Ann Arbor’s plans to commence the Fuller Road transit station may be put on hold due to a debate surrounding the project’s first phase to develop a parking structure.

While some city and University officials support the creation of the parking structure, Ann Arbor City Council members are skeptical of the structure’s construction and intent.

The plans for the parking structure will be officially presented to the Ann Arbor City Council on March 21. On that date, the council will vote on whether or not to complete the construction of the proposed 977-space parking structure, according to Eli Cooper, Ann Arbor transportation program manager.

The proposed transit station is part of the city’s goal to offer alternative transportation and to give riders more options, Cooper said. The project is part of the city’s Model for Mobility — an initiative proposed in 2006 that includes the creation of an Ann Arbor-Detroit corridor, Ann Arbor-Howell corridor and the relocation of the existing Ann Arbor Amtrak station.

The Fuller Road transit station project also consists of the construction of a new train station, rail platforms, a bus transit center and bike storage, Cooper said.

The plan would also relocate the existing Amtrak Station to the Fuller Road site within the next few decades since parking is insufficient at the current station located at 325 Depot St., Cooper said. He added that the proposed train station would be more convenient since it would be closer to the University’s campus.

The ultimate goal of the project is to meet the needs of the Ann Arbor community by making transportation more accessible and convenient, Cooper said.

According to the Ann Arbor Connector Feasibility Study conducted last June, 30,000 to 40,000 students use the Fuller Road site each day, so the changes would make “getting around Ann Arbor easier,” Cooper said.

“(The Fuller Road transit station) has an ability to represent a paradigm shift for the community, including students,” he said.

According to a Jan. 18, 2010 article in The Michigan Daily, the University will pay 78 percent of all construction costs for the station, totaling $36 million, and thus entitling University-affiliated individuals to 78 percent of parking spots in the structure.

Jim Kosteva, the University’s director of community relations, said the project is going to benefit the entire city as well as the University.

“This is a partnership,” Kosteva said. “This is a community, and as their partner, there will be mutual benefits.”

He added that each entity has been working to make transportation more convenient and efficient throughout Ann Arbor. The Fuller Road transit station is especially necessary, Kosteva said, because the city’s population is expected to rise, which will increase the need for alternative transportation methods.

However, some city officials, including Ann Arbor City Council members Mike Anglin (D–Ward 5) and Stephen Kunselman (D–Ward 3), aren’t convinced the transit station is the most effective addition to the city.

Anglin said he doesn’t support the execution of the plan, which he said wasn’t “well-constructed.” Building a new train station isn’t what the city currently needs, he said, and the funds for the station have yet to be secured.

Kunselman also said he’s hesitant to support the project because of funding. The city has failed to “identify all of the funding sources for the parking garage,” he said.

Instead of the transit station, Anglin said he would like to see the city buy new buses.

To have a “healthy university, you have to have a healthy city,” Anglin said.