Ann Arbor is growing up, albiet a little less than expected, after the Ann Arbor City Council signaled that it'll probably give a green light to a modified version of the 601 Forest project.
The developer has shrank the 26-story building to 14 stories after loud protests from local residents, halving the number of beds in the project. Details for the rest of the project have not yet been released.
It's not quite the commitment to density some had hoped for but the project's forward movement is a sign that the verticals may some day win out over the horizontals. The Ann Arbor City Council plans to take up the project again in two weeks.
The city is wrestling with whether to increase the density of its core neighborhoods or adopt the more suburban approach to horizontal growth. Building 601 Forest would definitely be a win for smart growth ideals.
The building originally was originally 26 stories at its Zenith, flanked by two, 20-story shoulders at the corner of South University and Forest Streets. It will replace the Village Corner party store and an old apartment building, but leave the Mud Bowl intact.
The developers, Hughes Properties and Omena Real Estate Investments, have previously said construction would begin this fall. However, they did not respond to attempts to reach them for comment.
The original project would have had 342 residential units with 1,100 beds. These were set to stand over 16,000 square feet of first-floor retail space and 235 underground parking spaces. Current adjustments to those figures weren't available at press time.
Each unit will come furnished with amenities like flat screen TVs and floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the surrounding campus area. There will also be a café, fitness facility, business center and a landscaped roof garden.
The building will incorporate environmentally friendly construction techniques, materials and systems, such as passive solar technologies, advanced water recapture systems and a green roof. The developers are going for at least silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Source: City of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
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