ann arbor is overrated. » Blog Archive » Friends of the Ann Arbor War Zone

Friends of the Ann Arbor War Zone

The News’ special section of greenway letters runs slightly in favor of the Downtown Development Authority plan, but the greenway supporters aren’t giving up. “Next to landfills and war zones, parking garages are the worst use of our precious Earth,” writes Steven Tutino, referring to the DDA’s little-known first two proposals for the First and William site. Greenway supporter Matthew DeGenaro suggests that A2 emulate that model of parks and green space, Las Vegas. “[W]hy should we try to make Ann Arbor ‘cool’ for young people? Ann Arbor is already cool and there are enough young people. I think we should be trying to attract more wealthy retirees to live here. Look at Las Vegas: It has a tremendous growth rate built on retiree wealth.” But Deborah Green provides the most compelling argument against a parking lot: “People don’t come to cities to see parking structures…When I think of a ‘cool city,’ I don’t think of parking structures.” Wait a second, we thought the parking lot was “cool” (although not cool.) Maybe only if “cool” is bad?

26 Responses to “Friends of the Ann Arbor War Zone”

That Vegas comment is so off-the-wall absurd it seems like something Mandrake or another AAIO regular would write in to make the anti-density folks look like lunatics
posted by Matt on March 30th, 2005 at 10:09 pm
I know pot is supposed to be the trademark Tree Town illegal substance of choice (maybe that’s why they want a GREENway so badly!), but Ann Arborites have always seemed more like a bunch of crackheads to me. Those quotes are priceless.
posted by ev on March 30th, 2005 at 11:13 pm
Matt - I’d avoid pissing off mandrake.

I’m sure people would flock to Ann Arbor to walk along a greenway next to a filthy train track. But where would they park? I’m sure the NIMBYs would be more than happy to donate the spaces in front of their houses - I mean, those spaces that aren’t occupied by their SUVs.
posted by DrMandrake on March 31st, 2005 at 12:10 am
I’m… just speechless. Yeah, Ann Arbor should be more like Las Vegas.
posted by Dave on March 31st, 2005 at 1:13 am
Yeah… Ann Arbor has more than enough young kids. I wonder why they all keep flocking to this city… yes… wonder…

There was a nytimes article a few days ago about cities dealing with wealthy retirees flocking to the cities. Turns out, they don’t usually bring kids with them, and the local schools are all closing due to low enrollment.

But, whateva, Ann Arbor. Bring ‘em on in.

(Offhandedly and rather relucatantly admitting: the parking structure on Thayer and Washington is rather awesome, if only because you can climb up to the top and have a great view of the city without anyone disturbing you. A few professors here and there leaving the MLB look at you kind of funny, but it’s rather nice on a warm spring day.)

In general, I’m not a fan of parking garages. But just thinking here… Ann Arbor is a ridiculous city to afford to live in even if you’re on student loans. If the people who work in the service sector (usually coming in from Ypsi from what I’ve seen) don’t have a decent way of getting into town, you have a problem that the more well-off people don’t really want to address (I remember seeing something awhile back about affordable housing being implicitly linked with high crime rates and social problems - the “liberal” residents of this city never cease to amaze me).

The AATA helps quite a bit (and it’s damn better than SMART) but not always. Maybe the “greenway” could be put off for a light rail transit system. Then the city could keep it’s pathetically overpriced housing, yet still have people coming in workin’ the service sector. If a way to link such a system to Detroit and it’s suburbs is worked in (perhaps with Ferndale, which in general seems to be supportive of such things), there would be a lot of money made from students trying to go home for a quick weekend.

Then again, I’ve been drinking and have no idea where I’m going on this. I just find it sort of telling - and disturbing - that my environmental GSI today confused the greenway with the greenbelt. The greenbelt idea has it’s problems, sure, but I support the theory behind the idea a whole lot more than that of the greenbelt. To someone who isn’t really keeping up with the city’s day-to-day debates, they may be easily confused…
posted by Jen on March 31st, 2005 at 2:48 am
it’s = its
last “greenbelt” = greenway.

