Proposed Ypsilanti train station still favors west side of tracks

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

Ypsilanti’s proposed commuter rail station continues to trend westward now that the Depot Town Downtown Development Authority narrowly voted to recommend it go on the west side.

"The main consensus seemed to be that the west side had better connectivity to the business district as well as the larger population center of the City as well as surrounding townships," says Brian Vosburg, executive director of the Depot Town Downtown Development Authority.

The DDA board voted 3-2 for the westward recommendation. There was also one abstention. The dissenters thought there could be parking problems with commuters parking long term on the west side. The east side provided the rarely used Maple St. lot, a lot that is rarely used and can accommodate a large number of cars.

The Depot Town DDA joins the Ypsilanti Planning Commission in recommending it go on the west side, which also happens to be the same side the Ypsilanti Freighthouse is on. The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse recently landed hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to rehab the historic structure and are lobbying to have it become the train station.

The issue will now go before Ypsilanti City Council in early May and then the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments, which is spearheading the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail project.

What’s for certain is that Ypsilanti’s station for the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line is going in Depot Town.

Source: Brian Vosburg, executive director of the Depot Town Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke