Zingerman's expands coffee options near Ann Arbor Airport
Source: Concentrate, 8/26/2009
People can get a cup of Zingerman's coffee in two locations, and the newest one is in one of Ann Arbor's most unlikely spots.
Zingerman's Coffee is opening a retail-and-processing site in an industrial area on Plaza Drive, in the Airport Plaza Business Park next to the world-famous eatery's bake house and creamery. The Zingerman's brand houses a family of businesses that all specialize in creating food or services around food, such as bread, customer service and coffee.
Although the original deli serves as the officials face and base of the umbrella company, many of its offshoots have facilities outside of the Kerrytown location to meet demand. Zingerman's Coffee has had to turn down business because its previous facilities weren't big enough. Its new 6,400 square feet is expected to solve that problem while giving lovers of Zingerman's coffee one more place to enjoy their product.
"One of the things we like to say is you can buy the products where they're made," says Pete Sickman-Garner, marketing manager for Zingerman's.
Zingerman's Coffee products are only available at the Kerrytown location for the time being. The new location won't have the same coffee-shop theme as the main coffee house, but it promises to have the Zingerman's flavor that gives the business its unique character.
For years Zingerman's has stood it ground at its original location, turning down opportunities to franchise or open new locations outside of Washtenaw County. Zingerman's has looked at the idea of opening a Ypsilanti location because so many of its employees live in that emerging Bohemia that the founders so readily identify with, however, nothing has yet to come from that idea. It is still looking at expanding its Kerrytown location.
Source: Pete Sickman-Garner, marketing manager for Zingerman's
Writer: Jon Zemke
Ann Arbor's underground parking deck moves forward
Source: Concentrate, 8/26/2009
The underground parking structure next to the Ann Arbor Library's Main Branch continues its steady slog toward becoming a reality.
The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority approved upgrading the 6-inch water mains along Fifth Avenue to 12-inch water mains and hired Lansing-based Christman to handle the pre-construction planning. It all means shovels will go in the ground for the water mains by October and the main hole for the parking deck will start going down by early winter.
"I think we may start excavating in November," says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.
The DDA is spending $38 million to build a 3-story underground parking garage under Fifth Avenue and the surface parking lot adjacent to the downtown library branch. The new structure, set to open by the 2011 Art Fair, will feature 677 parking spaces, replacing the 200 spaces on the surface lot.
The parking deck will feature a number of green features, including plentiful natural light, dimmers on the parking light and LED to save electricity. It will also feature power outlets for electric cars. The DDA is also looking into utilizing geothermal heating systems, solar panels and reusing gravel from the excavation in the cement for the structure.
"It's going to be as green as we can make it," Pollay says.
Happening separately but impacting the same project is the newly released request for proposals for a development above it. The city issued the RFP to solicit development projects for the space above the parking garage.
The perimeter of the large site could reach as high as 4-6 stories. The interior of the block could go as high as 18 stories and facilitate office, residential or hotel space or even a combination of those. Ideas bandied about for the space include an office tower and convention center.
A group of investors based locally and in
New York have leaked details of building a hotel-convention center on
the site, details of which can be found here.
It's a project that has been floating via rumors for months. Business
consultant Fritz Seyferth declined to discuss details for this story.
He said in an email that the project is "still under evaluation as to what is economically feasible, practical,
and permissible. Way too many unknowns at this stage to guess."
Former Washtenaw County Commissioner Vivienne Armentrout thinks the fix is in for that plan between the developers and city officials. Those details can be seen here.
Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
U-M, Ann Arbor chip in for new rail station near U-M hospital
Source: Concentrate, 8/26/2009
Half a million dollars from the city of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan has been invested to create conceptual plans for a new railroad-centric mass transit center on Fuller Road near University of Michigan Hospital.
"This enables us to take the next steps," says Eli Cooper, transportation manager for the city of Ann Arbor.
The next steps include figuring out how many bike racks such a station would need, what the traffic projects would be and how best to connect the various modes of mass transit there. The city and university are working with Ann Arbor-based JJR, which is bringing in out-of-town experts in mass transit to make it work.
The Fuller Road transit station would replace surface parking lots at the intersection of Fuller and Maiden Lane. It would connect the Border-to-Border Trail, AATA buses, the proposed Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line, Chicago-Detroit high-speed rail line and bus rapid transit/streetcar line to downtown.
"This facility is conceived to create that gateway that would replace the Amtrak station," Cooper says.
This project is part of the Ann Arbor Connector Feasibility Study - a study that would call for creating a crescent moon-shaped line for either streetcars or bus rapid transit system or enhance bus service.