G’night.
posted by Anonymous on March 31st, 2005 at 2:50 am
Jen - the view from atop the structure is pretty cool, but the view from the top of the bell tower next door is even more awesome. You can go up and see it at noon every day, but the guy who plays on Thursdays is awesome (and smokin’ hot). One of the most underrated things in a mainly overreated city.
posted by DrMandrake on March 31st, 2005 at 7:44 am
Enough young people? Jesus fuck, how about young people that don’t leave in four years? (That’s one of the nicest things about you grad student folk: since you’re here a while, you at least have some time to interact with where you’re living in a mature way).
As for the parking structures: People that come to town don’t fold their cars into briefcases when they get here. Or perhaps they can all park at Deborah’s house…
Stupid rich motherfuckers.
posted by js on March 31st, 2005 at 8:45 am
Oh God, please NO MORE BOOMERS in this town!
posted by KBlow on March 31st, 2005 at 9:33 am
Heh, the last time an Ann Arbor project used Vegas as an ideal, we wound up with the infamous Stadium Halo. We all know how well that went over.
posted by eli on March 31st, 2005 at 9:51 am
That’s it: forget the greenway, forget the parking structure. What the DDA should propose for the land in question is a series of retirement homes. We’ll call it the geezerway.
posted by Dave on March 31st, 2005 at 9:54 am
I never knew of the alchemic power of healing tracks…sacred train tracks protected by the Wiccan mother. Nevermind the farmland that is soon-to-be converted to 1/2 acre lots for McMansions and strip mall after they destroy more housing and parking downtown.
posted by Anna on March 31st, 2005 at 10:01 am
Dave,

I love your idea for a Geezerway! Maybe there is room for more Boomers in this town afterall. If we could harness their bitter, self-centered, NIMBY energy then who knows of the possibilites.

And as housing costs go up and up they’d be forced to work in the very parking structures they once fought against but yet filled with their SUV’s and Minivans. Beautiful.
posted by KBlow on March 31st, 2005 at 10:15 am
Right, Vegas is growing because of retiree wealth, nothing to do with tourism and the associated service-sector job growth, and nobody retires to places because they’re sunny and warm. Although if AA became more like Vegas, maybe we’d have more 24-hr coffeehouses and restaurants. Shit, even Dominick’s might be open once in a while.
posted by Nick on March 31st, 2005 at 10:54 am
Look on the bright side of that proposal. If Ann Arbor became more like Vegas, wouldn’t that mean that we’d have more strippers, hookers, and coke dealers? Maybe the idea isn’t so bad after all. A one arm bandit at every urinal? That’d be frigglelicious.
posted by DrMandrake on March 31st, 2005 at 11:12 am
Nice letters Murph & Brandon…Meg Delaney’s was also good.

Wealthy retirees?…just what we need (republicans). ick.
posted by OFWinsurgent on March 31st, 2005 at 12:33 pm
Quick update on the Leopold Charrette as I’m short on time:

I just got off of the phone with Doug Cowherd. The reason that the Sierra Club didn’t get back to me was that it wasn’t clear to them that I was *specifically* inviting Mike Sklar or Doug Cowherd to come and actively participate. We have (and will continue to) donated to the Sierra Club on an annual basis, so they saw at the end of my email that I was offering to donate all profits from the Charrette to the Sierra Club, and assumed that I was simply alerting them about an impending donation.

I am very, very sorry for my ineptitude in drafting my invitation, and I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that is was entirely my fault that the Sierra Club did not respond to my invitation. My apologies to AAIO, Sierra Club members, Mike Sklar, and Doug Cowherd.

On a much happier (and less personally humiliating) note, Doug and I are actively working to come up with a format and a neutral moderator that would enable him to attend the charrette. Cool.

More later as I have more time.
posted by todd on March 31st, 2005 at 6:12 pm
Problem with Burton is the set times you’re allowed to go up. I prefer to just chill by myself on the structure whenever I please. I wish I could check it out on Thursdays - unfortunately, that’s my “9 hours of fun on North Campus” day of the week.

