear for their safety. Uh recent attacks

3:17:44on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and

3:17:47the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

3:17:48Saints in Grand Blank along with threats

3:17:50against mosques throughout Southeast

3:17:52Michigan demonstrate that threats to

3:17:54religious communities are not

3:17:55hypothetical and they are happening here

3:17:57in Michigan. New York recently took

3:17:59similar action to protect access to

3:18:01houses of worship, recognizing that

3:18:02religious freedom includes the right to

3:18:04gather and worship without fear of

3:18:06intimidation, harassment, or violence.

3:18:08Ann Arbor can and should do the same.

3:18:11This proposed amendment offers a

3:18:12reasonable, narrowly focused protection

3:18:14against threatening behavior and

3:18:15physical obstruction while respecting

3:18:17the constitutional right to peaceful

3:18:19protest. No one, regardless of faith,

3:18:22should have should have to fear for

3:18:23their safety simply because they are

3:18:25entering or leaving a place of worship.

3:18:27I urge my colleagues to support this

3:18:28amendment. Thank you,

3:18:30>> Council Member.

3:18:31[snorts]

3:18:36>> Um, thank you. And uh thank you, Council

3:18:39Member Readina, for your work on this

3:18:41and especially Mayor Taylor um for

3:18:43[clears throat]

3:18:44um spearheading this. Um I've been

3:18:48speaking out against the anti-Semitic

3:18:50harassment of worshippers at um Beth

3:18:52Israel congregation since before I

3:18:54joined city council. In 2022, I was

3:18:56proud co-sponsor of our resolution

3:18:58condemning those protests. But here we

3:19:00are years later still dealing with this

3:19:02and other types of religious harassment

3:19:05in our community as well.

3:19:07For nearly two decades, Jewish families

3:19:09have had to pass hateful signs simply to

3:19:11enter their synagogue. Think about that.

3:19:14Children who were brought to service as

3:19:15babies have grown into adults knowing

3:19:17nothing different. An entire generation

3:19:20has grown up with this harassment as a

3:19:21normal part of attending religious

3:19:23services. Bar andbach mitzvah, holidays,

3:19:26ordinary Saturday mornings, moments that

3:19:28should bring joy and a sense of

3:19:30belonging instead marred by hatred. And

3:19:33what message have we sent those children

3:19:34by allowing this to continue for so

3:19:36long? I find it heartbreaking and

3:19:39shameful. This has been a stain on in

3:19:41our city for nearly two decades. Ann

3:19:45Arbor prides itself on tolerance and

3:19:47inclusion, but those values ring hollow

3:19:49when we've allowed generations of Jewish

3:19:51families to endure this treatment.

3:19:54I spent two decades as a journalist and

3:19:57I devoted my career to defending the

3:19:58First Amendment, including the right to

3:20:01express views I find deeply offensive. I

3:20:04don't take those rights lightly.

3:20:07But let's be clear, s people sitting in

3:20:09these very council chambers earlier

3:20:12tonight have stood outside Beth Israel

3:20:14holding placards with Nazi symbols

3:20:17confronting Jewish families arriving for

3:20:19worship.

3:20:20I reject the suggestion that this is

3:20:23simply protesting Israeli government

3:20:24policy. Targeting Jewish families

3:20:27outside their synagogue with Nazi

3:20:28imagery is anti-Semitic harassment and

3:20:31we should call it what it is. Freedom of

3:20:33speech is a fundamental constitutional

3:20:35right and so is freedom of religion. We

3:20:38have an obligation to protect both. And

3:20:40while Beth Israel's history brings us

3:20:42here tonight, this ordinance protects

3:20:44people of every faith. Whether someone

3:20:46attends a synagogue, a mosque, a church,

3:20:49a temple, or another place of worship,

3:20:51they deserve the same protection.

3:20:54We cannot give those children their

3:20:57childhoods back or undo the years of

3:20:59harassment their families endured. But

3:21:01we can decide what kind of community

3:21:02want we want to be going forward. No one

3:21:05should have to run a gauntlet of

3:21:07harassment simply to worship.

3:21:12further discussion.

3:21:18[gasps] Uh

3:21:20like my colleagues uh you know I am uh

3:21:25you know I am appalled by what we see in

3:21:29uh in an arbor every every Shabbat.

3:21:32uh it is uh an exercise of first

3:21:36amendment speech that is uh is

3:21:39contemptable um and it has consequences.

3:21:42Uh similarly I am appalled uh as are uh

3:21:46my colleagues in by the uh the religious

3:21:51intolerance and the hate that is

3:21:53expressed uh in in word and deed uh

3:21:58throughout uh our community uh our our

3:22:01state uh our country. that we see it

3:22:04here uh in uh in the discourse around uh

3:22:09in particular uh and and forcefully the

3:22:12the election uh that we are all um

3:22:14working our way through.

3:22:18The measures we're pass working on today

3:22:23will expand uh

3:22:26disorderly conduct

3:22:29uh how it is defined here in the city

3:22:31and it will also uh criminalize the

3:22:33interfer interference

3:22:37with access to places of religious

3:22:39worship where that interference results

3:22:41in people having reasonable fear for

3:22:44their safety.

3:22:50We have an obligation to uh to follow

3:22:53the law. We have an obligation to the

3:22:55First Amendment, but we also have an

3:22:56obligation to use every tool within our

3:22:58disposal uh to protect um uh our

3:23:01community members uh crucially and uh so

3:23:06importantly on their way to worship. Uh

3:23:09I'm grateful for the work done by the

3:23:11attorney's office to bring this forward.

3:23:13Uh I'm grateful to uh you know the state

3:23:16of New York for having led the way um

3:23:19with regard to this uh this tool um and

3:23:24you know of course um like all of us

3:23:26wish that there were more that we could

3:23:27do.

3:23:29Further discussion

3:23:32council Gaziota

3:23:36um I want to thank the co-sponsors of

3:23:38this resolution. I think it's so

3:23:40important. Um, I've talked in the past

3:23:43before, you know, after 911, seeing

3:23:46individuals protest out of mosques was

3:23:48abhorrent and I see what our Jewish

3:23:51neighbors face outside of the synagogue

3:23:54and it's also horrific and abhorrent.

3:23:57Um, so I'd like to be added and want to

3:24:01thank you all for your work on this.

3:24:04Further discussion.

3:24:08>> Council [clears throat] member Watson.

3:24:11>> Um, this is a issue that's meaningful to

3:24:13me personally and to my uh constituents

3:24:16as well who've reached out. Many of them

3:24:19attend uh places of worship affected by

3:24:21these protests. Um, so I'd like to be

3:24:24added as a co-sponsor.

3:24:32Further discussion.

3:24:34All in favor?

3:24:36All opposed? It is approved. DB1

3:24:39resolution to approve the 1310 Wisteria

3:24:42Drive site plan and development

3:24:43agreement. Moved by

3:24:46Council Medina. Seconded by Council

3:24:48Member Watson. Discussion please of DB1.

3:24:53This of course relating to

3:24:56the action that we just took with

3:24:57respect to the resoning. All in favor?

3:25:02All all opposed.

3:25:04[snorts]

3:25:05It is rejected.

3:25:07DS1 resolution to approve a brownfield

3:25:09plan for the university and

3:25:10redevelopment plan at 2424 East Stadium

3:25:13Boulevard. Moved by council member,

3:25:16seconded by council member Gazi Edwin.

3:25:18Discussion, please of DS1.

3:25:21Council member Malik.

3:25:24>> Thank you, mayor. Um, noting we have

3:25:26some of our staff in the room. I was

3:25:28wondering if I could ask a question um

3:25:31on this item mostly related to how does

3:25:35this MISTA

3:25:37tiff plan compared to the normal like

3:25:40MEDC plan that we're used to um that

3:25:42have come before us.

3:25:47Um thank you for the question Joe Giant

3:25:48economic development director. Um the

3:25:50Mistra program is fairly new. I think

3:25:52it's like three years old at this point.

3:25:53Before that everything went through the

3:25:55MEEDC whether it was a mixeduse project

3:25:57or all residential project um when the

3:26:00MISTA tool was you know as kind of

3:26:04gained in popularity MISTA or MEDC and

3:26:07MISTA have sort of allocated who gets

3:26:10what um if it's a purely housing project

3:26:12MEEDC says MISTA this is this is all

3:26:14yours um the big the biggest difference

3:26:18is and and you know it depends on the

3:26:20project um if it's a MISTA project just

3:26:23We know we need housing. Housing in and

3:26:27of itself is eligible for tax increment

3:26:30finance reimbursement. So they it

3:26:32doesn't need to be a brownfield. It

3:26:34doesn't need to meet all the findings

3:26:35that would be typical in a normal MEEDC

3:26:37project. If it's a housing project and

3:26:39it meets certain criteria, it's it's you

3:26:42you can seek reimbursement for for those

3:26:44costs. Um there there's something that

3:26:46is not involved in this 242 24 stadium

3:26:48project that is also a pretty noteworthy

3:26:50thing that's called potential um rent.

3:26:52um loss reimbursement. So if you were

3:26:55adding income restricted units

3:26:57[clears throat] um you can actually

3:26:58claim reimbursement for that difference

3:27:01between that where that income is and

3:27:02where the where the market is. So let's

3:27:05just say you know on a monthly basis

3:27:06you're $100 cheaper than where market

3:27:09is. You can claim that that loss revenue

3:27:12as a reimburseable expense for all of

3:27:14your units kind of go going forward as

3:27:16long as there's that restriction in

3:27:17place. Um which is a pretty pretty big

3:27:20deal. Um, again, that's that's not

3:27:24really pertinent to this project. The

3:27:25developer isn't seeking rent loss, but

3:27:27that is a really big difference between

3:27:29the Mishna program and the MEEDC

3:27:31program. Um, but really from like a like

3:27:33a policy standpoint, just like who gets

3:27:35what if if it's just purely housing, um,

3:27:39MEEDC and sort of decided that it's just

3:27:41it's going to go the MISTA route. Um, so

3:27:43that that's I guess high level the big

3:27:46the big differences.