Source: Eli Cooper, transportation manager for the city of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
U-M Zipcar fleets adds 2 cars, expands fleet to 15
Source: Concentrate, 8/26/2009
The University of Michigan's Zipcar fleet has grown beyond a baker's dozen and can now barely be counted on three hands.
The university just received two new vehicles, rounding out the Zipcar fleet to a total of 15 automobiles. Those cars range from Ford Focuses to Honda hybrids to Mini Coopers.
"We have a wide variety of fuel efficient vehicles," says Grant Winston, an associate director with the university's Parking & Transportation Services Dept, which oversees the Zipcar fleet.
Zipcar is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm that specializes in providing European-style car sharing in urban centers. Users pay a small annual fee to be able to rent a car on an hourly basis, which is often cheaper than renting a car for a day from car-rental company.
About 1,400 students, faculty and staff at the university utilize its Zipcar fleet. The fleet has a 45 percentage utilization rate over a 24-7 basis, which is considered ideal because it makes sure a car is always available. Downtown Ann Arbor also started its own Zipcar fleet, which now consists of four vehicles.
"We have a growing portion of our membership among students," Winston says. "Undergraduate students aren't allowed to have a car on campus so this gives them wheels when they need them."
Source: Grant Winston, associate director at the University of Michigan's Parking & Transportation Services Dept
Writer: Jon Zemke
Ann Arbor puts West Park upgrades on fast track
Source: Concentrate, 8/26/2009
Lots of people look at Ann Arbor's West Park and think its area with potential to be so much more. Now the city is poised to capitalize on that.
"We got ranked very high for federal stimulus money so we're zooming the project forward," says Amy Kuras, a park planner for the city of Ann Arbor.
The upgrades include making the park much friendlier to the environment and patrons. The $3.5 million project could begin as early as next summer.
On the environmental end, the project will include creating a number of bioswells, linear depressions similar to rain gardens filled with native plants, that will help absorb the water runoff that runs through the park's east/west crevice. It will include a boardwalk along part of it and another part will snake in front of the band shell.
The band shell will have a plaza built around it to facilitate more seating and gathering for events. The basketball courts on the east end will be moved to higher ground to make room for a new community garden. The stairs coming down from Huron Avenue will also be replaced.
Source: Amy Kuras, park planner for the city of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
Mass transit round-up in Ann Arbor area
Source: Concentrate, 8/26/2009
Mass transit advocates won one and lost one in Ann Arbor this month. Welcome the Canton Express commuter bus. Say goodbye to The Link bus loop through downtown.
The Canton Express began operation earlier this week, connecting commuters from the Plymouth/Canton area to downtown Ann Arbor. The bus makes two trips from Canton's Independence Park in the morning and returns twice in the afternoon. It makes stops at the University of Michigan, U-M Hospital and downtown.
The Canton Express is run on the same concept as an identical line between Chelsea and Ann Arbor. The Chelsea line started last year and has built a steady ridership. The idea is to help downtown and U-M workers make their daily commute more efficiently, allowing more people to use downtown without having to find homes for their cars.
Gone is The Link downtown bus. The little purple busses connected downtown and far reaches of U-M's campus with a number of stops in between, similar to how The People Mover works in downtown Detroit. The Link, which has been around for most of this decade, never lived up to ridership expectations and was cut so the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority could maintain other bus services.
Source: Ann Arbor Transportation Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
Chelsea's kitchen incubator finds new space
Source: Concentrate, 8/19/2009
The Chelsea kitchen incubator will march on, even if it's to another kitchen, or two.
The culinary incubator originally proposed for the Washington Street Center, the old Chelsea High School, now has a new home at the kitchen in the First United Methodist Church. Organizers plan to start offering cooking and kitchen safety classes there by the end of the month once they have zoning approval.
"It's likely we'll have multiple facilities," says Victoria Bennett, one of the lead organizers behind the Chelsea kitchen incubator. "It allows us to serve more people in the same amount of time."
Bennett is an academic associate at Washtenaw Community College. She has worked extensively with entrepreneurs at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. The Chelsea resident noticed that most of the small business incubation facilities were on the eastern end of Washtenaw County and saw a largely unused Washington Street Center kitchen as a way to open a new kind of business incubator on the west side.
That space didn't work out but the idea stuck. Bennett and other organizers are identifying other industrial-sized kitchens in the area that can be used so more chefs can cook during peak hours.
The Chelsea kitchen incubator will be holding a fundraiser on Aug. 30. For information on the fledgling kitchen incubator, click here or send an email to Bennett at vbennett@wccnet.edu.