If you find the right spot on North Campus, near the Baits residences, there’s also quite a good view of the city proper.

(Really, this is just me vainly trying to recreate Ithaca. That was quite the pretty place.)
posted by Jen on March 31st, 2005 at 6:23 pm
Todd,

Maybe it’s how I read it, but are you saying that Cowerd won’t attend the charette unless he gets to negotiate the moderator and format? Did anyone else you invited get this sort of input/control for the event?
posted by Kblow on March 31st, 2005 at 6:32 pm
“Maybe it’s how I read it, but are you saying that Cowerd won’t attend the charette unless he gets to negotiate the moderator and format?”

Yes, that is what I am saying. But what you have to understand is that in the interest of full disclosure, I told everyone where I stand—-that I think that there are enough parks in the city proper, and that I like the DDA plan. For this reason, Doug and anyone who doesn’t like my views would be wise to make sure that this happens on an even playing field. I don’t blame them.

So yes, if I can’t make Doug feel comfortable, he won’t come. I’ll do the best that I can.

I can assure you that I will be working with all involved to make this a fair event.

We will see what happens.
posted by todd on April 1st, 2005 at 9:32 am
Todd, I hate to say it, but I can’t imagine that the invitation was worded that ambiguously. It sounds to me like they’re looking for excuses. Maybe I’m wrong, because I haven’t seen the invite, but it sure sounds that way from here.
posted by Anna on April 1st, 2005 at 10:26 am
Well, here’s the invite. The mistake (ok, there were several) that I made was that I thought that the Friends of the Greenway and the Sierra Club have the *same* proposal for the greenway since the Sierra Club appeared to come out in support of the Friends of the Greenway. In other words, I thought that the Sierra Club was specifically a “Friend” of the Greenway.

I thought that inviting one was inviting both, and in the second paragraph you’ll see that I write that I am looking forward to hearing what the Sierra Club’s vision for the future of Ann Arbor was. That statement should have been moved to the original invitation (which is at the end of this post) that begins as “In an effort to bridge…..”, and I should have named the Sierra Club by name in this original invitation.

You’ll also see that I wrote “and the rest of those who want a greenway” in the first paragraph without naming the Sierra Club directly.

I agree with Doug. I wasn’t clear enough.

I need a damn copy editor.

–

From: bigredbrewer@comcast.net
To: mssklar@comcast.net
Subject: Leopold Bros., DDA, and the Greenway
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 19:46:57 +0000

Hi guys, Todd from Leopold Bros. here,

What follows is an email that I sent to city council and the dda. I am hoping that we can coordinate a time and date for this charrette with Ms. Wong and the rest of those who want the greenway so that we can have an honest dialog about the future of downtown Ann Arbor. This discussion obviously includes the proposed Greenway and the DDA proposal.

I have proposed this meeting so that we can get the various factions together for a formal discussion of topics that are important to us all. I am hoping that we can get your support in making this happen.

For the record, and so you do not feel as though I am ambushing you, I do not believe that the downtown area needs more parks. I also support the current DDA plan. These are not fully formed opinions, however, and I am hoping to hear more about the long term plans that the Sierra Club has for our city. I may very well change my opinion on these matters.

Let me know if you can help.

Todd Leopold

Hello from the Leopold Bros.,

In effort to bridge the uneccessary gap between the Friends of the Greenway and the supporters of the DDA and density, the Leopold Bros. of Ann Arbor are proposing that a design charrette be held at our location at 523 South Main Street so that both sides can better explain their positions. The 3 minutes alloted by the City Council agenda is simply not enough time to fully discuss the merits of either side’s vision of Ann Arbor.

I have contacted students from the University of Michigan’s Urban Planning Department, and they are willing to find a UPlanning professor who will host the event so that informed and polite discourse can occur. I am forwarding this email to both Mrs. Wong of the Friends of the Greenway and Mrs. Greff of the DDA in the hopes that both will make presentations and handle questions when they are finished.

