By Abby VanderMolen
February 19, 2024
Welcome back to A2 Outlook. This week, The Michigan Daily has an update on the affordable housing development planned for Kerrytown’s Catherine Street. Additionally, City Council heard a presentation about developing city land. Lastly, pro-Palestine Democrats in Michigan are planning to vote “uncommitted” in the Feb. 27 primary election.
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Michigan women’s basketball team’s defense unable to limit No. 4 Iowa’s three-point attack in the loss on Thursday. Sydney Hastings-Wilkins/Daily. Buy this photo.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON CATHERINE: Ann Arbor plans to begin construction this spring on an affordable housing development at 121 Catherine St. The property, located in the city’s Kerrytown district, is currently a parking lot.
The city selected Avalon Housing, a local nonprofit working to find solutions to homelessness, to co-develop the project in early 2022. Avalon was selected in part for their plan to incorporate the neighborhood’s Black history into the development according to Jennifer Hall, executive director of the Ann Arbor Housing Commission.
The development will contain 63 residential units and be funded by several sources, including the city’s affordable housing millage, the Downtown Development Authority and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Avalon plans to allocate half of these units to house individuals currently experiencing homelessness and rent the other half to low-income residents working in creative fields.
COUNCIL CATCH-UP: Deputy City Administrator John Fournier presented to City Council Monday night on possible ways to develop city land in line with the city’s sustainability and affordable housing principles. The presentation, titled “A New Approach to Economic Development,” came after multiple reports on Ann Arbor’s development process.
Fournier summarized findings from a recent report with the phrase “legalize housing,” saying that if the city wants to encourage housing development, it should simplify the process for approving land development in addition to updating its zoning code.
Fournier made several suggestions to City Council, including a recommendation that it create an economic development office to centralize the city’s acquisition of property and developments. Fournier also suggested the city support the work of this office by removing an amendment to the city’s charter, which requires a supermajority of City Council’s approval for land purchases and development agreements.
VOTING ‘UNCOMMITTED’: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have each won their respective primary elections so far in 2024, making it increasingly likely that the two politicians will once again run against each other for the presidency in November. A group of Michigan voters unsatisfied with these two options launched the Listen to Michigan campaign, encouraging Michiganders to vote “uncommitted” in the state’s upcoming Feb. 27 primary.
The campaign was created in protest of Biden’s support for Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and his hesitancy to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. The option to vote uncommitted on Michigan’s primary ballot signifies general support for the Democratic Party without endorsing a specific candidate.
According to Layla Elabed, Listen to Michigan campaign manager, voting “uncommitted” is a way for voters to send a message to Biden about his handling of the conflict.
Students react to U-M board of regents newly adopted free speech principles … The Michigan Daily
See highway expansion, design options for big U.S. 23 expansion in Ann Arbor … MLive
Tired of the cold Ann Arbor winter? We are too. Spring Break is just around the corner, but for now, subscribe to more of The Michigan Daily’s newsletters to fill your heart with the warmth of knowledge.
News tips? Comments? Questions?
A2 Outlook Writer Abigail VanderMolen can be reached at vabigail@umich.edu.
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