3:27:51Council Mayor Briggs,

3:27:55>> during public comment, we heard some

3:27:57concerns raised around sort of elements

3:27:59that were not a part of this um

3:28:01brownfield plan relating to sort of

3:28:05environmental

3:28:07um elements that are um not included or

3:28:11um lack of affordability sort of

3:28:13provisions. Um and then um also um

3:28:16related to how uh the parking structures

3:28:19and if you could just speak a little bit

3:28:20to all those while I clean up some tea

3:28:23that I just spilled. Great. Thank you.

3:28:25[laughter]

3:28:27>> Sure. Um I I let me make sure I I took

3:28:30them all off. So if I miss one, give me

3:28:31a heads up.

3:28:32>> Oh, that's all right. Um environmental.

3:28:36Yeah. So it's 307 units of housing. All

3:28:39307 of those units will be all electric.

3:28:41The building will have some common areas

3:28:43as you know is typical in apartment

3:28:46buildings. Um those those would would

3:28:48have a gas hookup but all the units

3:28:49themselves would be electric. It's went

3:28:51through the site plan approval process.

3:28:52So that was what was approved by the

3:28:54planning commission. Um next I believe

3:28:58the commenter said that uh something

3:29:00could the developer said that something

3:29:02could be built there if this wasn't

3:29:05approved. This is actually a um the

3:29:09developers initial plan for this was

3:29:10actually a smaller version of a project

3:29:12that they determined couldn't go

3:29:13forward. So I don't know where that

3:29:16would have come from. But um

3:29:19is it possible that some version of some

3:29:21project could be built on that site?

3:29:24Sure. Like at that my old job I used to

3:29:26say that like three things pencled out

3:29:27storage units, gas stations, and auto

3:29:29repair. I don't think any of those would

3:29:30work here, but it's like you you you can

3:29:32find something. But like housing at this

3:29:34level, at this density, in this

3:29:36location, no, it would it would would

3:29:37not work. Um, parking this is in a TC-1

3:29:42district. Um,

3:29:45[snorts] that means something very,

3:29:47very, very particular on the site. There

3:29:49are 8 minute headways for the bus. I

3:29:51mean, that is for a town of our size for

3:29:54like a like a service area that the ride

3:29:56is ser that's phenomenal. I mean, that's

3:29:59so great. If you want to get downtown,

3:30:01if you want to get to U of M campus, if

3:30:03you want to get to Ipsy, great. Um, if

3:30:06you want to get somewhere else, it's

3:30:08it's a little more complicated. Um, you

3:30:10can walk to Trader Joe's, that's

3:30:11awesome. You can walk to your dry

3:30:12cleaning that's next door, too, and some

3:30:13other great shops. But if you need to,

3:30:17you know, make a like go to a different

3:30:20doctor, go to Target or somewhere

3:30:21different, like you you still need a

3:30:23car. It's not it's not an area where you

3:30:25can make all of your um trips

3:30:28by transit. is a little more diff

3:30:30difficult. So I mean the developer is I

3:30:33think is finding a reasonable mix

3:30:35between having really great transit

3:30:37access and the reality that it is not an

3:30:39entirely walkable area and for the time

3:30:41being some people will drive. So I

3:30:43believe it's 350

3:30:46structured parking spaces

3:30:48>> what

3:30:49>> 337

3:30:50>> 337

3:30:51um so still has parking has great

3:30:55transit so it's just trying to strike a

3:30:56balance between the two. Um I don't know

3:30:59if there were other ones that you asked

3:31:01about.

3:31:02>> I was just hoping you could speak more

3:31:04um to the the environmental um

3:31:06components and in terms of the gases.

3:31:08>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It it was um soil and

3:31:10groundwater contamination from an

3:31:12offsite source. So I believe there's

3:31:14about $550,000

3:31:17in the plan dedicated to cleaning

3:31:19cleaning that up.

3:31:22Um

3:31:25>> um and specifically around um this is um

3:31:29our staff report talks about this being

3:31:31all electric um but it sounds like there

3:31:33is um an element that's sort of gas um

3:31:36power generation and that's what I was

3:31:38hoping maybe somebody might be able to

3:31:40>> as to why it's gas generated. I wouldn't

3:31:44mind asking the developer to speak to

3:31:46that if you wouldn't mind. Sure.

3:31:51Uh Zach Weiss with Beztec. Um so the

3:31:56units themselves uh you know what the

3:31:58tenant will experience will be all

3:32:00electric. Um you know that we we feel

3:32:05will add to the experience of living

3:32:07there and help you know we we think

3:32:09it'll ultimately help with the bills. Um

3:32:12as far as the gas, I think in our ear,

3:32:15as um uh Joe had mentioned, our earlier

3:32:18project did have um we explored some

3:32:22electric heat in the common areas and we

3:32:24found that it was difficult um given the

3:32:27size of the of the building at that

3:32:28time, which was a smaller building, to

3:32:30to push uh the required heat in in a way

3:32:33that made sense. Um

3:32:36so we we looked to do the gas on this

3:32:38one. It's basically for the hallways and

3:32:39the amenities plus um the generator and

3:32:44some grills in the courtyard. I mean

3:32:46that's that's the extent of of the gas

3:32:48connection.

3:32:52>> Yeah. Further discussion.

3:33:03Council Mayor Briggs, you want to take

3:33:04another crack?

3:33:08Yeah, I mean I I guess on that on that

3:33:11last point um one of the things that we

3:33:14heard at the last time that Brownfield

3:33:15was brought to us is you know we were

3:33:17looking you know backwards and one of

3:33:19the things you um sort of noted is you

3:33:21know if we were doing this today we

3:33:23wouldn't we wouldn't you know it would

3:33:25be truly all electric. Um and this is

3:33:29mostly all electric but not really fully

3:33:31all electric. And so, you know, given

3:33:33what we're trying to do in our

3:33:34community, um, and use of the brownfield

3:33:36is really about, you know, kind of the

3:33:39underlying values in that, um, this

3:33:41seems like a an opportunity ripe for us

3:33:43to be able to achieve those goals.

3:33:45So, I'm just curious, um, when are we

3:33:50committed to those and and how? So,

3:33:54>> we are working on revising our

3:33:56brownfield policy, which I know that

3:33:57I've been saying for a little while, but

3:33:58we absolutely do have a draft of that.

3:34:00And in in in that draft, it it says it

3:34:04new residential developments, all

3:34:05components of them will will be all

3:34:07electric. Um non-residential

3:34:10need to take a closer look at that. Um

3:34:13but when that policy comes forward, that

3:34:15will be part of it. Again, the policy

3:34:16that we have today is the policy that we

3:34:18have today. But that is something that

3:34:19is absolutely in the new the new policy.

3:34:22I recognize, yeah, it's I mean 307 units

3:34:24fall electric is is is not nothing. It's

3:34:27not 100%. It's very good. It's not

3:34:29perfect, but that is I mean that is the

3:34:31project that is before us today.

3:34:35>> Further discussion.

3:34:39>> Thank you.

3:34:43All in favor?

3:34:45All opposed? You want to roll call?

3:34:49It's approved.

3:34:52>> Thank you.

3:34:54DS2 resolution to vacate a portion of

3:34:56the South University Avenue public

3:34:58rideway 325 South State Street. Moved by

3:35:01Council Member Watson. Second by Council

3:35:03Member Malik. Discussion please of DS2.

3:35:11All in favor? All opposed. It's approved

3:35:15with nine council members present. All

3:35:17voting the affirmative, thus satisfying

3:35:19the eight vote requirement. DS1

3:35:22resolution to establish a small business

3:35:24resolution to establish small business

3:35:26development as a strategic priority

3:35:27within the office of economic

3:35:29development. Moved by council member

3:35:30Watson. Second

3:35:31>> order DC1.

3:35:33>> Thank you. DC1 resolution to establish a

3:35:36small business development as a

3:35:38strategic priority within the office of

3:35:40economic development. Moved by council

3:35:42member Watson. Second by council member

3:35:44Cornell. Discussion please of DC1.

3:35:46Council member Watson.

3:35:49Well, now that we've established that,

3:35:51um, [laughter]

3:35:53>> no doubt.

3:35:54>> Yeah. You know, here in the city of Ann

3:35:56Arbor, we love our small businesses, the

3:35:58places we eat, shop, get our haircut,

3:36:01and so much more. We know businesses are

3:36:03what make our city tick. They create

3:36:07memories for firsttime visitors and

3:36:08lifelong residents alike. A recurring

3:36:11theme I've heard from business owners

3:36:12and entrepreneurs both at listening

3:36:14sessions and when I run into them around

3:36:16town is that it can feel like the deck

3:36:18is stacked against them right now.

3:36:20Rising rents, inflation, and tariffs

3:36:23make the cost of doing business too

3:36:24high. Even for small businesses with a

3:36:27long track record of success for those

3:36:30looking to open a small business,

3:36:32uncertain timelines when it comes to

3:36:34permitting and inspections can halt an

3:36:36idea before it gets off the ground. When

3:36:39a building changes ownership, the

3:36:41uncapping of the taxable value can drive

3:36:43rent up for current commercial tenants,

3:36:46even if there's no improvement or change

3:36:48to the space. The issues facing small

3:36:51business include market forces and

3:36:54government policies. Thankfully, with

3:36:57our office of economic development

3:36:58getting off the ground, the city is

3:37:00uniquely positioned to help. In working

3:37:03with director Giant DCA Walton and my

3:37:06co-sponsors, we felt it was the right

3:37:08time to codify small business

3:37:10development support as a strategic

3:37:12priority of the office of economic

3:37:14development. There is much that the

3:37:16office can do to connect businesses,

3:37:18provide technical support, and help

3:37:20improve our permitting processes

3:37:23by assessing the market for commercial

3:37:25rent rental space and inventorying

3:37:27vacancies. The office can help the city

3:37:30to track and counteract displacement.