The Leopold Bros. of Ann Arbor has demonstrated that capitalism and environmentalism are not mutually exclusive concepts. We believe that the principles and experience that we have used in the design and operation of our business can help the city to find a balance between commerce and greenspace.

When a date is agreed upon, I will contact you again in the hopes that you will pass along all of the pertinent information to interested parties. I also hope that you can find the time to attend. If the bar is open during the meeting, all of the profits from sales surrounding the meeting will be donated to the Sierra Club.

Thank you for your time in this matter, and for all of the thankless work that you do for our city.

Leopold Bros. of Ann Arbor

Todd Leopold
posted by todd on April 1st, 2005 at 10:43 am
I support Todd’s approach to this — if the object is to get some real discussion happening, then it’s best to take pains to make it as neutral a venue as possible, so that nobody bows out for fear they’re walking into a rhetorical ambush.

Meanwhile, I’m with Jen: the best feature of parking structures is the fact that you can get to the top of them; rare with most buildings. 4th & William has a good view across the western half of town. As for North Campus, Jen, are you standing in front of my co-op? One of the nice features of living up here is being able to look out from the dinner table at sunset reflecting off the skyline. (or “skyline”, if you prefer.) From this distance, Tower Plaza almost looks pleasant.
posted by Murph on April 1st, 2005 at 10:47 am
Not your fault Todd. Courtesy requires a response to the first email.
posted by Dale on April 1st, 2005 at 10:47 am
Thanks for the info, Todd.

I have no doubt that you will make this a fair event. I appreciate that you are willing to accept Doug’s input and do what you can to make everyone feel welcome. The fact that you are willing to try to accomdate someone like Cowerd shows that you are a better man than him (or me.)

Does anyone honestly think that the local Sierra club would extend the same to people who disagree with it? We only need to look to the “supporters” behavior during the recent city council meeting and Cowerd’s pitiful threats to city council members for that answer.

I just distrust Cowerd so much given his past behavior which, quite frankly, has been more manipulative, bullying, and about getting his way than about understanding and consenus building.

I hardly doubt I speak for myself when I say there was no “ineptitude” on your part when you invited them to the event. They wanted to ignore it until they realized their absence was hurting their cause. Now they not only want “in” but seem to blame you for their non-response AND demand a say in more than the ground rules or he might not show? (and then get to blame you again!) A true blackbelt in passive aggressive judo. I wonder is Doug is somehow related to my mom?

Yes, in effect you are giving him the rope to hang himself with if he should decide to revert to his past methods, but hopefully he’s really seen the light and my cynicism will prove unfounded.
posted by KBlow on April 1st, 2005 at 10:53 am
Todd, I read your email and the invitation. I agree with Dale. First of all, you said, “I have proposed this meeting… various factions together for a formal discussion… I am hoping that we can get your support in making this happen… so you do not feel as though I am ambushing you (my emphasis), I do not believe that the downtown area needs more parks… I am hoping to hear more about the long term plans that the Sierra Club has for our city. ”

I do not think what you wrote was very ambiguous, and personally, if I were involved in the Sierra Club and got your message, i would have at least written back saying, “Your message seemed to be saying that you want our input — did you want us send a representative to participate in the discussion?” if there was any doubt.

Secondly, you offered to *give them money* — which means they should have written back to thank you, if nothing else, which would have given you the opportunity to say, “You’re welcome, so are you going to be participating?” and that would have cleared up any confusion. Any way you want to look at it, it’s the Sierra Club’s fault. Sklar should be ashamed of himself for a) ignoring your email, and b) pretending it was *your fault* when he failed to respond and c) wanting to choose the moderator. Bad form. Even if you’re willing to shoulder the blame, it pisses me off. *I’ll* certainly think twice the next time I think I might donate to the Sierra Club — my SC money might go to the AMC instead.
posted by Anna on April 4th, 2005 at 12:38 pm