Is a hotel the best thing that can be built above downtown Ann Arbor's Library Lot? Some influential backers of building up the city voice some pros and cons to such pursuing such a development.
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Now that is appears a hotel/conference center is destined for the Library Lot in downtown Ann Arbor, local residents are going to have to weigh the pros and cons of such a development.
City officials have narrowed the field of six projects to two. The others have been put on hold, meaning they haven't been dismissed but don't hold your breath waiting for them to see the light of day. The leading projects come from Valiant Partners and Acquest Realty Advisors, which call for thousands of square feet of conference center, commercial space and hotels between 8-15 stories built over the underground parking garage currently being constructed next to the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch (the 300 block of South Fifth Avenue).
Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, points out that a new hotel hasn't been built downtown in 40 years. Such an asset would provide a busy neighbor to complement the library, nearby business district, and the University of Michigan.
"Hospitality and tourism is a growing industry," Pollay says. "The growth Ann Arbor has seen is at the highway edges. We have not had one [new hotel] in our energetic, vibrant city center."
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