Development News

Near North aims to provide affordable housing in Ann Arbor

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Related Tags

Downtown Living, Green Building, Sustainability

Ann Arbor

Living in the downtown Ann Arbor area is relatively easy if you A) have been there for years and years or B) have a lot of money. The people behind the Near North want to provide a C) option for those denzins who don�t exactly fit into the first two options.

"In our mind this is a perfect place for service workers and entry-level workers in downtown," says Michael Appel, executive director of Avalon Housing. "There is virtually nothing available at the entry-level range in downtown."

Avalon Housing and the Three Oaks Group want to build a 38-unit apartment building on Main Street, just south of Summit Street. The 4-story mixed-use structure would also include space for ground floor retail. A small park would go at the southeast corner of Main and Summit where the Summit Party Store currently stands.

Twenty four of these apartments would be set aside for entry level workforce for households that make less than $33,000. Think of the restaurant workers and recent college grads who work or want to live downtown but are now often forced to live far outside because of cost and availability. Another 14 apartments will be set aside for permanent supportive housing for the likes of people who are homeless or have disabilities.

The building would replace five single-family houses lining Main Street and the Summit Party Story. However, it will go for gold level LEED certification with such big-ticket items like geothermal heating and cooling systems and green roofs. It would also incorporate a modern design.

"The younger people at our community meetings tended to appreciate and prefer the modern architecture," says Bill Godfrey, partner in Three Oaks Group. "The people who oppose it tend to be older residents who live in little pink houses. We like the modern architecture because there is more to Ann Arbor than little pink houses."

The project has been downsized since it was first broached last year. The latest version is before the Ann Arbor Planning Commission as of the deadline for this story. City planners had recommended disapproving this project. If the city turns it down, Godfrey says developers haven�t determined where to take the project next.

Source: Bill Godfrey, partner in Three Oaks Group and Michael Appel, executive director of Avalon Housing
Writer: Jon Zemke