3:37:33I want to also call out the importance

3:37:35of child care. Child care providers are

3:37:38part of the small business community and

3:37:39their services help others to join the

3:37:41workforce. If we can focus on the issues

3:37:44of child care,

3:37:46the if we can focus on the issues child

3:37:48care businesses and providers face, it

3:37:51could improve access to child care and

3:37:53stabilize prices, reducing the cost of

3:37:55living and helping attract workers to

3:37:57our city. Our support for small

3:37:59businesses in this city is

3:38:01definitionally equity work. Our business

3:38:03community is diverse. We know that many

3:38:05refugees, immigrants, and first

3:38:07generation Americans have opened the

3:38:09door to opportunity through family-owned

3:38:11businesses in Ann Arbor. Our city also

3:38:14has a a history of blackowned

3:38:16businesses. We recently honored that

3:38:18history by naming the housing commission

3:38:20site at 350 South Feline.

3:38:23Uh the building is named after Adeline

3:38:26Thompson who along with her husband

3:38:28Robert Thompson started the Long's

3:38:30Barbecue Pit on Detroit Street in 1964.

3:38:33This resolution is welltimed because the

3:38:36housing commission will work with the

3:38:38Office of Economic Development on plans

3:38:40to program the for first floor space at

3:38:42the Adeline in a way that honors our

3:38:44history and supports the next generation

3:38:46of small business owners and

3:38:47entrepreneurs. More to come on that in

3:38:49the next couple years. Each of the

3:38:51co-sponsors brought a piece of their

3:38:53life experience to this work. So, I'm

3:38:56grateful to CMS's Cornell, Harrison,

3:38:58Gazi, Edwins, and and and Briggs for

3:39:01sponsoring this resolution. I hope

3:39:03you'll join me in supporting it tonight.

3:39:05>> Council member Cornell,

3:39:10>> I appreciate Mr. Council Member Watson

3:39:13getting an appointed order here.

3:39:14[laughter] It's a home stretch. That's

3:39:15great. Um it was really serendipity to

3:39:18find out that um Council Member Watson

3:39:20and I were on parallel paths. Um both of

3:39:23us working on a very similar resolution

3:39:25to each other. And so I'm grateful for

3:39:28Mr. Giant to connect those dots. Um

3:39:30which ultimately led us to what's before

3:39:32us at the table tonight. Um one of my

3:39:35biggest most consistent commitments for

3:39:38many many years before even sitting in

3:39:39this chair was to Main Street, to

3:39:41downtown and to Main Street businesses.

3:39:44Um it has been increasingly clear in

3:39:47talking with business owners um and the

3:39:50challenges that they face now which are

3:39:52um some outside of our control and some

3:39:55very very much within our control. Um

3:39:59that that this small business community

3:40:01deserves greater emphasis at this table

3:40:03and more commitment from us as a city.

3:40:06Uh this is as council member Watson

3:40:09hinted at uh this is particularly true

3:40:11for groups that have historically faced

3:40:13barriers to starting and growing a

3:40:14business. And what actually brought um

3:40:17our two parallel paths together was um

3:40:20he was looking at one section of

3:40:23traditionally underserved entrepreneurs

3:40:25and I was looking at the LGBTQ plus

3:40:27community as being underserved as

3:40:29entrepreneurs. And so um that that sort

3:40:32of addressing systemic barriers to uh

3:40:35business funding, business

3:40:37establishment, mentorship, that was

3:40:40really what is the heart of this. And um

3:40:42as he as he mentioned, we all brought

3:40:44some piece of it from child care to um

3:40:47our permitting process to understanding

3:40:50where are the business resources for

3:40:52these these small entrepreneurs. And so

3:40:54this resolution aims to elevate small

3:40:56business development to a fifth explicit

3:41:00strategic priority within our economic

3:41:02development plan.

3:41:03Um the two parts of it that I think are

3:41:05most important and I'm I'm looking

3:41:07forward to um really addressing what

3:41:11we've heard as massive pain points to

3:41:13small businesses is improving the city's

3:41:16permitting and inspection processes to

3:41:18reduce costs and time spent by these

3:41:20small business owners and creating

3:41:22opportunities for small businesses to

3:41:23engage with the city regarding their

3:41:25current challenges to continue to to

3:41:29support continued success and growth.

3:41:30And I do want to give um a shout out to

3:41:32the economic development office because

3:41:34Mr. Giant um and his colleague Ms. Ms.

3:41:38Malwali Ms. Mali have done a really

3:41:41tremendous job of creating networks um

3:41:43connections and um ways to receive

3:41:47feedback and and quite frankly take it

3:41:49back to the city staff and make it make

3:41:50a big change there. Um, we know that

3:41:53delay it creates costs and that cost can

3:41:56make or break an opening and and that

3:41:58can really make or break an entrepreneur

3:42:00and if you have a bad, you know, co very

3:42:03costly experience with our city,

3:42:06why would you want to come back? So,

3:42:09really putting customer service at the

3:42:11heart of of the city municipal operation

3:42:13as it comes to economic development is

3:42:14another big important piece of this. So,

3:42:16thank you to my co-sponsors,

3:42:18>> Council Member Adena.

3:42:21Uh, thank you, mayor. Um, uh, in one of

3:42:23my first conversations with Mr. Giant, I

3:42:25believe we met at York back when he

3:42:26first started. Um, we discussed my hope

3:42:29that his office's scope would eventually

3:42:31expand to include small business

3:42:32support, um, making it a more

3:42:34intentional part of our city's economic

3:42:35development strategy. Uh, last year, I

3:42:38asked questions about this during our

3:42:39annual budgeting process, and so I'm

3:42:41really excited to see this coming

3:42:42forward tonight and want to thank the

3:42:43sponsors for their leadership in

3:42:45bringing it. Um, our locally owned small

3:42:47businesses are essential to Ann Arbor's

3:42:49economic vitality, identity, and

3:42:50community well-being. Yet, they often

3:42:52face distinct challenges in access in

3:42:54accessing affordable commercial space,

3:42:56navigating city processes, and

3:42:58connecting with the resources that they

3:42:59need to succeed. This resolution is a

3:43:02meaningful step towards elevating those

3:43:03needs and ensuring that small businesses

3:43:05receive focused attention alongside our

3:43:07other economic development priorities.

3:43:09I'm incredibly grateful that this

3:43:10resolution is before us and appreciate

3:43:12the work that uh was developed go that

3:43:15appreciate the work that went into

3:43:16developing it. Um and it's a practical

3:43:18approach to identifying barriers,

3:43:20strengthening connections to resources

3:43:22and finding ways that the city can

3:43:23better support and serve our local small

3:43:25businesses. Um I do have one proposed

3:43:28amendment and I believe this issue is

3:43:29addressed uh through the intent of the

3:43:31resolution certainly in council member

3:43:33um uh Watson's comments tonight. Um, but

3:43:36I believe an opportunity for us to be

3:43:38even more clear in our direction to

3:43:39staff. Uh, so I would move to amend uh

3:43:42to add the following language to the

3:43:43final resolved clause. I believe it's

3:43:45attached to legisar, but I'll read um it

3:43:48would add bullet nine. Identify

3:43:50opportunities to support small

3:43:51businesses facing our impact facing or

3:43:54impacted by displacement due to rising

3:43:56costs, redevelopment, space

3:43:58availability, or other challenges,

3:44:00including identifying resources and

3:44:02potential relocation opportunities to

3:44:03help retain them within our community.

3:44:06Is there a second? Second by council

3:44:08member Watson.

3:44:10Uh discussion.

3:44:13I think we must have

3:44:16friendly council dena.

3:44:18>> Uh thanks. That's all I've got and I

3:44:20would request to be added as a

3:44:21co-sponsor. Please.

3:44:23>> Further discussion of DC1.

3:44:29All in favor? All opposed. It's

3:44:31approved. DC2 resolution to initiate

3:44:33zoning amendments near downtown and

3:44:35central campus moved by council member.

3:44:37Second by council member Cornell

3:44:38discussion please of DC2 council member

3:44:40er

3:44:42thank you

3:44:45um I'm really excited about this um

3:44:50this proposal addresses a central issue

3:44:54that we have driving our housing crisis

3:44:56here in the city. Um, the University of

3:44:58Michigan's continued enrollment has put

3:45:00enormous pressure on Ann Arbor's housing

3:45:03market and it's been pushing student

3:45:05housing further and further into our

3:45:07residential neighborhoods. The city

3:45:09doesn't control university enrollment.

3:45:12We do not. But we do control our zoning

3:45:15and we need to respond to that reality.

3:45:18The area immediately surrounding central

3:45:20campus has changed dramatically over the

3:45:23over the decades. Um, and uh, if you'd

3:45:26like, the Neighbors for More Neighbors

3:45:28website has a a great graphic that

3:45:31really shows um, that change and and and

3:45:33makes it um, brings it home. There are

3:45:36only a handful of owner occupied

3:45:38properties left in this study area. The

3:45:41character of this area has fundamentally

3:45:42changed, but our zoning has not kept

3:45:44pace. Our new comprehensive land use

3:45:46plan recognizes that reality. It

3:45:49identifies areas appropriate for more

3:45:50intensive development along with

3:45:52transition areas where building heights

3:45:55step down toward surrounding residential

3:45:57neighborhoods. This is exactly where we

3:46:00need to be building more student

3:46:01housing. Students want to live close to

3:46:04campus. They want to be able to walk to

3:46:06class to downtown businesses and places

3:46:08where they spend their time. And every

3:46:10additional student we can accommodate in

3:46:12housing close to campus helps relieve

3:46:14pressure on the owner occupied neighbor

3:46:16uh neighborhoods farther out. And that's

3:46:19an important part of what we're trying

3:46:20to accomplish here. By concentrating

3:46:22more student housing in the areas

3:46:24immediately surrounding campus, we can

3:46:26help preserve opportunities for families

3:46:28and long-term residents in the

3:46:30neighborhoods beyond. We've already

3:46:32approved several resonings in this area

3:46:35that will allow uh thousand more than a

3:46:37thousand additional housing units and

3:46:39those projects demonstrate both the

3:46:41demand for housing here and the

3:46:42opportunity to accommodate it. But we

3:46:45shouldn't have to keep addressing this

3:46:46one parcel at a time. We have a newly

3:46:48adopted land use plan that tells us

3:46:50where should we be directing growth. Now

3:46:53we need to implement it. The full zoning

3:46:55code rewrite will take years. The

3:46:57housing pressure we we are experiencing

3:47:00is happening right now. So, this

3:47:03resolution directs the planning

3:47:04commission to move forward with zoning

3:47:07recommendations for this area, including

3:47:09appropriate height transitions near

3:47:11existing residential properties and

3:47:12meaningful community engagement

3:47:14throughout the process.