Source: Victoria Bennett, academic associate with Washtenaw Community College
Writer: Jon Zemke
Washtenaw Road Commission puts final touches on East Delhi Bridge
Source: Concentrate, 8/19/2009
The long-running rehabilitation of the East Delhi Bridge is coming to an end this month.
The Washtenaw County Road Commission will put the finishing touches on the project within the next two weeks. The new timber railing and decking are already in nailed down. The approaches to the bridge are built. Even the ornamental traffic signals on both ends of the bridge are in place
The East Delhi Bridge has been an icon in Scio Township for the last century. Imagine the metal bridges from toy train sets and you know what the bridge looks like. The 109-foot span was set for full replacement until the county found the money to restore it, preserving a unique part of its rural character.
"Buildings of this nature, particularly in Michigan, are rare," says Aaron Berkholz, construction superintendent for the Washtenaw County Road Commission. "Washtenaw County has three that are similar."
Source: Aaron Berkholz, construction superintendent for the Washtenaw County Road Commission
Writer: Jon Zemke
U-M to reopen fully-renovated Stockwell Hall
Source: Concentrate, 8/19/2009
The renewal of student housing at the University of Michigan will take another step forward later this month when a renovated Stockwell Hall reopens.
The circa-1940 structure on the Hill area of the university was rehabbed from top to bottom. Workers kept the building's Tudor Revival architecture and interior character. They replaced old mechanical, electrical, plumbing, safety and elevator systems.
"It went through a complete upgrade," says Peter Logan, director of communications for university housing at the University of Michigan.
The finished project features creature comforts that have long been absent in student life at U-M, such as air-conditioned rooms and Wi-Fi access. There will also be remodeled lounges, kitchenettes and community bathrooms. What was once the dining hall area will be turned into a new community spaces for music practice, recreation and informal performances. Residents will eat at the newly opened Hill Dining Center.
Another big change is who will live in the building. Stockwell Hall has traditionally served as a women's dorm. It will reopen as co-ed this fall due to a drop in demand for all-female housing. Only about 400 students lacking a Y chromosome requested same-sex housing. There are approximately 800 housing units for just women. There are still four other female-oriented dorms on U-M's campus, including Betsy Barbour and Helen Newberry residences, Martha Cook Building and Henderson House.
The renovation of Stockwell began last year as part of U-M's Residential Life Initiatives, which is revitalizing and expanding student-living options on campus.
Source: Peter Logan, director of communications for university housing at the University of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke
ICON Creative Tech finishes move into old Ann Arbor Art Center
Source: Concentrate, 8/19/2009
What was once the second home for the Ann Arbor Art Center just outside of Ann Arbor is now the main office for ICON Creative Technologies Group.
The 14 year-old Internet firm bought the 11,000 square-foot space at 220 Felch earlier this summer after outgrowing its old 3,500-square-feet of downtown office space. The company's 20 employees (including two new hires) are now in the space.
Even with all of these people, there is still plenty of room to spare. So much so that ICON has taken on a tenant - Pure Barre. For now ICON is settling into just over half the space, 6000 sq feet, and expects to grow into the rest within five years when it hits 60 employees.
The single-story structure, a block west of Main Street just north of downtown. For years it served as an annex for the Ann Arbor Art Center, which has its headquarters in the heart of downtown.
Source: Sara Johns, project manager for ICON Creative Technologies Group
Writer: Jon Zemke
Bikes get equal footing with cars in Ann Arbor thanks to new in-street parking
Source: Concentrate, 8/19/2009
Ann Arbor has struck another blow for bicycle equality this summer, making room for more bike racks in what are normally parking spaces for automobiles.
The city is starting a pilot program this summer where bike racks will be placed in actual parking spaces that have traditionally reserved for automobiles. The three bike racks are in Kerrytown (in front of the People’s Food Coop), Main Street (Arbor Brewing Company) and State Street (Bivouac).
The space that once made room for one car will be able to house up to 14 bikes. Seattle has instituted a similar practice of creating bicycle equality.
The idea is to help promote non-motorized ways of transportation by making them more visible. The sight of a gaggle of bicycles occupying the same space once meant for a car is meant to send a message that bicyclists are welcome in Ann Arbor's downtown.
"They see they will have a premier parking spot n ext to the business they work or shop at," says Nancy Shore, executive director of getDowntown.
It is also meant to help clear some room on Ann Arbor's sidewalks. Many of downtown's sidewalks are full of café seating, parking meters, newspaper boxes, planters and all manner of street furniture. Moving some bicycle racks to the street will help free up some much-needed sidewalk space.
