A lot of people took the holidays off this year. Not the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, as it spent more than half a million dollars on developments in the college town's downtown area.
The big ticket item is $500,000 for the Near North project on North Main Street, a few blocks north of downtown. The grant will help get the affordable housing project off the ground. The development would build 40 apartments for entry-level workforce (people who make less than $33,000 annually) and provide permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless or have disabilities.
"It's really exciting for us because it helps move more downtown employees into the core area," says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.
The stocking stuffer is a $50,000 grant for the Library Lot project. The DDA is giving the money to the city so it can hire a real-estate consultant to help guide city officials through the six proposals for the site next to the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch. The idea is to have a consultant from outside Washtenaw County and not affliated with any of the development teams bring a fresh pair of eyes to the process.
"It would be a very objective look," Pollay says.
The RFP for the consultant is due today. The developers behind the proposals will be making public presentations on them on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week at the Ann Arbor District Library's Downtown Branch. There will also be a Q&A session from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the library.
Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
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