3:47:16And I've already begun conversations

3:47:17with my constituents in Lower Burns

3:47:19Park. And I'll continue that engagement

3:47:21as this work proceeds. But we do need to

3:47:23recognize what's happening. The

3:47:24university continues to grow. Students

3:47:26need places to live and if we don't

3:47:28create more housing close to campus,

3:47:30that demand will continue pushing into

3:47:32surrounding neighborhoods. We know where

3:47:34this housing belongs and we have a plan

3:47:36that supports it. So, it's time to move

3:47:38forward.

3:47:40>> Further discussion. Councelor Gazi

3:47:42Edwin.

3:47:44>> Um, I want to thank Council Member Ayer

3:47:47and the co-sponsors of this resolution.

3:47:49I want to thank the advocacy of

3:47:50Neighbors for More Neighbors. Um, you

3:47:52know, I think that

3:47:54there's also a dissurface done to

3:47:56students when we obviously we don't have

3:47:58enough housing for them and as we or

3:48:00maybe folks don't know, University of

3:48:02Michigan requires students after their

3:48:04first year to live off campus. So, I

3:48:07mean, it's also we don't have control

3:48:08over University of Michigan, but of

3:48:11course, we encourage them to continue to

3:48:14build more adequate student housing and

3:48:15in the meantime, we can control what we

3:48:17can control, which is the zoning. So,

3:48:19this is important. I'd like to be added

3:48:21to it and thank you.

3:48:25>> Further discussion.

3:48:31Um,

3:48:34as has uh been said at the table uh on

3:48:37numerous occasions, we have a housing

3:48:38crisis here in the city. Uh that housing

3:48:41crisis has resulted in the long public

3:48:43process uh that has resulted in the

3:48:46comprehensive land use plan. uh that

3:48:48comprehensive land use plan uh was

3:48:51approved uh in March after years of

3:48:56public engagement and discussion. The

3:48:59implementation of the comprehensive land

3:49:02use plan will also take years and the

3:49:05planning commission is uh engaged in

3:49:08that process moving forward. It is also

3:49:10true uh that uh that we know where um

3:49:15where the greatest housing pressure here

3:49:17is in and the greatest housing demand

3:49:19here in our city is and it is in the

3:49:20areas generally uh articulated in uh in

3:49:24this resolution. The resolution uh

3:49:27requests that the planning commission

3:49:28address those areas, look to see uh

3:49:31where and how on the uh on the front

3:49:33foot we can devise uh a zoning regime

3:49:37which will be consistent with our

3:49:39comprehensive land use plan and will

3:49:40meet the goals that we have. That is to

3:49:43say the need for more housing. Um I'd

3:49:46like to say a little bit about what the

3:49:48resolution is. Um uh that's about the

3:49:50resolution is what it is is not uh what

3:49:53it is is not what it is not is

3:49:55determinative. That is to say the

3:49:57resolution itself um articulates uh

3:50:01boundaries. It articulates some uh

3:50:03height cadences but it also makes clear

3:50:05that those uh are not directives to the

3:50:07planning commission that those are

3:50:09subject to such adjustments as the

3:50:11commission recommends. uh further the

3:50:14resolution uh this version of the

3:50:16resolution before us now um makes it

3:50:19very clear that the planning commission

3:50:21uh is not doing this in a vacuum is not

3:50:23doing this by fiat. Uh they're doing

3:50:25this uh with the participation of the

3:50:27public. Uh the resolved clause does

3:50:31indeed ask uh does indeed request the

3:50:33commission to solicit, obtain and

3:50:35consider approximate resident input as

3:50:37those crucial zoning map discussions as

3:50:39those crucial height cadences etc. are

3:50:42uh are contemplated. The conversation uh

3:50:46detailed and and and real conversation

3:50:50has been promised and this resolution um

3:50:54delivers. I'll also say uh that the uh

3:50:58the housing commission, pardon me, the

3:51:00planning commission is uh I gather

3:51:02having um uh short-term or rather uh uh

3:51:09soon to be soon to be had conversations

3:51:11with the community land trust about uh

3:51:13the work that they are doing and the

3:51:15opportunities that the land trust has uh

3:51:17with the planning commission to affect

3:51:19our common goals. Although uh we are

3:51:22requesting the planning commission to

3:51:24take action here um we you know uh in my

3:51:27view I don't view that as superseding

3:51:29the work being done in connection with

3:51:31the land trust. The land trust is an uh

3:51:33is holds great promise and I would be

3:51:35delighted for have the planning

3:51:36commission engage with them. Um I'll

3:51:39also say one other thing with respect to

3:51:41timing. Um it would be observed that one

3:51:44version of this resolution had uh a

3:51:46clock on it. This does not. Um we all

3:51:49know that housing is a priority. We all

3:51:51know that um we do have a housing crisis

3:51:54and need to take front foot action. At

3:51:56the same time um we don't want to uh

3:51:59create an artificial um uh an artificial

3:52:03uh uh circumstance where um needed

3:52:07conversation can't take place. Um and so

3:52:10uh this resolution gives to the planning

3:52:12commission um uh the uh the discretion

3:52:16to do what it will um in the in that

3:52:18context to take the conversation that uh

3:52:20that is required to affect the result

3:52:23that is required.

3:52:26Further discussion.

3:52:28All in favor? All oppose. It is

3:52:32approved.

3:52:33[applause]

3:52:37DC3 resolution to support the geothermal

3:52:40installations. Uh resolution to support

3:52:43to support of resolution to support

3:52:46geothermal installations at city

3:52:48facilities. Moved by council member

3:52:50Cornell, second by council member Riggs.

3:52:53Discussion, please of DC3 Cornell.

3:52:57>> Yeah, thank you and thanks to council

3:52:58member Briggs and Aman for um

3:53:00co-sponsoring joining me on this. Um, as

3:53:03we know, our A20 efforts have um made

3:53:06progress in um the city specific to

3:53:10properties that we can control. Um, Bets

3:53:13Park is great if you've noticed all of

3:53:15the solar arrays there. So, that's a

3:53:17good case in point in W 5. Um, there are

3:53:19now over 20 city facilities that are

3:53:22powered at least in part by solar. Um,

3:53:24work is underway to expand EV charging

3:53:27and energy storage at many of the same

3:53:29facilities. Um, one area though where we

3:53:33do need to invest more time and um, more

3:53:36of our city dollars is decarbonizing

3:53:38heating and cooling within our um, city

3:53:40buildings. And so um, bit of just

3:53:44wonkiness is that there are tax

3:53:46investment tax credits that are expiring

3:53:48in 2027 specifically uh, restricted to

3:53:52geothermal systems. the city has um an

3:53:55opportunity to um move very

3:53:58intentionally and quickly with

3:53:59installing geothermal over the next

3:54:01years to take advantage of that those

3:54:03tax credits. And so, um, what this, uh,

3:54:07resolution does is ask that the city

3:54:10administrator, um, has our full

3:54:14enthusiasm to install geothermal systems

3:54:17at as many viable spots as, um, possible

3:54:20within the next year, uh, before that

3:54:22tax credit expires and um, gives the

3:54:26city administrator authorization to move

3:54:29quickly and such and take the

3:54:30administrative actions to implement the

3:54:32resolution.

3:54:34Further discussion.

3:54:39Awesome.

3:54:41All in favor? All opposed? It is

3:54:44approved.

3:54:45DC4 resolution to accept a sidewalk

3:54:47easement at 1420 Pear Street from Maris

3:54:50the porter. Moved by Council Member

3:54:56Harrison, seconded by Council Member

3:54:57Watson. Discussion, please of DC4.

3:55:04All in favor? All opposed? It's

3:55:06approved. DC5, a resolution to establish

3:55:08a bill of rights for persons

3:55:10experiencing homelessness in the city of

3:55:11Ann Arbor. Moved by Council Gazi Edwin,

3:55:13seconded by Council Member Harrison.

3:55:14Discussion, please of DC5. Council

3:55:16member Gazi Edwin.

3:55:17>> Thank you, Mayor. Um, we have a staff

3:55:19introduction.

3:55:21>> Thank you.

3:55:23>> Yeah.

3:55:27>> Good evening, council members, mayor.

3:55:29Thank you for having me here today. Um,

3:55:31as many of you know, I'm Jonathan Lelay,

3:55:33the supportive connections program

3:55:34director for the city. Um, and

3:55:36[clears throat] as a social [snorts]

3:55:37worker, I have had the opportunity to

3:55:38work directly with individuals

3:55:40experiencing homelessness, housing

3:55:42insecurity, behavioral health

3:55:43challenges, and other circumstances that

3:55:45can make navigating our community and

3:55:47accessing basic needs incredibly

3:55:49difficult. Uh, all the while increasing

3:55:52the risk for unnecessary criminal

3:55:53justice involvement within our

3:55:54community. I want to begin by

3:55:56acknowledging something that I believe

3:55:58we can all agree on. Homelessness is one

3:56:00of the most complex challenges facing

3:56:02our community and there is no single

3:56:04policy, program or resolution that will

3:56:07solve it. However, how we choose to

3:56:10respond to these exper to those

3:56:12experiencing homelessness says a great

3:56:13deal about our values as a community.

3:56:16Over the past several years, we have

3:56:17seen a growing number of individuals

3:56:19home experiencing homelessness alongside

3:56:22increasing frustration, fear, and

3:56:24fatigue across our community. We also

3:56:27have seen a shift in the conversations

3:56:29surrounding homelessness where

3:56:31individuals are all too often defined by

3:56:34their housing status, their appearance,

3:56:36or challenges that they are they are

3:56:38experiencing rather than recognized as

3:56:40members of our community. When

3:56:42conversations move towards viewing

3:56:44homelessness itself as a public problem

3:56:47rather than recognizing the ini

3:56:48individual circumstances and systemic

3:56:51challenges contributing to it, we risk

3:56:53creating additional barriers for people

3:56:55who are already struggling to access

3:56:57help. Stigma is has real consequences.

