Goodbye, Anberay apartments. Hello, Zaragon Place Lofts.
That's basically what the Ann Arbor City Council said Monday night when it approved the demolition of historic Anberay apartment building, commonly known as "Melrose Place" among University of Michigan students, so the new Zaragon Place Lofts can be built in its place.
Local residents and students had fought to keep the 23-unit apartment building on East University Avenue behind Pizza House and less than a block north of East Quad. The art deco structure dates back to the 1920s. Preservationists claim it's historic and its proposed replacement would be out of place in the surrounding neighborhood, which is largely filled with two and three-story structures.
Chicago-based developer Zaragon Inc. plans to tear down Anberay and build a new 10-story structure in its place. The new building would have 66 apartments in 100,000 square feet of space, along with ground-floor retail space and 40 underground parking spaces.
Demolition of the Anberay will begin in September and construction will be completed 14-18 months after that. Zaragon Inc. representatives did not return calls for comment.
Source: City of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
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