JAY PEKALA, Burns Park/Ann Arbor Expert

The newly proposed development of the former "University Village" now titled "601 Forest" is going to be larger than previously thought. From the rendering below, it will be enormous. I thought the project was not a bad idea originally, but I've changed my mind. This looks like a project for Chicago or Manhattan, but not the campus area of Ann Arbor. Now is the chance to wise up the decision makers so they realise Ann Arbor does not have the necessary critical mass in that area to make sense of this without destroying what is already there.

The Planning Commission meeting it tonight June 3rd at 7 PM in City Hall, 2nd Floor, 100 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor. This is the chance to have your voice heard.

Below is the recent Ann Arbor News Article:

Plans for South University Avenue tower in Ann Arbor grow several stories

Article by Stefanie Murray for "The Ann Arbor News"

"If you are going to limit the growth of the city on the parameters, there is only one place it can go, and that is up. If you want density, you have to go up." - developer Dan Ketelaar.

Plans to build a $150 million, skyline-altering, upscale student housing tower on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor have gotten a little taller.

The shape and name have also changed, as the developers adjusted site plans following input from the public and city planners.

What was once dubbed University Village is now proposed to be "601 Forest" - a L-shaped, mixed-use building with a 25-story corner tower and 20-story wings spreading south along South Forest Avenue and east along South University. Previous iterations called for connected 22-story and 15-story towers, and 26-story and 19-story towers before that.

If built, it will be Ann Arbor's second tallest building and likely one of the most expensive private downtown redevelopments in recent history.

The city Planning Commission will consider the project for the second time at its meeting tonight. The commission tabled a decision in March.

The site does not need to be rezoned, said city planner Matt Kowalski, who has handled review of the project.

The proposed 464,314-square-foot student apartment complex, at the southeast corner of South University and South Forest avenues, has been somewhat controversial.

The building will house 1,142 people in 342 apartments and have a total of about 250 vehicle parking spaces, including a dozen metered spots. A total of 16,140 square feet of retail space will be available on the ground floor.

Nearby residents are concerned about its height and increased traffic. Many local business owners, however, support the project because it would mean so many more people living on the main business corridor of the southern campus area of the University of Michigan.

"If you are going to limit the growth of the city on the parameters, there is only one place it can go, and that is up. If you want density, you have to go up," said Dan Ketelaar of Omena Real Estate Investments, one of 601 Forest's developers.

"You have to create enough density to create a marketability of value, an economy of scale, if you will."

The South University Area Association is backing 601 Forest.

"From the business community down here, this is exactly what we need," said Dennis Tice, president of the association and an owner of the Pizza House restaurant. "It is absolutely critical for this downtown to have projects like this."

Nearby student housing structures include the 18-story University Tower and the under-construction 10-story Zaragon Place.

Construction of 601 Forest would mean demolition of five buildings that sit on less than two acres of land, including a 39-unit apartment building and the Village Corner store. Ketelaar and Ron Hughes of Hughes Properties in Bingham Farms are leading a group of investors behind the project.

The developers plan to apply for 601 Forest to be certified through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental design program, known as LEED. They are also pursuing brownfield tax credits.

A second-story terrace with green space will be built for residents, and much of the roof will be green, too.

"We've vertically broken up the towers throughout with different color and materials," Ketelaar said. "We've tried to create it so there is a street level rhythm on the facade, broken up in columns, and then we carried that through the towers so it has the appearance of three towers."

Ketelaar said the "U" shape of the building was changed to an "L" shape when architects removed the southern wing of the building so it would not loom over nearby residences on Forest Court.

Amenities of the apartments will include a fitness center, lounges, cafe area, pool tables, a computer center and 24-hour security and surveillance. Resident assistants will live on each floor. A typical apartment will cost $1,000 per bed per month.

If the project is approved by the city, Ketelaar said, he and Hughes hope to begin demolition later this year and installation of the infrastructure for the geothermal heating and cooling system by fall. After it gets through the Planning Commission, the site plan must go to City Council for final approval.

The developers had originally planned to have the project completed by 2010, but now say the building won't be open to students until fall 2011 at the earliest.

Every May, as the weather warms and the park surrounds us with fresh greenery, the annual Burns Park Run welcomes Spring. This year's run is Sunday, May 4th, at 8:30 AM.

The run features a 5K and a 10K races, and draws about 1,000 participants. There is also a Fun Run in the park for the youngest runners. Proceeds benefit the Burns Park Elementary School. The course winds through the streets of the Burns Park neighborhood.

This is one of the true highlights of the Burns Park calendar. The energy and cheering buzz through the whole neighborhood. Don't expect to sleep in on Sunday, May 4th. You'll miss the fun. I may even dare to run this year!

For more information, or to register or volunteer, you can go to the official website at

http://www.burnsparkrun.org/

Developers Dan Ketelaar and Ron Hughes propose to build a 22-story high rise and a connect 15-story tower at the corner of S. Univeristy and Forest. The site is a large portion of the block where Village Corner, the Bagel bakery, Park Plaza Apartments, Student Bike Shop, Cahmpion's Convenience Mart and two rental houses now stand. The building would be apartments, primarily students with retail space on the ground level.

There will be a working session of the Planning Commission on Tuesday, March 11th at 7 PM in the 4th floor conference room of City Hall. The public may attend, and no action will be taken by the Commission.

The meeting of the Planning Commission will be on Tuesday, March 18th at 7 PM in the Council Chamber on the 2nd floor of City Hall. Public commentary will be welcome.