3:57:01It can discourage individuals from

3:57:03seeking services, increase their

3:57:05vulnerability to harassment and

3:57:07victimization, and make it more

3:57:09difficult for outreach workers to

3:57:12establish the trust necessary to connect

3:57:15people with care. We can recognize the

3:57:17very real concerns of our residents,

3:57:20businesses, and visitors while also

3:57:21recognizing that people experiencing

3:57:23homelessness deserve the same dignity,

3:57:26safety, and protections that everyone

3:57:28else does. These are responsibilities.

3:57:30of these responsibilities are not

3:57:32mutually exclusive of each other. The

3:57:34need for this resolution is reflected in

3:57:36what we are seeing locally. According to

3:57:38the 2026 point in time count or pit

3:57:42count as we collally refer to it uh

3:57:44referenced in this resolution, Ann Arbor

3:57:46and county have experienced 118%

3:57:50increase in the number of people

3:57:51experiencing homelessness between

3:57:53January of 2022 and January of 2026.

3:57:56It's roughly a 20% increase from 2025 to

3:57:5926 included. Beyond beyond that number

3:58:02are individuals and families navigating

3:58:04circumstances that are often far more

3:58:06complicated than the public may

3:58:08recognize.

3:58:10We are seeing the impacts of housing

3:58:11instability among families with young

3:58:13children, older adults living on fixed

3:58:16incomes, individuals with disabilities,

3:58:19and residents who have historically

3:58:21faced disproportionate barriers to

3:58:23housing. The racial disparities are

3:58:25particularly concerning. Black and white

3:58:28adults represent nearly equal

3:58:29proportions of individuals experiencing

3:58:31homelessness in Washington County

3:58:33despite the fact that black residents

3:58:35make up only 12 only approximately 12%

3:58:38of the county's overall population. The

3:58:40disparity

3:58:43this disparity reflects the broader

3:58:45systemic inequities that continue to

3:58:48influence access to housing and

3:58:50opportunities for stability.

3:58:53But behind those numbers are our

3:58:54neighbors. They are parents working to

3:58:57provide for their children, individuals

3:59:00maintaining employment without a stable

3:59:02place to live, older adults navigating

3:59:05limited incomes, and people managing

3:59:08significant health needs without

3:59:10consistent access to shelter.

3:59:13One of the things we recognize in social

3:59:15work is that there is no one pathway

3:59:16into homelessness. Housing costs have

3:59:19continued to place significant pressure

3:59:21on households with limited fixed

3:59:23incomes. Wages and and public benefits

3:59:26have not necessarily excuse me have not

3:59:29consistently kept place with those costs

3:59:32and the availability of affordable

3:59:34housing particularly for those who need

3:59:36supportive services remains limited. It

3:59:39is also [snorts] important to recognize

3:59:41that homelessness is not inherently the

3:59:43result of mental illness or substance

3:59:46use. While these challenges may be

3:59:48present for some individuals, they can

3:59:50be exasperated by trauma and the

3:59:54instability of experiencing homelessness

3:59:56itself.

3:59:57At the same time, the resources

3:59:59available to help people regain

4:00:01stability are increasingly stretched.

4:00:05The additional uncertainty surrounding

4:00:07federal funding and policy direction for

4:00:09housing, health care, and other

4:00:11essential services have put a great

4:00:13strain on all of our systems that

4:00:15service this community.

4:00:17These challenges are compounded by the

4:00:18uncertainty surrounding federal funding

4:00:20and challenges and changes of to

4:00:22programs that many individuals rely on

4:00:24for health care, food and health and

4:00:27housing stability.

4:00:29Our community is fortunate to have

4:00:30dedicated service providers, outreach

4:00:33teams, housing

4:00:35housing organizations, and public

4:00:37agencies working every day to support

4:00:39individuals and families experiencing

4:00:41homelessness. We should also be proud of

4:00:44the significant investments being made

4:00:46to expand affordable housing in Ann

4:00:48Arbor. These efforts are essential to

4:00:50creating long-term housing stability.

4:00:52However, the need has grown faster than

4:00:55the systems and resources available to

4:00:57respond, and we have more than 400

4:00:59neighbors on any given night

4:01:01experiencing homelessness tonight who

4:01:03cannot wait for those developments to be

4:01:05completed. The gaps in our community

4:01:07response extend beyond the availability

4:01:09of affordable housing.

4:01:11>> [snorts]

4:01:11>> They continue to we continue to face

4:01:13limited emergency shelter sheltering

4:01:15capacity, a lack of short-term and

4:01:17transitional housing oper options,

4:01:20barriers to accessible h behavioral

4:01:22health and substance use services, and

4:01:24insufficient sustained case management

4:01:26to help individuals navigate the

4:01:28increasingly complex systems. Addressing

4:01:31homelessness requires a multimodal

4:01:34approach that offers meaningful support

4:01:36at every stage of housing instability.

4:01:39This means having emergency shelter

4:01:40available when someone needs a safe

4:01:42place to sleep, interim and transitional

4:01:44housing that provides stability while

4:01:47permanent options are identified,

4:01:49accessible treatment and supportive

4:01:51services, and consistent outreach that

4:01:54bu that builds trust and maintains

4:01:56connections to care. It also means

4:01:59investing in eviction prevention,

4:02:01rental assistance, and per and permanent

4:02:04supportive housing to help individuals

4:02:07and families obtain and maintain

4:02:10housing.

4:02:12We must also recognize that when shelter

4:02:13and housing options are unavailable,

4:02:16moving someone from one public space to

4:02:17another does not resolve their

4:02:19homelessness. It can instead disrupt the

4:02:22relationships they've have with outreach

4:02:24workers, access to mental uh medical

4:02:27care, and the connections people have

4:02:30established with services that support

4:02:32their well-being.

4:02:34These are not competing priorities.

4:02:38They are but interconnected parts of a

4:02:40coordinated community response. We

4:02:42should be proud of the housing that we

4:02:44are building for tomorrow while

4:02:45remaining equally committed to meeting

4:02:47the needs of our neighbors experiencing

4:02:49homelessness today.

4:02:52We also know that there are approaches

4:02:54that make a meaningful difference. We

4:02:56know that permanent supportive housing,

4:02:58eviction prevention, sustained outreach,

4:03:00and voluntary engagement with services

4:03:02can make a meaningful dis differences in

4:03:04people's lives. Through supportive

4:03:06connections, we see firsthand the

4:03:09importance of meeting people where they

4:03:10are. respecting their individual choices

4:03:14and building relationships that allow us

4:03:16to connect them to resources and

4:03:18support. The development of Sprout and

4:03:21the coordination and with coordination

4:03:23with county community mental health to

4:03:26launch the A2 reach co-response programs

4:03:29will provide additional opportunities

4:03:31for trained clinicians to respond to

4:03:33individuals experiencing behavioral

4:03:35health crisis and other challenges with

4:03:38compassion,

4:03:39appropriate resources and emphasis on

4:03:41connection rather than unnecessary

4:03:43criminal justice involvement.

4:03:46These programs are not a replacement,

4:03:48however, for housing, shelter, or

4:03:50treatment services. Rather, they are

4:03:52additional opportunities to help

4:03:53individuals gain access to the support

4:03:55that they need.

4:03:57One of the most important elements of

4:03:59this resolution is that it does not end

4:04:02with their statement of values. This

4:04:05resolution will take a look at the at

4:04:07the relevant policies, contracts,

4:04:09training, and compliance procedures here

4:04:11within the city. It provides an

4:04:13opportunity for us to examine how our

4:04:15existing practices align with the

4:04:17principles outlined in the resolution,

4:04:19including how we approach public space

4:04:21concerns, encampments, personal

4:04:24belongings, disability accommodations,

4:04:26and access to city services. It also

4:04:29provides an opportunity for us to

4:04:31identify where clearer guidance,

4:04:34stronger coordination,

4:04:36uh, or additional resources may be

4:04:38needed. Importantly, this resolution

4:04:40does not prevent the city from enforcing

4:04:42laws or maintaining safe public spaces.

4:04:45Rather, it reinforces

4:04:48that enforcement should be based on

4:04:50conduct applied fairly and consistently

4:04:53and never based solely on someone's

4:04:55housing status. I want to be clear. This

4:04:58resolution will not create an additional

4:05:01shelter beds tomorrow, immediate expand

4:05:04immediately expand affordable housing or

4:05:06eliminate the difficult decisions that

4:05:08we face as a community. What it does

4:05:11provide is a share foundation for how we

4:05:13approach these decisions, how we treat

4:05:16one another, and how we hold ourselves

4:05:19accountable moving forward. It affirms

4:05:22that we can maintain public safety

4:05:24without criminalizing homelessness. That

4:05:27we can establish reasonable expectations

4:05:29for public conduct without denying

4:05:32someone their dignity. And that we can

4:05:34respond to the needs of a broader

4:05:36community without losing sight of the

4:05:38humanity of those who are most

4:05:40vulnerable within our community. As

4:05:42social workers, we understand that

4:05:45meaningful change begins with

4:05:47recognizing the dignity and worth of

4:05:49every person.

4:05:51As a city, we have this as an

4:05:54opportunity to reflect that same

4:05:57principle in the policies and practices

4:05:59that guide our work. For this reason, I

4:06:02respectfully ask council that you accept

4:06:04and support tonight's resolution.

4:06:07I'll take any questions, guys.

4:06:08>> Thank you, Councelor Gazi.

4:06:12>> Do we need to make a motion to

4:06:15>> Oh, yes. Uh, it's uh it's 11:01. We have

4:06:19a council rule uh which uh observes that

4:06:22we don't might say we don't take up any

4:06:24matters after 11. Maybe we don't conduct

4:06:26business. No matter let's not quibble.

4:06:28Uh may have a motion please to continue

4:06:30the meeting until uh until midnight.

4:06:34Council I second by councelor Cornell

4:06:36discussion

4:06:38to permit it until midnight. [laughter]

4:06:41>> Yeah.

