Heritage Row development pushes towards approval

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

After months and months (it feels like years and years) of starts and stalls, the downtown Ann Arbor project once called City Place is making significant headway.

The development, now called Heritage Row, is moving through the city's planning commission process and heading toward a possible approval as soon as this summer.

"We're making some modifications and some final selections," says Alex de Parry, the developer of Heritage Row. "We're making adjustments."

Those include giving the new construction portion a more traditional look. The ideas is to match the historic homes to be renovated during the project.

The development calls for preserving the original houses along Fifth Avenue just north of Packard Street and building a series of three apartment buildings behind them. It's a layout that is reminiscent of the Chicago- or C-style apartment buildings of the early 20th Century.

Project financing is already lined up, de Parry says. However, he adds, a construction start date is still uncertain right now. That might change now that a number of neighbors have gotten on board with the new plans after months of bitter opposition.

"I don't think we'll please everybody, but we are trying to please a majority of the people," de Parry says. "This is the compromise."

Source: Alex de Parry, developer of Heritage Row
Writer: Jon Zemke