"It also sends a message that bikes belong on the street," Shore says.
Source: Nancy Shore, executive director of getDowntown
Writer: Jon Zemke
Work wraps up at U-M's East Quad in time for new school year
Source: Concentrate, 8/19/2009
University of Michigan students will not only be able to live in East Quad this fall, but perform there, too.
The university recently finished a $2.1 million renovation project on a smallish auditorium in the historic dorm at the intersection of East University and Hill streets. The 11,300-square-foot auditorium was originally built in 1970. The intent was for students to use it for musical, poetry and theatrical performances.
The project improved the facility's technology, lighting, stage, seats and architectural finishes. A vertical lift and second fire exit were also added to make the auditorium compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and safety codes.
The renovation of Stockwell began last year as part of U-M's Residential Life Initiatives, which is revitalizing and expanding student-living options on campus.
Source: Peter Logan, director of communications for university housing at the University of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke
Ypsilanti Freighthouse lays groundwork for construction
Source: Concentrate, 8/12/2009
If you want to see what work is being
done on the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, don’t look at the building itself.
You have to go behind the scenes.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti
Freighthouse have structural and exterior/interior
architectural renderings in hand. The mechanical and electrical systems
drawings will be ready soon, too. It’s all set up for the state and
Ypsilanti Historic Commission to sign off by the end of the month.
"Since
everything that the original Condition Assessment Report called for has
been addressed, we do not anticipate any technical hiccups," says Ed
Penet, trustee of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.
That
means a construction bid should go out this fall and shovels go into
the ground by winter. The freighthouse, located in Depot Town, is set
to become Ypsilanti's stop on the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line
next year. It will also serve as a tourism information and community
gathering space.
Making all of this possible are the dogged
efforts of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. They had been
collecting small and in-kind donations for years before locking down
$600,000 in grants, including $500,000 in federal stimulus money, earlier this year.
The
130-year-old Freighthouse closed in 2004 due to a couple of
significant-but-not-insurmountable issues, such as a bowing west wall
and deck filled with unsafe trip hazards. The friends group recently
had the surrounding grounds regraded so water will be directed away
from the building's base.
The 5,000-square-foot, red-brick
structure was used as a freighthouse until right after World War II,
when it was converted into a warehouse. In 1979 the city bought it and
turned it into a community center. It made the state Register of
Historic Places in 1997.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti
Freighthouse will host a celebration of the freighthouse's new
raingarden at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. There will also be a Jazz Happy Hour
Fundraiser at the freighthouse from 5-9 p.m. Friday. For information,
contact Denise Slone at dslone54@hotmail.com
Source: Ed Penet, trustee of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse
Writer: Jon Zemke
Michigan Peaceworks to create mural for downtown Ann Arbor
Source: Concentrate, 8/12/2009
More art is on its way to downtown Ann
Arbor, and it’s only going to reinforce the stereotype that Ann Arbor
is made up of a bunch of art-loving peaceniks.
Michigan Peaceworks,
which is headquartered downtown, plans to begin work on a mural this
fall. The mural will be centered on, you guessed it, peace in Ann Arbor
and go up on the side of the Alley Bar. It should be finished by next
spring.
"It's going to be a pretty large mural," says Laura Russello, executive director of Michigan Peaceworks.
The
Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Association
are chipping in $2,000 to pay for the project. The rest of the cost is
coming from fundraising and private donations.
Weekly updates will be posted on the DDA’s website once work begins. The project still have to be approved by the city before it can go forward.
Source: Laura Russello, executive director of Michigan Peaceworks
Writer: Jon Zemke
Ypsilanti close to wrapping up non-motorized transportation plan
Source: Concentrate, 8/12/2009
Getting from Point A to Point B without a car is about to get a little easier in Ypsilanti. The city is putting together a transportation plan for non-motorized vehicles that should help pedestrians, bicyclists and other alternative transit get around easier.
"It should be done by the middle of October at the latest, if all goes according to plan," says Bonnie Wessler, a planning intern with the city of Ypsilanti.
The plan will tackle all of the fun urban planning problems, like the lack of sidewalks, bike lanes and mass transit options. One of the big ones that has come up is the lack of continous sidewalk along Washtenaw Avenue.
"We're trying to identify gaps in the existing infrastructure," Wessler says.
The plan will be also look at how best to tie these sorts of options into surrounding communities. It will also look at how best to implement the recommendations over the near- and long-term.
Source: Bonnie Wessler, a planning intern with the city of Ypsilanti
Writer: Jon Zemke