4:06:43Hopefully before that.

4:06:45Uh all in favor oppose. We've got an

4:06:48hour. All right,

4:06:51[laughter]

4:06:52>> Councelor Gazi Edwin,

4:06:53>> I promise I won't take that entire hour.

4:06:55>> All right, it's a deal.

4:06:56>> Thank you, Jonathan, for your comments

4:06:59and for your work on this and your

4:07:01dedication to the in-house community.

4:07:04Um, I want to thank others among city

4:07:06staff who helped with this resolution. I

4:07:09want to just um uplift a few of the

4:07:11things that you said specifically that

4:07:14homelessness is, you know, it's not a

4:07:16public safety issue. It's a public

4:07:17health issue. It's a human rights issue.

4:07:20And in fact, research shows that over

4:07:22and over again, studies show that

4:07:24individuals with disabilities who are

4:07:25unhoused are more likely to be victims

4:07:27of violent crimes, not perpetrators. And

4:07:30when you approached me about this

4:07:31resolution, it was from a perspective of

4:07:33there is pervasive stigma and our town

4:07:37is beginning to talk about those who are

4:07:38in house in a way that doesn't align

4:07:40with our values and who we are. Um, so I

4:07:44just want to say I deeply respect the

4:07:46fact that you brought this forward and

4:07:47you said let's let's do something.

4:07:51A little bit about the resolution for my

4:07:53colleagues. So this resolution shares

4:07:55principles with the homeless bill of

4:07:57rights that's pending in Michigan's

4:07:58legislature. Specifically, [snorts] it

4:08:00directs the city administrator to review

4:08:02city policies, contracts, employee

4:08:05training, and complaint procedures, and

4:08:07report back within 180 days with

4:08:10recommended policy, budget, or

4:08:12legislative changes to ensure we are

4:08:14leading using an evidence-based response

4:08:17that is housing first and humane.

4:08:20Um, you know, as you spoke to, and I

4:08:22don't want to belver the points, but

4:08:24we're experiencing the highest rate of

4:08:26homelessness this county has ever seen

4:08:28and the highest rate of homelessness

4:08:29that our nation has seen since it began

4:08:31counting in 2004.

4:08:33Um, and local providers report that

4:08:37family homelessness disproportionately

4:08:39affects black single mothers.

4:08:41Nationally, children under the age of

4:08:44five face the highest threats and actual

4:08:46eviction filings of all individuals.

4:08:49like that's something that our community

4:08:51should acknowledge and recognize and

4:08:53think about in our service response. I

4:08:56also want to note that we are seeing a

4:08:58drastic rise in homelessness among mixed

4:09:01status families such as asylum seekers,

4:09:04victims of human trafficking due to

4:09:06recent federal changes and how housing

4:09:08support um services can be used in

4:09:11households with mixed status community

4:09:13members. So, that's something else

4:09:15that's also being reflected in our in

4:09:17our community locally.

4:09:19I say all this to just emphasize that we

4:09:21cannot separate these disparities. These

4:09:25are not individual problems. These are

4:09:26the results of systemic racism, of

4:09:29anti-immigrant sentiment, um of rising

4:09:32economic inequality.

4:09:35I also want to emphasize what you

4:09:38already noted that um the federal

4:09:40administration's currently shifting

4:09:42funding away from the most

4:09:45evidence-based approach to housing,

4:09:47which is permanent supportive housing

4:09:48and housing first to transitory

4:09:52um housing or temporary housing as well

4:09:55as detention and even forced

4:09:58institutionalization.

4:10:00And as a person with a disability,

4:10:02that's extremely alarming to me. I know

4:10:04it's alarming to many. And I think it

4:10:06also makes the work that you're doing in

4:10:09our city right now and that our police

4:10:12department is doing to create both

4:10:14unarmed crisis response or sprout. Oh,

4:10:18I'm way over.

4:10:21Um, it makes it very timely and

4:10:23relevant. So, I want to thank our

4:10:25housing response folks. There's going to

4:10:27be Medicaid work requirements going to

4:10:28effect soon. We're going to see more

4:10:30people around house. Please support this

4:10:31tonight. Thank you so much. Thank you

4:10:32everybody. Councilor Harrison

4:10:36apologize ahead of time for thank you

4:10:38mayor for being a little bit redundant.

4:10:40Um this issue um touches home for me and

4:10:44I my day job I um work with individuals

4:10:48that are experiencing uh homelessness.

4:10:50So I want to start out with um with what

4:10:54this resolution cannot do. It can't give

4:10:57anyone a bed tonight. It won't cover a

4:10:59security deposit or stop an eviction.

4:11:02I'd rather say that out loud than

4:11:03pretend otherwise. What it can do is put

4:11:06in writing where the city stands. If you

4:11:09don't have a home, you still get to sit

4:11:10in a park, ride the bus, and walk into a

4:11:13city building and be treated like

4:11:15anybody else. Your personal information

4:11:17stays private. Your county ID counts.

4:11:21You can ask for an accommod

4:11:23accommodation for a disability. None of

4:11:25that should depend on your address. And

4:11:27now it'll say so. The numbers in front

4:11:30of us are hard. Uh the 2026 count shows

4:11:33homelessness in our community um up 118%

4:11:36like you mentioned uh since January of

4:11:392022. And behind that number are people

4:11:42who are exhausted. Someone carrying

4:11:44everything they own because there's

4:11:47nowhere safe to set it down. A parent

4:11:49holding it together for a kid who's

4:11:51scared. Nobody ends up here because of a

4:11:54a character flaw. Rent outpaced

4:11:57paychecks. Evictions piled up. the

4:12:00safety net got thinner. When someone is

4:12:02sleeping outside because they have

4:12:04nowhere else to go, a citation or a

4:12:06night in jail doesn't fix any of that.

4:12:09It doesn't create a bed. It creates a

4:12:12record. And a record makes it harder to

4:12:14rent, harder to get hired and hired, and

4:12:18harder to get out of the situation that

4:12:20started it. Housing and incarceration

4:12:23feed each other. That's why this

4:12:25resolution says Ann Arbor rejects

4:12:27criminalizing homelessness and why our

4:12:29energy belongs in outreach, shelter, and

4:12:32housing. We've taken some steps on that

4:12:35cycle here. And Arbor has a fair chance

4:12:37housing ordinance and we've started

4:12:39reviewing which city jobs really need a

4:12:41background check. That matters, but

4:12:44stigma doesn't disappear because a

4:12:47question comes off of a form. That's

4:12:50what uh the budget amendment behind

4:12:52Rising Hope for Housing uh was all

4:12:54about. Getting the keys is one thing.

4:12:56Keeping the door open is another. Voting

4:12:59tonight is the easy part. The harder

4:13:02part starts tomorrow. This resolution

4:13:04asks that the city administrator come

4:13:06back in 180 days with a review of our

4:13:09policies, our training, and our

4:13:10complaint process. And I intend to hold

4:13:13us to that. I'll keep pushing for

4:13:15housing, for eviction prevention, and

4:13:17for funding that lasts be past one

4:13:20budget cycle. And to anyone out there

4:13:22tonight without a home, you live here.

4:13:26You're part of this. You shouldn't have

4:13:28to get a roof over your head because the

4:13:30city treats you uh before the city

4:13:33treats you like you matter. Thank you,

4:13:35>> Council Member Watson.

4:13:40Um, I'd like to be added as a

4:13:42co-sponsor. Um, this is especially uh

4:13:46meaningful to me because um,

4:13:49you know, when I was in uh, sixth grade,

4:13:51I I started volunteering at the St.

4:13:55Andrews breakfast program where

4:13:56[clears throat] they serve breakfast

4:13:57every morning uh, to people in need in

4:14:00the city out of um, uh, out of St.

4:14:04Andrew's Church across from Community

4:14:05High School. And

4:14:08fast forward to now, um the city and the

4:14:12housing commission made a documentary

4:14:14called uh the road home, which is about

4:14:17about housing and homelessness. And one

4:14:20of the scenes in the documentary,

4:14:21they're interviewing someone who is

4:14:22living in his car. And he talks about

4:14:25his day and and and how his life is

4:14:28going. And one of the things he says is

4:14:30that every morning he gets his breakfast

4:14:32at St. Andrews. And so to go from

4:14:38doing that bit of volunteer work as a

4:14:40young person to then being grown up,

4:14:42being in the seat of a policy maker and

4:14:45seeing,

4:14:47you know, the city get out there and

4:14:49document

4:14:51um how that's impacting people's lives.

4:14:54That was that was really meaningful to

4:14:55me. And at one of my positions here on

4:14:59council, I I serve for the community

4:15:01action board for the county. And every

4:15:04month we get the point in time counts

4:15:06written uh given to us by usually Andrew

4:15:09Kramer over at OCED. He gives us a

4:15:11slideshow with those pick counts and

4:15:13those numbers. And every time it feels

4:15:14like a punch in the gut seeing how many

4:15:18calls are made to our Hawk Helline,

4:15:21how many exits of to housing there are.

4:15:25um we you know we go months where the

4:15:27there aren't any or there's singledigit

4:15:29numbers. Um so this is just something

4:15:33that if you live in the community, if

4:15:35you try to volunteer, if you

4:15:38and honestly like if you have if you uh

4:15:40fall on hard times, this is something

4:15:42that impacts you in some way. And I

4:15:44think um we really should look at how we

4:15:48communicate about it, look at how we

4:15:50support it, and look at all the

4:15:51intersecting policies that touch this.

4:15:53So, I'm grateful to co to the

4:15:55co-sponsors and I'm I'm proud to support

4:15:56this.

4:15:57>> Councelor Gio,

4:16:00>> I just want to say thank you to the

4:16:03co-sponsors,

4:16:04everyone um who's contributed, all the

4:16:06co-sponsors here. Um and I do want to

4:16:09just make a few more points. So, this

4:16:13house homelessness and housing

4:16:14insecurity is connected to our work on

4:16:17density and building [clears throat]

4:16:19housing and I don't want us to separate

4:16:21that. So according to research from the

4:16:23Pew Charitable Trust, restrictive zoning

4:16:26contributes to housing shortages and

4:16:27higher rents which increase the risk of

4:16:29homelessness and housing insecurity. So

4:16:32our work, our community's work to

4:16:34increase housing supply to add greater

4:16:36density. It's part of the comprehensive

4:16:38approach to attack this problem. It's

4:16:40needed. Um I also then just want to

4:16:43encourage folks, you know, watch the

4:16:45documentary The Road Home that documents

4:16:48the rise of of homelessness in county.

4:16:51There's going to be a screening at the

4:16:52School of Social Work open to the

4:16:54public. Um, check it out. And also, our

4:16:59local organizations are losing money

4:17:01this this cycle. Alpha House, our only

4:17:05family shelter in the county, is going

4:17:06to be losing significant funding. Uh,

4:17:09Delana Shelter, our our only adult

4:17:12individual shelter in the county, is

4:17:13going to lose significant money. Find

4:17:15out how you can volunteer for their

4:17:16warming um shelters. to find out how you

4:17:19can you can donate. Thank you.

4:17:23>> Further discussion.

4:17:27All in favor? All opposed? It's

4:17:30approved. Thank you. [applause]

4:17:34Uh before rolling into close session

4:17:37into close session. Uh I I forgot a

4:17:40nomination. Can I have a motion to open

4:17:42up the agenda, please, to add a manual

4:17:44communication? Moved by council member

4:17:45Krenel. Second by council member Briggs.

4:17:46Discussion. All in favor? Opposed? It's

4:17:49approved. Uh we have a motion, please,

4:17:51to uh reopen Mayoral Communications.

4:17:54Moved by Council Member Cornell, second

4:17:56by Councelor Briggs. Discussion. All in

4:17:58favor? Opposed. It's approved. Mayoral

4:18:00Communications. Um I'd like to recommend

4:18:02the following nominations for your

4:18:04consideration to the city planning

4:18:05commission. Noah Cases and Malikica

4:18:07Belage.

4:18:09Thank you. Uh do we have the pleasure of

4:18:11a close session today?

4:18:14I'm not sure you feel pleasure, but I do

4:18:17appreciate your uh dedication and your

4:18:20willingness to go into close session

4:18:23under MCL 15.268

4:18:26section 81A for my personnel evaluation.

4:18:29I hope you will vote to go into close

4:18:31session. Thank you.

4:18:33>> It is your request to do so, I think, is

4:18:35what you mean to be saying.

4:18:36>> Indeed, it is very much my request.

4:18:38>> Thank you. as as is is as is required by

4:18:40law. Uh may a motion please to go into

4:18:42close session on that basis. Moved by

4:18:44council mar canal second by council

4:18:45member brings discussion.

4:18:47>> Roll call v please. Roll call v.

4:18:50>> Oh no.

4:18:51>> Roll call vote starting with you.

4:18:54>> Me? Yes. Oh

4:18:56>> yes.

4:18:56>> Mayor Taylor.

4:18:57>> Yes.

4:18:57>> Council.

4:18:59>> Yes.

4:19:00>> Council Aman absent. Council Briggs.

4:19:03>> Yes.

4:19:03>> Council Cornell.

4:19:04>> Yes.

4:19:05>> Council Dish absent. Council Harrison.

4:19:07Yes.

4:19:08>> Council Watson.

4:19:09>> Yes.

4:19:10>> Councilor Malik.

4:19:11>> Yes.

4:19:11>> Council Redina.

4:19:12>> Yes.

4:19:13>> Council Gazi Edwin.

4:19:13>> Yes.

4:19:14>> Motion carries.

4:19:14>> We're in close session.

4:19:17>> Let's go upstairs, friends.

4:44:48Where is this on the agenda?

4:44:52>> Above close session.

4:44:54>> I know, but where? Oh, right. Oh, sorry.

4:44:56Thank you. Thank you. Uh DC6 resolution

4:44:59to finalize evaluation report and amend

4:45:02the employment agreement for city

4:45:03attorney at lean core. Uh moved by

4:45:06council member Gazy admin uh the second

4:45:08by council member Watson. Discussion

4:45:09please of DC6.

4:45:12>> Um

4:45:13I'd like

4:45:14>> council member Watson.

4:45:15>> I'd like to fill in a um blank on the

4:45:18resolution. Um

4:45:20>> motion to amend.

4:45:21>> A motion to amend. Yes. I'd like to move

4:45:22to amend the resolution

4:45:25to uh specify the salary increase at

4:45:29$30,000.

4:45:30>> Seconded by

4:45:32council member Malik. Uh discussion

4:45:36of the amendment. All in favor? All

4:45:38opposed? The amendment is approved for

4:45:39the discussion of the main motion as

4:45:41amended.

4:45:44Uh I guess what uh I would just like to

4:45:47say that uh you know uh

4:45:51you hear me talking quite a lot about

4:45:54the great and good work done by staff up

4:45:56and down the line. Um and uh our city

4:45:58attorney is absolutely no exception. Uh

4:46:01we are so fortunate to have a city

4:46:03attorney of of skill, expertise, big

4:46:06brain, uh uh discretion and wisdom uh

4:46:10and several other good things that uh

4:46:14that that you can think of. Bottom line

4:46:16is uh this this this council, the

4:46:19municipal organization, and most

4:46:20importantly uh the the larger community

4:46:23of the city of Ann Arbor uh owes uh the

4:46:26city attorney's office and and our city

4:46:29attorney a a great debt. They stand up

4:46:31for us. They look out for us. Um and

4:46:34they do it uh with uh with skill uh and

4:46:38uh and foresight every single day. Uh

4:46:40and so thank you.

4:46:48I'm just incredibly grateful to be here

4:46:51and to have your support and um

4:46:54incredibly grateful for this engaged

4:46:57community which um demands a very high

4:47:01quality work product and I just hope

4:47:03that we will collectively the attorney's

4:47:06office keep delivering for you. I think

4:47:08the team is phenomenal and I owe them a

4:47:11great deal for supporting me. Thank you.

4:47:14>> Further discussion the main motion. All

4:47:16in favor? All opposed? It is approved.

4:47:19We have before us the clerk's report of

4:47:21communications, petitions, and

4:47:22referrals. Can I have a motion, please,

4:47:23to approve the clerk's report? Moved by

4:47:24council member Gazi, second by council

4:47:26member Reddena. Discussion of the

4:47:28clerk's report. All in favor? Opposed?

4:47:31The clerk's report is approved. Are

4:47:32there communications today from our city

4:47:34attorney?

4:47:38>> No. Thank you, ma'am.

4:47:39>> Uh, we now have public comment overflow.

4:47:41Public comment is an opportunity for

4:47:43members of the public to speak to

4:47:44council in the community about matters

4:47:45of municipal interest. To speak at

4:47:46public comment reserve time, one needs

4:47:48to have signed up in advance by

4:47:49contacting our city clerk. Speakers in

4:47:52all instances will have two minutes in

4:47:53which to speak. So, please pay close

4:47:55attention to the time. Our clerk or the

4:47:58time clock will notify you when 30

4:47:59seconds are remaining and when your time

4:48:01is expired. When your time is expired,

4:48:03please conclude your remarks and seed

4:48:05the floor. Our next speaker is Brian

4:48:07Chambers. Brian Chambers.

4:48:13Our next speaker is Kathy Griswald.

4:48:16Kathy Griswald.

4:48:20Our next speaker is Adam Goodman. Adam

4:48:24Goodman.

4:48:24>> Adam Goodman is on Zoom.

4:48:28>> Adam Goodman, go ahead.

4:48:31>> Hi. Uh,

4:48:34I'd just want to at this point say thank

4:48:37you for supporting CA7 about Kerry

4:48:40Street and DC2, the downtown zoning, the

4:48:43student village resolution. Um, as

4:48:47council member Briggs said, the Kerry

4:48:49Street concept goes back at least 28

4:48:52years to 1998 when the city had proposed

4:48:55to close it entirely as part of the

4:48:57Broadway Bridge rebuild. And they

4:49:00relented in response to a backlash. And

4:49:03that capitulation was a mistake then.

4:49:06And I'm glad that you didn't make the

4:49:07same mistake because I spent years

4:49:10commuting over the Broadway bridges

4:49:12various times walking, biking, and

4:49:14driving. And the decision that was made

4:49:1628 years ago made my commute noticeably

4:49:20less safe and more unpleasant than it

4:49:22could have been for years of my life. It

4:49:24resulted in design compromises that

4:49:26create created an environment that's

4:49:28inconvenient and hostile to people

4:49:30walking and biking all for the

4:49:32convenience of a small number of

4:49:34drivers. I had to walk across Kerry for

4:49:36my work commute every day for the better

4:49:38part of a year. And it was really

4:49:39unpleasant. And even when I was driving,

4:49:42I have to say making that uphill right

4:49:44turn with a terrible visibility was kind

4:49:46of terrifying. Um, the division bike way

4:49:50is the most critical gap in our city's

4:49:52all ages and abilities bike network and

4:49:54this move was critical and necessary to

4:49:58see that project move forward. It was

4:50:00simply not possible to build that

4:50:03bikeway without doing this. So, um,

4:50:05again, thanks for not repeating the

4:50:07mistakes of the past.

4:50:10As for the student village, our city has

4:50:13an urgent housing shortage and frankly

4:50:15also an urgent need to defend against

4:50:17further largescale property acquisition

4:50:19by the University of Michigan, and this

4:50:22resolution and the process that will

4:50:24follow it is really our best shot at

4:50:26addressing both of those problems. So,

4:50:27thanks again.

4:50:28>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Adam

4:50:30Tuskegee.

4:50:37Hello. Um I'm Adam Duskevich. I live in

4:50:40the fourth ward. Um first of all, I'd

4:50:43like to thank you for passing um DC2

4:50:46tonight um the student village area and

4:50:50um upzoning that area. I think we'll um

4:50:53will be great for our housing shortage.

4:50:57Um I'd also like to thank you for DC5.