Co-chairpersons of the North Burns Park Association, Peter Nagourney and Kathy Sample are encouraging neighbors to voice their concerns about the project at these meetings.

More information or a copy of the developers' drawings are available by emailing: apvh@umich.edu or gnystuen@umich.edu.

What are the concerns of people who live closer to this area? I live a few blocks away so the impact on my will be minimal. Since the block in question is mainly student housing at present, I think the only major impact will be to parking in the area. With that many students, there will likely be more cars in that direct area. Otherwise, the new retail and increased population will be good for the local businesses. Students don't usually venture into the residential neighborhood, so I don't see much impact to the permanant residents here.

Any other opinions?

February 12, 2008

Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS®

According to Lawrence Yun, the National Association of REALTORS®, sales activity is expected to remain soft through the first half of the year despite a generational low in mortgage interest rates. "Household formation was only half of what it should have been last year given the demographics of a growing population and sustained job growth, so there clearly is a pent-up demand from buyers who are on the sidelines," he said. NAR believes that increasing the loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Economic Stimulus) will bolster the severely stressed housing finance market by immediately infusing much needed liquidity into the nation's mortgage market. "When the full impact of higher loan limits for conventional mortgages begins to impact the market, there is likely to be a notable rise in home sales and prices.

The January statistics for real estate sales in the Ann Arbor Area demonstrate a soft, stabilizing market with residential sales declining 15 units after rentals are removed from the equation. Condominiums follow suit with a decline of 12 units. Condominiums show an increase of $8,340 or 5.38 percent in Median Sales Prices, over January 2007.

January 2007 (After Rentals are removed*) January 2008 Difference

Residential Sales 157 units 142 units (10%)

Condominium Sales 35 units 23 units (33%)Condominium Median Sales Price $146,660 $155,000 5.38%

*Effective April 2007 - Rental properties are no longer included in the statistics published by the Ann Arbor Board of REALTORS®. To provide a true comparison, rentals have been removed from the January 2007 data.

Burns Park Players Endure

Group of Neighborhood Thespians Marks 25 Years

Sometimes, a small act can lead to big things.

Take, for example, the talent show that Susan Schreiber - then the owner of the local children's clothing store Generations - organized in 1983 to raise money for Burns Park Elementary School. The event was such a hit that it inspired geriatrics physician Alan Dengiz to put a group of Burns Park students and parents on stage to perform a modest production of "Grease.''

How modest? According to articles found in The Ann Arbor News' archives, Dengiz begged people to take roles, played taped music for at least one number, and used a cardboard car that was built by second-graders.

Even so, a long-standing Ann Arbor institution - the Burns Park Players - had been born, and annual productions of classic musicals like "The Music Man,'' "Gypsy,'' "Guys and Dolls,'' "Li'l Abner,'' "South Pacific,'' "Annie Get Your Gun,'' "Little Shop of Horrors,'' "Hello Dolly,'' and others followed, starring adults and students who lived in the Burns Park school area.

Not that this evolution happened overnight. Susan Hurwitz, former BPP president and producer of this year's 25th anniversary show, "Disney's Beauty and the Beast,'' bears witness to a time when people were still drafted for roles rather than vying for them.

"My husband actually got involved before I did,'' said Hurwitz. "Alan Dengiz was recruiting people for 'Damn Yankees' at the ice cream social, and he saw my husband and said, 'Hey, how would you like to be the judge?'''

Hurwitz got involved with BPP in the late 1980s, after noticing that the group didn't even have a cashbox for ticket sales. She volunteered to help organize the company's operations, and Dengiz asked her to be a producer, despite the fact that she had no experience. She learned on the job while the company grew.

Indeed, BPP's shows were performed on the Burns Park Theatre stage until 1992; but as they became more popular with both audiences and performers, the company had to move to Tappan Middle School's 600-seat theater, where it still performs today.

"(BPP)'s certainly gotten bigger, and it's certainly gotten more ambitious,'' said Hurwitz. "Sometimes that's just a function of the passage of time. When we moved to Tappan, we had a bigger space than at Burns Park. And then we had a couple who moved here from the East Coast who both had their MFAs from Yale. ... So they raised the bar.''

Later, when a similarly accomplished director had to opt out for maternity leave in the late 1990s, BPP turned to the University of Michigan's musical theater program for help. This sparked a relationship between the two entities, and BPP has had U-M student directors (and sometimes choreographers and music directors) ever since.

"We still retain this atmosphere of having a good time,'' said Clinch Steward, who's performed with BPP for 15 years. "We're parents first, and we're professional people second, and we're actors third, fourth, fifth or sixth. But over the years, (BPP) has gotten more serious and more professional along the way, that's for sure.''

Along the way, the company expanded its fundraising beyond the scope of Burns Park and Tappan to include arts programs in all of the Ann Arbor Public Schools; and since its inception, the company has reportedly contributed more than $250,000.

A wonderful benefit, yes; but those involved with BPP productions often have more personal motives. Steward, for instance, joined the group shortly after moving to Ann Arbor. "The Burns Park Players ... became my entree into feeling at home in Ann Arbor,'' he said. "I knew people on our street, but even just after the first year, you meet a group of 40-50 adults, and you kind of live with them and humble yourself with them, and it really made me feel like part of the community.''

Something else that keeps Steward coming back, though, is the effect he sees BPP shows having on the kids involved. "At the end of the show, for the curtain call, they parade across the stage, and they have their chance to bow as a group,'' he said. "When everybody is clapping for them, they just think it's their moment in the world. And that alone, at least for me, makes it all worthwhile.''