A bit of old Ann Arbor is getting ready to be broomed away to make room for a new medical office building on the city’s far west side.
Zahn Medical, a dental office, plans to tear down a vacant old church on Jackson, across the street from Veterans Memorial Park. The Pentecostal Church of God occupied the building since the 1950s when most of the surrounding neighborhood was developed into a mix of strip mall-style commercial and post-World War II ranch brick bungalows.
The proposed 2,854-square-foot medical building is designed to complement those surroundings in more ways than one. The new 20-foot-tall, single-story building incorporates a modern brick and stone work in a style that was in fashion in the mid 20th Century. A large glass entrance atrium welcomes people coming into the building. A bakers dozen of surface parking spaces split the lot with the building, much like the rest of the commercial buildings on the nearby Stadium Boulevard commercial strip.
Updating this less-than new urbanist 1950’s design are two covered bicycle parking spots and three rain gardens along the perimeter of the building. The rain gardens will also be hooked into the city’s sewer system to help facilitate drainage during heavy rains.
Repeated attempts over several days to reach the Zahn Medical Office for further comment of the plans were not returned.
Source: City of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
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