4:51:00This was something that I wasn't um

4:51:03really aware of before the meeting. Um

4:51:05but I I really appreciate that being

4:51:08brought forward. Um and finally, thank

4:51:10you for passing CA7 and upholding your

4:51:13commitments toward vision zero. Also,

4:51:15I'd like to thank staff for their staff

4:51:17introduction and the information shared

4:51:19in the agenda response memo and the

4:51:21frequently asked questions on the engage

4:51:24site. um they provided a thorough

4:51:26response to questions and concerns from

4:51:28the community and from council members

4:51:31and um for their work on this project.

4:51:35Um I know there's been a lot of anger in

4:51:37our community towards some of the

4:51:38changes happening to our streets and I

4:51:40just hope that we can come together as a

4:51:43community and have a good faith

4:51:45conversation about what will be

4:51:47necessary to achieve our vision zero

4:51:49goals to make our streets safe for

4:51:51everyone. Thank you.

4:51:53>> Thank you. Our next

4:51:54>> safety can't wait.

4:51:56>> Our next speaker is Sam Hullman.

4:51:59Our next speaker is Jamie McGara.

4:52:07So, [snorts] I would like to thank

4:52:09council for supporting um CA7 uh and

4:52:13thank staff for all of the work that

4:52:15they did in putting together the

4:52:17response and all of the reports and look

4:52:19forward to what happens in the future.

4:52:21As you may have read elsewhere, um, you

4:52:24know, my son and I travel that area a

4:52:26lot, and to have a six-year-old child

4:52:29navigating that area is very

4:52:30challenging. I'm going to pivot for the

4:52:32rest of my time because I'm not going to

4:52:34do this again for a couple months. I am

4:52:37burned out, my friend. All right.

4:52:39Leadership. You've demonstrated

4:52:41tremendous leadership and you've spoken

4:52:44with clear and concise language, and I

4:52:46think that that's very valuable. And

4:52:48also you've fostered [snorts] respective

4:52:50dialogue at a time where locally at the

4:52:54state level and at the federal level

4:52:56dialogue has been less than respectful

4:53:00and very disrespectful. You've managed

4:53:02to be a leader in maintaining respectful

4:53:04dialogue. During a time of changing

4:53:06paradigms, people don't necessarily

4:53:08accept change very well, particularly

4:53:10when things that they're very fond of

4:53:12like cars and streets and stuff like

4:53:14that. uh and

4:53:17because of the positions you've taken,

4:53:20you've become a target sometimes and

4:53:22you've exercised great patience with

4:53:24people saying some really hurtful and I

4:53:27think ultimately sort of toxic things

4:53:30and the fact that you exercise patience

4:53:32at those times I think is is tremendous

4:53:35uh demonstration of of your leadership

4:53:38and I think at the root of all of that

4:53:39is your compassion as an individual and

4:53:42um I think that that's something that we

4:53:44can all take home with us and try to

4:53:47incorporate into our lives. So, thank

4:53:49you for your service all of these years.

4:53:51That's it.

4:53:52>> Thank you. [applause]

4:53:55>> Our next speaker is Pedal Sand Castle.

4:54:06Our next speaker is Allison Chub.

4:54:16Um, good evening mayor and council

4:54:18members. My name is Allison Choy and I'm

4:54:20a high school student currently

4:54:22developing a proposal for a Michigan

4:54:24Governor's Youth Advisory Commission.

4:54:26Thank you so much for giving me the

4:54:27opportunity to share this initiative.

4:54:29So, the proposed youth advisory

4:54:31commission would provide a regular

4:54:32channel for young people, especially

4:54:34high school students across Michigan, to

4:54:36offer input on policies affecting them.

4:54:38Members of the commission would gather

4:54:40perspectives and views from their

4:54:41communities, research issues, and also

4:54:43submit recommendations to state

4:54:44officials. Potential topics could

4:54:47include education, transportation,

4:54:49mental health services, and access to

4:54:51community resources. And I envision

4:54:53membership that would reflect different

4:54:54regions, school settings, and also

4:54:56experiences.

4:54:58I have met with Michigan House of

4:54:59Representative Jason Morgan and Michigan

4:55:01House Representative J. Jasper Martis,

4:55:04who welcomed youth policy briefs and

4:55:06connected me with context to continue to

4:55:07develop the proposal. I'm also

4:55:09organizing an initial student group to

4:55:11begin gathering input and preparing

4:55:13recommendations. Um, I'm here tonight to

4:55:15introduce the proposal and also seek

4:55:17guidance on incorporating perspectives

4:55:20um from Ann Arbor. Um, my request is a

4:55:23possible follow-up conversation with an

4:55:25interested council member or an

4:55:26appropriate city contact to review a

4:55:28short written proposal and discuss ways

4:55:31to gather local youth input. Thank you

4:55:33for your time and consideration.

4:55:35>> Thank you very much.

4:55:38Uh, Pedal Sand Castle was online my

4:55:40omission so with council's acquiescence.

4:55:43Pedal Sandcastle

4:55:46caller with the phone number ending in

4:55:48469.

4:55:50Press star R six to unmute your phone.

4:55:51Go ahead.

4:55:54>> Hey y'all. Um I know I said I was done,

4:55:57but y'all are just too too good, I

4:55:59guess. Um uh so council passed the

4:56:02tenants bill of rights and perhaps one

4:56:04soon for the houseless neighbors. So now

4:56:08how about a bill of rights for the city

4:56:10itself, the earth beneath our feet and

4:56:13every human here before they are a

4:56:16renter or houseless or someone who

4:56:18consumes. And you can fold it into the

4:56:21opposite sustainability and innovation.

4:56:24And initiatives could include rain

4:56:26harvesting irrigation benches and

4:56:30compostable rafts for those ugly

4:56:32recycling and trash bins and tax breaks

4:56:35and other incentives for landlords to

4:56:38turn vacant units into short-term

4:56:39housing and empty storefronts into

4:56:41artist run popups or pick your price

4:56:44kitchens and cafes. And you can install

4:56:46these super cool machines I saw in

4:56:48Europe where you literally trade litter

4:56:49for incentives, including birds, trading

4:56:52cigarette butts for seeds. And you could

4:56:54offer incentives for stores to go

4:56:56mycelium mycelium and hemp bags instead

4:56:59of plastic. And match every surveillance

4:57:01dollar with one for unarmed response and

4:57:03peace building. And launch a bi-weekly

4:57:05community council like a dance partner

4:57:07for you all. And you could hire

4:57:10full-time roving cultural ambassadors

4:57:12like multimmodal empaths and creatives

4:57:14to be society's lubricants. They could

4:57:17like facilitate the tough intergroup

4:57:18dialogue and act as a city activities

4:57:21director bridges between all the parts

4:57:22even on armor's farm.

4:57:25>> You could launch a mobile and you could

4:57:27launch a mobile excess supplies truck

4:57:29that shares food and furniture and art

4:57:31supplies and clothing and technology

4:57:32roving around town. And you could part

4:57:34uh partner with Michigan's other 79

4:57:37transit authorities for like a daily

4:57:38statewide bus with onboard programming

4:57:41and rotating hosts that greet visitors

4:57:43in each city as they go. And I'm out of

4:57:45time, but I could keep going. I just

4:57:47want to say at the 124 Felch, as you

4:57:49deconstruct it, instead of smashing it,

4:57:51what if we salvage those 1901 beams into

4:57:53a trail pavilion or benches or a story

4:57:56wall or open air event space? It all is

4:57:59within FEMA guidelines. Thank you.

4:58:01>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Teresa

4:58:03Taylor.

4:58:08Our next speaker is Julia Cababaniano.

4:58:17Our next speaker is Blaine Coleman.

4:58:23Our next speaker is Mojan Savia Safani.

4:58:28Our next speaker is Jeremy Haley.

4:58:37Oh, good evening. Last six minutes.

4:58:40Well, I'll take them all. Uh Jeremy

4:58:42Haley, Ipsy Township. Um you guys keep

4:58:46talking about student housing and you

4:58:48want to make h uh homeless housing.

4:58:52uh if the University of Michigan keeps

4:58:54enrolling students at what point is it

4:58:57going to be you want to look at 70,000

4:59:00students 80,000 students 90,000 students

4:59:04what is an arbor going to look like that

4:59:05and how many how

4:59:08how many big buildings are you going to

4:59:09have to have for that cuz it's not going

4:59:12to function unless you guys start having

4:59:13the conversation there's many colleges

4:59:16around the country that have maxed their

4:59:17limit and enrollment and actually when

4:59:20you do that they can actually start

4:59:21focusing more on educating the students

4:59:25better than trying to get more people in

4:59:26there cuz they're basically using the

4:59:29students as their cash cow their

4:59:31funding. They need to keep enrolling

4:59:32students to keep getting the money in

4:59:35and unless somebody starts having the

4:59:37conversation with them or bring it up. I

4:59:40know they don't like Ipsy Township right

4:59:42now cuz the pres outgoing president just

4:59:44said some stuff about Ipsy Township.

4:59:48People are misinformed calling it a data

4:59:50center and it's he's the one that's

4:59:53misinformed. We know what it is. People

4:59:55in Ipsy Township call it that because we

4:59:57know it pisses them off.

4:59:59You right. And if you want to help

5:00:02people, that's what you need to do is

5:00:04start opening that conversation.

5:00:06[snorts] And as in last bit of it, as

5:00:08you know, I'm a host of a homeless man

5:00:09myself from Ipsy. Uh giving them a home

5:00:13does not help things. They do not know

5:00:16how to some of them a lot of them do not

5:00:18know how to take or maintain care of a

5:00:19home. Uh they let it go and

5:00:24well for example just recently he broke

5:00:26my garage by showing me that I had a

5:00:28latch on the garage which I knew I had a

5:00:30latch on the garage which I told him to

5:00:32unlatch. So when I use the garage door

5:00:33it wouldn't break the garage door.

5:00:36Broke the garage door and he does not

5:00:38have the money to fix it. So I'm left to

5:00:40fix it and I'm on disability myself. So,

5:00:44>> thank you.

5:00:44>> There we go. Thank you.

5:00:46>> May I have a motion to adjurnn, please?

5:00:47Move by councelor Cornell, second by

5:00:49councelor. Discussion. All in favor?

5:00:51Opposed? We're adjourned.